The title of this column has nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln. His Gettysburg Address started with the words “four score.” This column is about golf terms such as “fore” and their history. Golf is on my mind because the Monticello Rotary Club is preparing for their annual tournament on September 9th, which raises funds for our high school scholarship program. Information about this event can be found on the chapter’s web site.

Let us begin with the aforementioned golf term “fore.” There are many theories on why golfers began yelling “fore” to warn others about an errant shot. Fortunately, there is only one that is considered plausible.

The most popular theory is that yelling “fore” was first used in 1878 in Scotland when Magnus McDuffer on the fourth hole of the Royal Troon of St. Berwick golf course hit a shot that was heading towards the trees lining the fairway. As a warning he yelled “fore.” Here is why he used that term. Back then golf balls were handmade and therefore expensive. So, golfers hired “forecaddies” whose job was to walk ahead on the fairway and find balls that were hit in the woods. So, by yelling “fore” they knew to begin searching for the golf ball.

“Fairway” refers to the manicured sections of the golf course where ideally you hit the ball. The term was not used before the 1800’s because groundskeepers did not yet have mowers to cut those large sections of grass. Once they did, hitting a golf ball on the smooth cut grass was a fair way to be successful. If a golfer hits the fairway often, he is on par for the course.

The word “par” was used centuries before anybody played golf, dating back to the 16th century. It derives from Latin, meaning equal. It began to be used in the 19th century by golfers. Each of the 18 holes on a golf course is assigned a number representing what a player is trying to beat or match. So, if on a par 4 a golfer gets the ball in the cup with 3 shots, he has beaten par and gets a birdie. If he goes one over par it is called a bogey.

“Bogey” began being used in the 19th century on courses in England. Some say it stems from a beer hall song that included the phrase, “Here comes the Bogey Man.” I do not know why, but the term means a golfer is one over par for a hole.

“Birdie” is an American contribution to golf terms. In the early 20th century “birdie” was a slang term meaning excellent. It is believed it was used for the first time at a course in Atlantic City. There, a golfer named George Crump watched as his friend Ab Smith hit his second shot within a few inches of the cup. Crump said, “That was a birdy of a shot.”  The term “birdie” entered golf lore despite George’s attempt to have one under par called a Crump.

Of course, a golfer keeps score on each of the 18 holes. If his total shots match the designated score assigned by the association, he is “par for the course.”

Why are there 18 holes on a golf course? One of the most famous golf courses is St. Andrews in Scotland. Golfers began hitting balls from dune to dune. Eventually, they mapped out 22 holes on the course. Players argued that the first four holes as well as the last four were too short. So, they combined those front and last holes and wound up with 18. 

By making it 18, they created what is called the front nine and the back nine. That allowed for a small break in the action for snacks and drinks. Years later, in “Caddyshack,” it allowed Judge Smails, played by Ted Knight, to tell his annoying nephew at the snack bar, “You’ll get nothing and like it.”

Hudson Cooper is a resident of Sullivan County, a writer, comedian and actor.