Golf Terms For Your Dictionary!

A

ace

A hole-in-one. Buy a round of drinks for the house.

address

The positioning of your body in relation to the ball just before
starting your swing. And your last conscious thought
before the chaos begins.

airball

Your swing missed the ball! Blame it on an alien's spacecraft radar.

albatross

British term for double eagle, or three under par on one hole. 

amateur

Someone who plays for fun - not money. Playing golf for fun?

angle of approach

The degree at which the clubhead moves either downward
or upward into the ball. A severe test of agility.

Approach

Your shot to the green made from anywhere except the tee.
Sounds dangerous; really isn't.

apron

The grass around the edge of a green, longer than the grass
on the green but shorter than the grass on the fairway.
Or what I wear to barbecue in.

attend

To hold and remove the flags tick as a partner putts, usually from some distance.

away

Term used to describe the ball farthest from the hole and,
thus, next to be played.

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B

back door

back lip

back nine

backspin

bunker

buried ball/lie

backswing

The part of the swing from the point where the clubhead
moves away from the ball to the point where it starts
back down again. I hope that your backswing is smooth
and in balance.

baffle

Old name for as-wood.

bailout (hang 'em high)

You hit the shot, for example, well to the right to avoid trouble on the left.

balata

Sap from a tropical tree, used to make covers for balls.

ball at rest

The ball isn't moving. A study in still life.

ball marker

Small, round object, such as a coin, used to indicate the
ball's position on the green.

ball retriever

Long pole with a scoop on the end used to collect balls from
water hazards and other undesirable spots. If the grip on
your ball retriever is worn out, get some lessons immediately.

bail washer

Found on many tees; a device for cleaning balls.

banana ball

Shot that curves hugely from left to right (see slice).

bandit

See hustler. Avoid bandits at all costs.

baseball grip

To hold the club with all ten fingers on the grip.

best ball

Game for four players; two teams of two. The low score on
each side counts as the team score on each hole.

birdie

Score of one under par on a hole.

bisque

Handicap stroke given by one player to another. Receiver
may choose which hole it is applied to.

bite (vampire, bicuspid, overbite)

A spin that makes the ball tend to stop rather than roll when it lands.

blade

Not pretty. The leading edge of the club, rather than the clubface,
strikes the ball, resulting in a low shot that tends to travel
way too far (see thin or skull). Also a kind of putter or iron.

blast

Aggressive shot from a bunker that displaces a lot of sand.

blind shot

You can't see the spot where you want the ball to land.

block (H&R Block, Dan Blocker)

Shot that flies straight but to the right of the target (see push).

bogey

Score of one stroke over par on a hole.

borrow

The amount of curve you must allow for a putt on a sloping green.
Or what you need to do if you playa hustler.

boundary

Edge, of course; it confines the space/time continuum.
Usually marked by white stakes.

brassie

Old name for a 2-wood.

break

See borrow.

British Open

National championship run by Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St.
Andrews ­known in Britain as "the Open" because it was the first one.

bulge

The curve across the face of a wooden club.

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c

caddie

caddie-master

Calamity Jane

carry

cart

casual water

center-shafted

character builder

charting the course

chili-dip (Hormel, lay the sod over it, pooper scooper)

chip

chip-in

choke

choke down

chunk

cleat

cleek

closed face

closed stance

clubhouse

club length

collar

come-backer

compression

concede

core

course rating

The difficulty of a course, measured with some silly formula by the USGA.

cross-handed

Grip with the left hand below the right.

cross wind

Breeze blowing from right to left or from left to right.

cup

Container in the hole that holds the flagstick in place.

cuppy lie

When the ball is in a cup-like depression.

cut

Score that eliminates a percentage of the field (or players)
from a tournament. Usually made after 36 holes of
a 72-hole event. I've missed a few in my time.

cut shot

Shot that curves from left to right.

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D

dance floor

Slang for green.

dawn patrol

The players who tee off early in the day.

dead (body bags, cadaver, on the slab, perdition, jail,
tag on his toe, wearing stripes, no pulse - you get the idea)

No possible way out of the shot!

deep

High clubface from top to bottom.

deuce

A score of two on a given hole.

dimple

Depression on the cover of a golf ball.

divot

Turf displaced by the clubhead during a swing.

dogleg

Hole on which the fairway curves one way or the other.

dormant

Grass on the course is alive but not actively growing. Also my hair.

dormie

The player who's winning the match in match play -
for example, five up with only five holes left, or four up with four left.

double bogey

Score of two over par on a hole.

double eagle

Score of three under par on a hole. Forget it, you,'11
probably never get one. See also albatross.

down

Losing.

downhill lie

When your right foot is higher than your left when
you address the ball (for right-handed players).

downswing

The part of the swing where the clubhead is
moving down, toward the ball.

drop

Procedure by which you put the ball back into play
after it's been deemed unplayable.

dub

Bad shot or player.

duck hook (shrimp, mallard, quacker)

Shot curving severely from right to left.

duffer

Bad player.

dying putt

A putt that barely reaches the hole.

