In American slang of the 19th Century, the term "bird" was applied to anything particularly great. "Bird" was the "cool" of the 1800s in the U.S.
So on the golf course, a great shot - one that led to an under-par score - came to be known as a "bird," which was then transformed into "birdie." The term birdie was in worldwide use by the 1910s, and it's believed it debuted in the U.S. in 1899.
Who first used "birdie" on a golf course? Most sources point to Atlantic City Country Club in Atlantic City, N.J., as the place of origin. The USGA Museum cites the book Fifty Years of American Golf, published in 1936, which cites a matches played at Atlantic City Country Club in 1899. One of the participants in that match, Ab Smith, is quoted in the book thusly:
"My ball ... came to rest within six inches of the cup. I said 'That was a bird of a shot ... I suggest that when one of us plays a hole in one under par he receives double compensation.' The other two agreed and we began right away, just as soon as the next one came, to call it a 'birdie.' "
And "eagle" simply followed "birdie," being added to the lexicon in keeping with the avian image of birdie. And "albatross" later came along for the same reason. So once "birdie" was established as the term for 1-under par, avian terms for 2-under par and 3-under par were also adopted.
Sources: USGA Museum/British Golf Musuem
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