COLONEL BOGEY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 392, 28 June 1928, Page 8

COLONEL BOGEY

ORIGIN SOLVED CAME FROM MUSIC HALL The following note on the origin of the term “boge>” is of interest, and is taken from the “Golfers’ Handbook. The term was used first in 1891, Hugh Rotherham, Coventry, suggesting the idea of what was termed the “ground score” of the Coventry course. The scheme propounded by Rotherham was taken up by the Great Yarmouth club's honorary secretary, Dr. T. Browne, who inaugurated matches for Great Yarmouth on the lines indicated. About this particular time the popular music-hall ditty, “Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogey Man,” was on everyone’s lips, and it must have been uppermost in the mind of Major C. Wellman one day when he exclaimed to Dr. Browne, ‘This ground score of yours is a regular bogey man.’ ” This expression “bogey” was at once adopted at Great Yarmouth. Dr. Browne introduced “bogey” to the United Services club as “a quiet, modest and retiring gentleman, uniformly steady, but not over brilliant.” • Bogey” was heartily welcomed by the United Services Club, and the honorary secretary, Captain Vidal, impressed with the personality of the newest member, suggested that it was but fitting that he should be given service rank, and he was accordingly given the rank of colonel, which he still retains. The Royal and Ancient club did not recognise the term until 1910, when the Rules of Golf Committee framed special rules for bogey competitions.