DQ'd

Disqualified.

drain

To sink a putt.

draw

Shot that curves from right to left.

drive

Shot from teeing ground other than' par-3 holes.

drive for show, putt for dough

Old saying implying that putting is more important than driving.

driving range

Place where you can go to hit practice balls.

drive the green

When your drive finishes on the putting surface. Can happen
on short par-4, or when the brakes go out on your cart.

E

eagle

Score of two under par for a hole.

embedded ball

Portion of the ball is below ground.

erosion

Loss of land through water and wind damage - most common on the coasts.

etiquette

Code of conduct.

explode

To playa ball from a bunker moving a large amount of sand.
Or what you do if the ball doesn't get out of the bunker.

extra holes

Played when a match finishes even (is tied).

F

face

The front of a club or bunker.

fade

Shot that curves gently from left to right.

fairway

The prepared surface running from tee to green.

fairway wood

Any wooden club that's not your driver. Nowadays, you say
fairway metal because you don't see many wooden clubs anymore.

fat

To strike the ground before the ball.

feather

To put a delicate fade on a shot - don't try it yet!

first cut

Strip of rough at the edge of a fairway.

first off

Golfers beginning their round before everyone else.

flag

Piece of cloth attached to the top of a flagstick.

flagstick

The stick with the flag on top, which indicates the location of the cup.

flange

Projecting piece of clubhead behind the sole (bottom).

flat

Swing that is less upright than normal, and more around
the body than up and down.

flub

To hit the ball only a few feet.

flex

The amount of bend in a shaft.

flier

Shot, usually hit from the rough, which travels way too far past the target.

fly the green

To hit a shot that lands beyond the putting surface.

follow-through

The part of the swing after the ball has been struck.

foozle

To make a complete mess of a shot.

Fore!

What to shout when your ball is headed toward another player.

forged irons

Clubs made one by one, without molds.

forward press

Targetward shift of the hands, and perhaps a right knee,
just prior to takeaway.

foursome

Depends where you are. In the States, a group of four
playing together. In Britain, a match between two teams of two,
each hitting one ball alternately.

free drop

Drop for which no penalty stroke is incurred, generally
within one club length of where the ball was.

fried egg

When your ball is semi buried in the sand.

fringe

See apron.

frog hair

Slang for apron, fringe, or collar.

front nine

The first half of your round of golf; the second half is the back nine holes.

full swing

Longest swing you make.

G

gallery

Spectators at a tournament.

gimme

A short putt that your opponent doesn't ask you to hit,
assuming that you can't possibly miss the shot.

G.I.R

Slang for greens in regulation - greens hit in regulation number of strokes.

glove

Usually worn on the left hand by right-handed players. Helps maintain grip.

Golden Bear

Jack Nicklaus.

golf widow(er)

Your significant other after he or she finds out how much you want to play!

go to school

Watching your partner's putt and learning from it the line
and pace that your putt should have.

good-good

Reciprocal concession of short putts. (See gimme.)

grain

Tendency of grass leaves to lie horizontally toward the sun.

Grand Slam

The four major championships: Masters, U.S. Open,
British Open, and PGA Championship.

graphite

Lightweight material used to make shafts and clubheads.

Great White Shark

Greg Norman.

green

The shortest-cut grass where you do your putting.

greenies

Bet won by player whose first shot finishes closest to the hole on a par-3.

green jacket

Prize awarded to the winner of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

greens fee

The cost to playa round of golf.

greenside

Close to the green.

greensome

Game in which both players on a team drive off. The better of
the two is chosen; then they alternate shots from there.

grip

Piece of rubber/leather on the end of a club.
Or your hold on the club.

groove

Scoring along the clubface.

gross score

Actual score shot before a handicap is deducted.

ground the club

The process of placing the club head behind the ball at address,
generally touching the bottom of the grass.

ground under repair

Area on the course being worked on by the groundskeeper,
generally marked by white lines, from which you may drop
your ball without penalty.

gutta percha

 Material used to manufacture golf balls in the 19th century.

