What is Bogey Golf? What is it to be a Bogey Golfer? What is a Bogey Course Rating? The common usage of the term Bogey Golfer, is a player whom averages around a 9- score, or a bogey per hole. A Bogey score is equal to +1 above par on any single hole score. It's an important term in the USGA's rating systems.
Bogey Golf Links
When rating the difficulty of a course through the course/slope rating, the USGA defines a bogey golfer as: "A player with a USGA Handicap Index of 17.5 to 22.4 strokes for men and 21.5 to 26.4 for women. Under normal situations the male bogey golfer can hit his tee shot 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two shots. Likewise, the female bogey golfer can hit her tee shot 150 yards and can reach a 280-yard hole in two shots. Players who have a Handicap Index between the parameters above but are unusually long or short off the tee are not considered to be a bogey golfer for course rating purposes."
The USGA Bogey Course Rating is an evaluation of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers, and is part of the course rating process. It is used in calculating the slope rating. The bogey rating is expressed in strokes (as is the course rating), then is plugged into a formula that produces slope rating.