What does bogied mean?
Bogied is the past-tense form of the verbs 'bogey' and 'bogie', and it carries two quite different meanings depending on context. In golf, it means to complete a hole in one stroke over par — a modest but unwelcome result for competitive players, who generally aim to match or beat par. On railways and in heavy engineering, it can describe something having been fitted with, or conveyed upon, a bogie: the pivoted wheeled frame mounted beneath locomotives, coaches, and freight cars that allows them to negotiate curves. The golf usage is by far the more familiar of the two, appearing constantly in sports commentary and scorecards, while the railway sense remains confined to technical and enthusiast writing. Spelling varies slightly between regions, with 'bogeyed' preferred in American golf coverage and 'bogied' serving as a common alternative, particularly in Britain.
Past tense of bogey: to play a hole of golf in one stroke more than par.
"He bogied the eighteenth after finding the bunker off the tee."
Often spelled 'bogeyed'; both spellings appear in sports journalism.
Past tense of bogie: to have been fitted with or transported on a bogie (a pivoted wheeled undercarriage).
"The rolling stock was bogied to suit the continental gauge."
Chiefly technical, used in railway engineering contexts.
The same little word that haunts your golf scorecard also describes the wheeled trucks that carry trains down the track.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bogied
The word derives from 'bogey', which appeared in nineteenth-century Britain, first as a goblin-like figure in folklore and later as the term for a benchmark score in golf, where it came to mean one stroke over par. The railway noun 'bogie' is of separate, uncertain origin, likely from northern English dialect. Both nouns produced the past-tense verb forms seen here, including this variant spelling.
Related word forms
How bogied is actually used
In golf writing, 'bogeyed' is the dominant spelling, especially in American English; 'bogied' is an accepted variant. The railway sense is chiefly technical and relatively rare outside specialist literature.
Easily confused with bogied
'Bogeyed' is the standard spelling of the golf sense in American English, while 'bogied' is a less common variant spelling also used for the railway/engineering sense relating to bogies.