 H

hacker

half

half shot

halve

ham and egging

handicap

hanging lie

hardpan

hazard

head cover

heel

hickory

high side

hole

hole-high

hole-in-one

hole out

home green

honor

hood

hook

horseshoe

hosel

hustler

I

Impact

Moment when the club strikes the ball.

Impregnable Quadrilateral

The Grand Slam.

improve your lie

To move the ball to make a shot easier. This is illegal unless local
rules dictate otherwise.

in play

Within the confines of the course (not out-of-bounds).

into out

Swing path whereby the clubhead moves across the ball-target line
from left to right.

in your pocket

After you've picked up the ball! (Generally after you finish a hole
without holing out.)

insert

Plate in the face of wooden clubs.

inside out

Clubhead moves through the impact area on a line to the right of
the target. Most tour players do this. (See also outside in.)

inside

Area on your side of a line drawn from the ball to the target.

intended line

The path on which you imagine the ball flying from club to target.

interlocking

Type of grip where the little finger of the right hand is entwined
with the index finger of the left.

investment cast

Clubs made from a mold.

impediment

J

jail

Slang for when you and your ball are in very deep trouble.

jigger

Old term for a 4-iron. Also a great little pub to the right of the
17th fairway at St. Andrews.

jungle

Slang for heavy rough, or an unpre­pared area of long grass.

K

kick

Another term for bounce.

kill

To hit a long shot.

L

ladies day

Time when course is reserved for those of the female persuasion.

lag

A long putt hit with the intent of leaving the ball close to the cup.

laid off

When the club points to the left of the target at the top of the
backswing.

lateral hazard

Water hazard marked by red stakes and usually parallel to the fairway.

lay-up

Conservatively played shot to avoid possible trouble.

leader board

Place where lowest scores in tournament are posted.

leak

Ball drifting to the right during flight.

lie

Where your ball is on the ground. Also, the angle at which the
club shaft extends from the head.

lift

What you do before you drop.

line

The path of a shot to the hole.

line up

links

lip

lip-out (cellophane bridge)

local knowledge

local rules

loft

long game

loop

low-handicapper

low side

LPGA

M

make

Hole a shot.

makeable

Shot with a good chance of being holed.

mallet

Putter with a wide head.

mark

To indicate the position of the ball with a small, round, flat
object, such as a coin, usually on the green.

marker

Small, round object, such as a coin, placed behind the ball to
indicate its position when you lift it. Or the person keeping score.

marshal

Person controlling the crowd at a tournament.

mashie

Old term for as-iron.

mashie-niblick

Old term for a 7-iron.

Masters

First major tournament of each calendar year. Always played over
the Augusta National course in Georgia. The one tournament I can't go to.

match of cards

Comparing your scorecard to your opponent's to see who won.

match play

Game played between two sides. The side that wins the most
holes wins the match.

matched set

Clubs designed to look and feel the same.

medal play

Game played between any number of players. The player with
the lowest score wins (can also be called stroke play).

metal wood

Wooden club made of metal.

mid-iron

Old term for a 2-iron.

miniature course

Putting course.

misclub

To use the wrong club for the distance.

misread

To take the wrong line on a putt.

miss the cut

To take too many strokes for the first 36 holes of 72-hole event
and be eliminated. I did this once or twice.

mixed foursome

Two men, two women.

model swing

Perfect motion.

mulligan

Second attempt at a shot, usually played on the first tee. This is illegal.

municipal course

A course owned by the local government and thus open to the public.
Generally has lower greens fees than a privately owned public course.

N

nassau

Bet in which a round of 18 holes is divided into three - front nine,
back nine, and full 18.

net score

Score for a hole or round after handicap strokes are deducted.

never up, never in

Annoying saying coined for a putt that finishes short of the hole.

niblick

Old term for a 9-iron.

nine

Half of a course.

19th hole

The clubhouse bar.

0

O.B. (Oscar Bravo, set it free)

Out-of bounds.

off-center hit

Less than a solid strike.

offset

Club with the head set farther behind the shaft than normal.

one-putt

To take only a single putt on a green.

one up

Being one hole ahead in the match score.

open face

Clubface aligned to the right of the target at address, or to the
right of its path at impact. Can lead to a shot going to the right
of the target.

open stance

Player sets up with the left foot pulled back, away from the ball.

open up the hole

When your tee shot leaves the best possible angle for the next
shot to the green.

out-of-bounds

Area outside the boundaries of the course, usually marked with white
posts. When a ball finishes "O.B.," the player must return to the
original spot and play another ball under penalty of one stroke.
He or she thus loses stroke and distance.

outside

Area on the far side of the ball.

outside in

Swing path followed by the clubhead into the ball from outside the
ball target line. (See inside out.)

over the green

Ball hit too far.

overdub

To use a club that will hit the ball too far.

overlapping

A type of grip where the little finger of the right hand lies over the
index finger of the left hand.

