Golfing Terms

A-

Ace	A hole in one.
Action	Backspin on ball.
Address	The position of the golfer when preparing to start a swing.
Air shot	Missing the ball during a swing.
Albatross	Three strokes under par for a given hole.
Amateur	One who does not receive monetary compensation from the game.
Approach	Hitting the ball at the green.
Apron	The short fringe surrounding the green which separates the green from the fairway. The cut is shorter than the fairway but slightly longer than the green itself.
Attend the flag	To hold and remove the flagstick from the hole as another player putts.
Away	The ball that is furthest from the hole and therefore next in turn to play.

B-

Back nine	The last nine holes of an 18-hole course.
Backspin	Reverse spin of a ball when struck which prevents it from bouncing forward after landing.
Ball mark	The indentation made on a green or fairway by a highly lofted shot. The golfer should repair this indentation.
Ball marker	Any small object used to mark a ball's position on the green prior to it being picked up.
Ball retriever	An extendable device used to retrieve balls mainly from the water and other inaccessible areas.
Ball washer	An instrument used to clean golf balls.
Beach	A sand bunker.
Best ball	A competition where two or more players form a team. The best net score per team on each hole is recorded on the scorecard.
Best shot	A team competition where each member of the team plays a shot. The best placed ball is then chosen and all other players of the same team play their next shot from that position.
Birdie	One under par for the hole.
Bite	Reverse spin applied to the ball which prevents it from bouncing forward after landing. Same as backspin.
Blind hole	When the golfer cannot see the green when playing an approach shot. Bogey One over par for the hole.
Break	The sideways curving of a putt caused by a sloping green.
Bunker	A hazard filled by sand or grass that is placed where a fairway shot may end. You are not allowed to practice swing or ground your club in a bunker.

C-

Cabretta leather	The soft leather used in golf gloves. Usually a special lamb skin.
Caddy	A person who carries a player's clubs. Assists a player on deciding distances and club selection. Helps player when deciding on the line of a putt.
Carry	The distance the ball travels in the air after being struck.
Cart	Powered buggy used to transport golfer and equipment around the course.
Cart path	The designated path for carts
Chip	Hitting the ball into the air with enough flight to land on the green and roll across the green towards the hole.
Chunk	When the club strikes the ground well behind the ball.
Closed face	Turning the club slightly inward in order to hook the ball or prevent a slice.
Closed stance	Leading foot is near to the ball at address. Position normally adopted in order to hook the ball or prevent a slice.
Club face	That part of the club head which comes into direct contact with the ball.
Club loft	The angle of the club face. The angle affects the flight path and distance of the ball when struck.
Collar	The edge around a green or bunker.
Course rating	The degree of difficulty of a course as rated by the USGA. This is the score a zero handicap golfer should make when playing under normal circumstances.
Cup	The hole in the green into which the ball is putted.

D-

Dimple	The indentations on the surface of a golf ball that affects its flight characteristics.
Divot	A piece of turf lifted when the ball is struck. Divots should be replaced and tamped down immediately.
Dogleg	A hole where the fairway hooks to the left or right thus obscuring the green from the tee.
Double bogey	Two shots over par on a hole.
Double eagle	Three shots under the par on a hole. Also know as an albatross.
Downhill lie	When the ball rests on a hill that goes down towards where the player intends to strike the ball.
Draw	To put topspin on the ball causing it to move from outside to inside on your swing. Opposite is called a Fade.
Drive	A shot from the tee area.
Driver	A 1-wood club normally used for the tee shot.
Driving iron	A 1 or 2 iron which gives distance rather than height.
Drop	Bring the ball back into play after striking the last shot out of bounds or into a water hazard, etc. The ball is released from an outstretched arm held at shoulder height.
Dun	When a ball lands in a water hazard.

E-

Eagle	Two strokes under par on a hole.
Etiquette	A set of guidelines to promote proper behavior on the golf course.
Executive course	A golf course with mainly par 3 and comparatively short par 4 holes.

F-

Face	That part of the club head which comes into direct contact with the ball.
Fade	To put backspin on the ball causing it to travel through the air following an inside to outside swing, Opposite is Draw.
Fairway	The playing area between the tee and the green that is mowed or specially prepared.
Fat shot	A poor golf shot caused by hitting the ground before the club head hits the ball.
Flagstick	The pole in the cup on the green with a flag attached.
Flex	The degree that a club's shaft bends upon impact with the ball.
Flex point	That part of a club's shaft which bends the most.
Follow through	That part of a golfer's swing after the ball has been struck.
Fore	Warning cry shouted to players in danger of being hit by a ball. If in doubt, yell, "Fore".
Fried egg	When a ball remains in its own pitch mark when landing in a bunker.
Fringe	The short grass area surrounding the green which separates it from the fairway.
Front nine	The first nine holes of an 18-hole course.

