Bogey Train
A bogey train is an informal golf term for a run of consecutive bogeys, when a player scores one over par on several holes in a row. The phrase captures the momentum of a slump: like a train, once the string of dropped shots gets rolling, it can feel hard to stop.
What is a bogey train?
You will not find “bogey train” in the official rulebooks from the USGA or the R&A. It is clubhouse slang, the kind of phrase golfers use to describe a bad patch during a round. A single bogey is one stroke over par on a hole. String a few of them together, hole after hole, and you are riding the bogey train.
The “train” part is a metaphor for momentum. A train is a line of connected cars, and each new bogey feels like another car being added to a run that already has speed behind it. Golfers usually reach for the phrase when the bogeys start to feel linked rather than random, as if one dropped shot is dragging the next one along with it.
Most players use the term in two ways. They talk about being “stuck on the bogey train” while it is happening, and about “getting off the bogey train” once they finally card a par or better. The phrase says as much about how a round feels as it does about the actual scores on the card.
Where the phrase comes from
The word “bogey” is much older than the slang built around it. It was first recorded in golf around 1890 in England, according to The DIY Golfer, and traces back to an imaginary player named Colonel Bogey. As the Michigan State University turfgrass archive tells the story, members of the Great Yarmouth club in England joked about a fictional member, Colonel Bogey, who always shot par, and a player who fell short was said to be “caught by the bogey man.” The meaning later narrowed to one stroke over par on a hole.
The “train” was added much later as plain-English imagery rather than any technical term. That addition leads to a mix-up worth clearing up. The correct spelling is bogey train, never “bogie train.” A bogie, spelled with an “i,” is the wheeled framework underneath a railway carriage, as both Merriam-Webster and the Cambridge Dictionary note. The two words sound identical and both connect loosely to trains, which is why searchers so often land on the wrong one. In golf, the spelling is always bogey.
How a bogey train happens
A run of bogeys rarely comes down to one bad swing. More often, it builds. A missed green leads to a scrambling par attempt, that putt slides by, and suddenly there is a bogey on the card. The next tee shot carries a little extra tension, and the pattern repeats. Frustration tends to speed up a player’s routine and narrow their decision-making, which is why golfers so often describe the run as picking up speed on its own.
This is where the mental side of the game shows up. The sport psychology site Golf Psychology links bogey runs directly to on-course anger and frustration, describing how several bad holes in a row can build until a player stops focusing and simply swings without a plan. The scores compound, but so does the emotion behind them.
Even elite players ride it. At the 2021 U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau had gone 30 straight holes without a bogey before his final round unravelled with back-to-back bogeys, a double bogey, and a quadruple bogey on the back nine, per ESPN. Breaking the run, whether for a weekend golfer or a major champion, usually means resetting focus on the next shot rather than the scorecard, which is a subject for a full course-management guide rather than a definition.
Bogey train vs. related terms
Because “bogey” appears in several golf phrases, the bogey train is easy to confuse with terms that mean something quite different. Here is how they compare.
| Term | What it means | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Bogey train | A run of consecutive bogeys during a round | Informal slang for a slump |
| Bogey | One stroke over par on a single hole | Official scoring term |
| Bogey golf / bogey golfer | Averaging about one over par per hole across a round, roughly 90 for 18 holes | A standard of overall ability |
| The Train | A points game where two straight bogeys, or any double bogey, wipe out your score | A betting format |
The distinction that trips people up most is bogey train versus bogey golf. A bogey train is a temporary bad patch, something even scratch players can hit for a few holes. Bogey golf describes a player’s general standard: someone who shoots around 90 and averages a bogey a hole over a full round, a level many recreational golfers are happy to reach. One is a slump; the other is a description of ability.
The Train is different again. It is a scoring game, related to Stableford, in which players collect points for pars and better but lose everything after two consecutive bogeys or a single double bogey, as described by Golf Compendium. The name plays on the same idea of keeping a good run rolling, but it is a wager rather than a piece of everyday slang.
Related Golf Terms
- Order of merit — A season-long ranking of players by performance or earnings.
- Tap-in — A very short putt that is almost certain to be made.
- Driving range mat — A synthetic hitting surface used at practice ranges.
- World ranking — The global system ranking professional golfers by results.
- Major championship — One of golf’s four most prestigious annual tournaments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bogeys make a bogey train?
There is no official number, since the term is slang. Most golfers apply it to three or more bogeys in a row, though some use it as soon as they make back-to-back bogeys and feel a run starting.
Is a bogey train the same as bogey golf?
No. A bogey train is a short run of consecutive bogeys within a round. Bogey golf is a description of overall skill, meaning a player who averages roughly one over par per hole and shoots around 90.
How do you get off the bogey train?
Golfers usually talk about resetting their focus onto the next shot and slowing down a rushed routine rather than chasing lost strokes. The specifics belong in a course-management or mental-game guide, but the core idea is to treat the next hole as a fresh start.
Is it spelled bogey train or bogie train?
Bogey train. A “bogie” with an “i” is the wheel assembly under a train carriage, a different word entirely. In golf, it is always spelled bogey.
Sources
- The DIY Golfer. “Golf Terms: What Is a Bogey in Golf?” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.thediygolfer.com/golf-terms/bogey - Michigan State University Turfgrass Information Center. “Why Is the Word ‘Bogey’ Used to Describe a Score of One Over Par?” Accessed July 2026.
https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/holen/article/1992jul11.pdf - Golf Psychology (Sports Psychology Golf). “3 Steps to Getting Off the Bogey Train.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.sportspsychologygolf.com/3-steps-to-getting-off-the-bogey-train/ - Golf Compendium. “How to Play ‘The Train’ Golf Game.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2022/11/the-train-golf-game.html - Merriam-Webster Dictionary. “Bogey.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bogey - Cambridge Dictionary. “Bogie.” Accessed July 2026.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/bogie - ESPN. “Bryson DeChambeau Shoots 8-over 44 on Back Nine, Ties for 26th at U.S. Open.” Accessed July 2026.
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31677511/bryson-dechambeau-shoots-8-44-back-nine-ties-26th-us-open-had-bad-break-bad-break
