Antedating of "Eagle" (Golf)

[Benjamin Torbert]

When I was a kid, people would refer to double eagle as 'albatross.'
They're extremely rare, occurring mostly on short par fives, or
occasionally on now-driveable par fours, and there have been about four of
them at Augusta.  I never hear that anymore, only 'double eagle.'  Double
eagle doesn't make any sense given what we do with holes played over par;
double bogey is twice as many strokes over par as bogey. Double eagle isn't
double the number of strokes under par that an eagle is; it's one more.

Benjamin Torbert


On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 2:15 PM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Eagle" (Golf)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Yes, Barry as usual has done a great job on this.
>
> A general comment:  I have long been interested in the terms "eagle,"
> "birdie," "par," "bogey," etc.  In particular, it is interesting that some
> of these terms have completely altered their meaning over time.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
> ADSGarson O'Toole [adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2014 3:00 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Antedating of "Eagle" (Golf)
>
> Dan Goncharoff wrote:
> > Great finds, Garson!
> >
> > You have simultaneously confirmed the Atlantic City Country Club as the
> > source of Eagle and predated their own history of it by 13 years.
>
> Thanks, Dan. The information is intriguing. However, it should be
> emphasized that credit properly belongs to Barry Popik. He located the
> cites in January 1909, February 1909, and 1921 that were relayed to
> the ADS list in my previous message.
> Garson
>
> > On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 10:14 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Eagle" (Golf)
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> > ------
> >>
> >> Barry Popik shrewdly looked for the golf "eagle" in the excellent
> >> archive of sports publications at LA84.org and found earlier evidence
> >> which off-list he kindly shared. Garson
> >>
> >> Replying to Queries
> >> American Golfer, 1921, Vol. 24, Iss. 2, pgs. 22.
> >> ... Will you be good enough to en- lighten me on the meanings of the
> >> following: "Birdie," "Eagle," "Dormie" and '"Nassau"? B EGINNER . ...
> >> library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1921/ag242t.pdf
> >> ...
> >> [PDF] Around Philadelphia
> >> The American Golfer, by Hazard. 1909 January Vol. 1 No. 3 p. 124-128.
> >> ... Sometime after the hatching of the Birdie another fea- thered
> >> feature was given to golf=E2=80=94the Eagle, which soars even higher
> than=
> >  the
> >> Birdie and is ...
> >> library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1909/ag13j.pdf
> >> ...
> >> PDF] Around Philadelphia
> >> The American Golfer, by Hazard. 1909 February Vol. 1 No. 4 p. 196-200.
> >> ... At this critical point the doctor won the championship with an
> >> "Eagle"=E2=80=94a wonderful 3=E2=80=94although a "Bird" would have
> suffic=
> > ed. ...
> >> library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1909/ag14k.pdf
> >>
> >> On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 12:05 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole
> >> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > Fred Shapiro:
> >> >> eagle (OED, 1.d., 1922)
> >> >>
> >> >> 1913 _L.A. Times_ 6 Feb. (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)  He made
> the
> >> long=3D
> >> >>  hole, No. 6 -- 629 yards -- in 4 (an "eagle," messieurs).
> >> >
> >> > Excellent work, Fred. Here is an instance of the golf "eagle" a few
> >> > months earlier.
> >> >
> >> > Newspaper: Chester Times
> >> > Date: September 14, 1912,
> >> > Newspaper Location: Chester, Pennsylvania
> >> > Article: James Victor In Springhaven Golf
> >> > Page: 1
> >> > Column: 4
> >> > Database: NewspaperArchive
> >> >
> >> > [Begin excerpt]
> >> > On the out journey he
> >> > was two above par, but he played
> >> > the fourth, fifth, eighth, and ninth
> >> > holes in par, and had an "eagle" on
> >> > the seventh. This is a par five-hole
> >> > and he played it in three strokes.
> >> > [End excerpt]
> >> >
> >> > Garson
> >>
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