G-

Get legs	A term used by golfers to encourage the ball to roll when they suspect it may stop short.
Gimmie	When an opponent decides that it is not necessary to play the next shot, normally when you are close to the hole
Go to School	To study the travel of a previous putt to assist in "reading" the green.
Green	The area of short grass surrounding the hole where the ball is hit using a putter.
Green in regulation	The number of shots you are expected to play before getting your ball onto the green. Always two shots less than the par of the hole.
Grip	The part of the club which the golfer holds, typically made from leather, cord, rubber of a mixture of the three.
Groove	The indentations cut into the club face which cause the ball to spin. The description given to a good repeated swing.
Ground under repair	Areas of the course under repair. Balls may be removed from them without penalty.

H-

Hack or hacker	A poor golfer.
Half or halves	A tied hole in match play.
Handicap	The number of strokes a player is given to adjust his score to that of standard scratch. It allows golfers of different abilities to compete on equal terms.
Hanging lie	When the ball is resting on the upside of a slope.
Hazard	Permanent features on the golf course designed to obstruct play.
Head	The end of the club that includes the club face.
Heel	Where the club head is attached to the shaft.
Hole high	Means that the ball has landed on the green level with the hole as you are looking at it.
Hole in one	The ball goes straight into the hole from the tee shot.
Hole out	To putt the ball into the hole.
Honor	The last player to win a hole or take the least number of shots. The player with the honor tees off first.
Hook	To induce topspin onto the ball causing it to move from outside to inside on your swing. Opposite is Slice.

I-

Impact	When the club strikes the ball.
In play	When the ball is within the playing area of the course.
Interlocking grip	To hold the club such that the little finger of one hand is wrapped around the fore-finger of the other.
Iron	A metal headed club that is not a wood.

L-

Lag	When a golfer attempts to putt the ball near the hole not caring whether it goes in or not.
Layout	The design of the course.
Lie	The position of the ball at rest.
Line	The intended travel path of the golf ball. It is bad etiquette to step in someone else's line on the green
Line of play	The intended travel path of the ball after it has been struck.
Links	Golf course within 4 miles of the coast.
Lip	The edge of the hole
Lob shot	A shot where the ball flies to maximum height and minimal distance. Normally used to hit the ball from close range when trying to avoid an obstacle.
Loft	The angle of the clubface in relation to the ground which dictates the trajectory of the ball as it rises in the air. 0 degrees loft is perpendicular to the ground.
Long game	That part of a golfer's game which involves hitting the ball over 180 yards.
LPGA	Ladies Professional Golf Association

M-

Mulligan	When a player is allowed to repeat any one shot per hole in a friendly game. This is not allowed by the official rules of the game.
Municipal course	Golf course owned by local government and open to the public.

N-

Narrow fairway	A fairway that is only a few yards across.
Net score	A player's score after the handicap deduction
Nineteenth hole	The clubhouse bar after playing 18 holes.

O-

Obstructions	Anything that is man-made that interferes with play.
Open stance	At ball address the golfer stands with his front foot further from the ball line than his back foot. An open stance is used by a player when he wants to fade or slice the ball.
Out of Bounds (OB)	The area on or adjacent to the course where the ball may not be played from. Normally marked by white posts.
Outside In	Clubhead movement across the intended line of flight from right to left at impact.
Overlapping grip	To hold the club such that the little finger of one hand is wrapped around the fore-finger of the other.

