What Is An Eagle In Golf?

An “Eagle” in golf is the term used when a golfer finishes a particular hole with a shot count that is 2 fewer shots than the Par of the hole.

For example, if the hole is a par 4, a player can score an eagle by getting the ball in the hole in 2 shots. 

History of the Term Eagle:

To understand the origin of the term Eagle, we must first understand the origin of the term “Birdie”. Which is when a player finishes a particular hole with a shot count of fewer than  2 shots than the par of the hole.

“Birdie” comes from the early days of golf when players would refer to good shots as a “bird”. The term was a popular way to say that something was excellent at that time.

“Eagle” came as an extension of that term for when a player finished the hole 2 under par.

Famous “Eagles”

A recent Eagle that garnered a lot of media attention was one made to win a PGA Tour tournament in November of 2023.

Erik van Rooyen sank a lengthy putt for eagle to secure the tournament victory (World Wide Technology) in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Watch it here

More Golf Terms:

To see the history and meaning of other terms in golf check out our “Golf Terms” article.