P-

Par	The number of shots a golfer should take for a hole or round. The hole par is measured by the number of shots needed to reach the green plus two for the putting. The round par is calculated by adding all the hole pars together.
Penalty stroke	A stoke added to a player's score due to a rule infringement, taking relief from a hazard or an unplayable lie.
Perimeter weighting	The weight of the club head is centered in the middle, increasing the sweet spot (an area of the club that when hit gives you the most distance).
PGA Professional Golfers Association.	The ruling body of professional golf.
Pin	The pole in the hole on the green with a flag attached.
Pin high	Means that the ball has landed on the green level with the hole as you are looking at it.
Pitch	An approach shot of high trajectory that normally flies farther than it rolls.
Pitching wedge	An iron with a club face angle of 48 to 50 degrees. Used to hit a high shot.
Pivot	The rotation of the golfer's body during a swing.
Playing through	To allow golfers playing behind to pass you while you stand to one side.
Pop up	A high shot over a very short distance.
Preferred lie	Play in which a golfer may move his ball to the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole. Not recognized by the rules of golf.
Pro shop	Shop at a golf club where golfing equipment may be purchased.
Provisional ball	A second ball played from the same place as the original when you suspect the ball may be lost or out of bounds.
Pull	When the ball flies in an inward direction after being struck. Not the same as a draw/hook as these are shots affected by spin.
Pull cart	A two-wheeled device used to aid the carrying of a golf bag around the course.
Punch	Low controlled golf shot used with a shorter swing to improve your lie.
Push	A shot that travels to the right of the intended line but generally straight.
Putt	Act of hitting golf ball on the green.
Putt out	Allowing a golfer to putt a short stroke into the hole, out of turn, to reasonably speed up play. This is an exception to the rule of etiquette where the farthest ball away hits first.
Putter	Club mainly used on green for striking the ball.
Putting green	The area of short grass surrounding the hole.

R-

Range	An area set aside for practice.
Ranger	A course official who ensues prompt play on a golf course.
Rating market	A sign next to the tee which indicates the point from which the hole's yardage is measured.
Reading the green	The act of determining the preferred path the ball must take in order to go in the hole.
Recovery shot	To bring the ball back into a favorable playing position from an unfavorable one such as a hazard.
Release	To hit the ball such that it rolls on impact with the green. Also refers to movement of golfer's hands during a swing.
Relief	To lift and drop the ball without penalty in accordance with the rules.
Rimmed	A shot which circles the lip of the hole without dropping in.
Rough	The high grass area adjacent to the fairway and green.
Round	18 holes of golf.
Run	The distance that the ball continues to travel after its initial impact with the ground.

S-

Sand trap	A sand bunker.
Sand wedge	An iron club that is designed to lift balls out of sand hazards.
Scorecard	The card on which a golfer records his score during play.
Scramble	Team competition where players play from the position of the best ball of a team member after every stroke or drive.
Scratch	A player without handicap, meaning that he can complete the course on par.
Scratch golfer	An excellent golfer with a handicap of 0.
Set	The number of golf clubs carried (maximum is 14).
Short game	Chipping, pitching and putting.
Shot	An attempt to hit the ball.
Sidehill lie	When the ball comes to rest on a slope.
Single	An unaccompanied golfer.
Sink a putt	To hit the ball into the hole.
Skull	Hitting the ball above its center, thus making it fly very low to the ground.
Slice	A slice that curves sharply from right to left.
Speed of play	The time it takes to play an 18-hole round.
Spike mark	A tuft of grass caused by spiked shoes.
Square stance	When the golfer's left and right feet are level and at right angles to the ball when he takes his stance.
Stroke	A forward movement of the club with the intention of striking the ball.
Sudden death	Where additional holes are played after a tie. The winner is the first player to win a hole outright.
Sweet spot	The preferred spot on the club face with which to strike the ball.
Swing	The action of hitting the ball.

T -

Tee	A small peg stuck into the ground on which a golf ball is placed. Also an area where golfers play the first stroke of any given hole.
Tee marker	Boundary on the tee behind which a drive must be made. The ball must be placed onto the tee within two club lengths of the tee marker.
Tee time	Scheduled start time.
Temporary green	A green used when the normal green is under repair.
Tending the flag	To hold the flagstick such that a player may aim for it and them remove it as the ball approaches.
Top	To strike the ball above its center causing it to skip and bounce along the ground rather than rise through the air.
Torque	How far a shaft twists during a swing.
Trap	Sand or grass hazard.

U-

Under clubbing	Hitting the ball short of the target aimed at.
Under par	Taking less shots than par on a given hole or for the whole round
Unplayable lie	When ball ends up in a position from which it cannot be played, for example, under a bush.
Up	A golfer's lead in strokes or holes over an opponent.
Uphill lie	Where the ball comes to rest on a slope above the target.
USGA	United States Golf Association. Golf's rule-making association in the United States.

W-

Water hazard	Ponds, lakes, rivers or ditches on the course, always marked by yellow or blue posts.
Water hole	A hole where the approach necessitates hitting the ball over a water hazard.
Wedge	A metal club designed to give loft rather than distance. Used for high shots into the green.
Whiff	Missing the ball during a swing
Winter rules	A change in rules due to cold or poor weather that allows the golfer to move the ball six inches from the original lie without penalty.

Y-

Yardage chart	A printed card detailing the layout and yardage of each hole on the course.
Yips	Chronic misplay of short putts due to nervousness.