P

pairings

Groups of two players.

par

The score a good player would expect to make on a hole or round.

partner

penal

persimmon

PGA

Piccolo grip

pigeon

pin

pin-high

pin-placement

pitch

pitch and putt

pitch-and-run

pitching-niblick

pivot

plane

playoff

play through

plugged lie

plumb-bob

pop-up

pot bunker

practice green

preferred lies

press

private club

Pro-Am

professional

pro shop

provisional ball

public course

pull

punch

push

A straight shot that flies to the right of the target.

putter

A straight-faced club generally used on the greens.

Q

quail high (stealth, skull, rat-high)

Low.

qualifying school

A place where aspiring professional golfers try to qualify for the
PGA and LPGA Tours. A punishing week of pressure golf.
The ultimate grind.

quitting

Not hitting through a shot with conviction.

R

rabbit

A beginning player.

rake

Device used to smooth the sand after you leave a bunker.

range

Practice area.

range ball

Generally a low-quality ball used on a driving range.

rap

To hit a putt firmly.

read the green

To assess the path on which a putt must travel to the hole.

regular

A shaft with normal flex.

regulation

Par figures.

release

The point in the downswing where the wrists uncock.

relief

Where you drop a ball that was in a hazard or affected by
an obstruction.

reverse overlap

Putting grip in which the little finger of the right hand overlaps
the index finger of the left hand.

rhythm

The tempo of your swing.

rim the cup

See lip out.

ringer score

Your best-ever score at each hole on the course.

Road Hole

The 17th hole at St. Andrews ­the hardest hole in the world.

roll

On wooden clubs, the curve on the clubface from the top to
the bottom of the face.

rough

Unprepared area of long grass on either side of the fairway.

round

Eighteen holes of golf.

Royal & Ancient Golf Club

The organiza­tion that runs the British Open.

rub of the green

Luck.

run

The roll on the ball after landing.

run up

A type of shot to play when the ground is firm. You bounce the
ball onto the green and let it roll to the hole.

S

sandbagger

A golfer who lies about his or her ability/handicap to gain an advantage.

sand trap

A bunker.

sandy

Making par after being in a bunker.

scorecard

Where the length, par, and rating of each hole is recorded.
Also, your score.

scoring

The grooves on the clubface.

scramble

To play erratic golf but still score well. Or a game where a
team of, say, four all tee off and then pick the best shot.
All then play their balls from that spot; continues with
each set of shots.

scratch play

No handicaps used in this type of game.

scratch player

One with a 0 handicap.

second cut

Second level of rough, higher  than first cut. Some courses
have three cuts of rough.

semiprivate

A course with members that is also open to the public.

semirough

Grass in the rough that is not too long, not too short.

setup

See address.

shaft

The part of the club that joins the grip to the head.

shag

To retrieve practice balls.

shag bag

To carry practice balls.  

shallow

Narrow clubface. Or a flattish angle of attack into the ball.

shank

Shot struck from the club's hosel; flies far to the right of the
intended target.

shooting the lights out

To play very well.

short cut

Cut of grass on the fairway or green.

 short game

Shots played on and around the green.

 shut

Clubface aligned left at address or impact; looking skyward at
the top of the backswing. Results in a shot that goes to the
left of the target.

 sidehilllie

Ball either above or below your feet.

 sidesaddle

Putting style where a player faces the hole while making the stroke.

sink

To make a putt.

sit down (full flaps, pull a hamstring, develop a limp)

A polite request for the ball to stop.

skins

Betting game where the lowest score on a hole wins the pot.
If the hole is tied, the money carries over to the next hole.

skull (hit it in the forehead)

See blade or thin.

sky

Ball flies off the top of the clubface - very high and short.

sleeve of balls

Box of three golf balls.

slice

Shot that curves sharply from left to right.

smile

Cut in a bail caused by a mishit.

smother

To hit the ball with a closed clubface, resulting in a horrible,
low, hooky shot.

snake

Long putt.

snap hook

Severe hook.

socket

See shank.

sole

Bottom of the clubhead.

sole plate

Piece of metal attached to the bottom of a wooden club.

spade-mashie

Old term for a 6-iron.

spike mark

Mark on the green made by a golf shoe.

spin-out

Legs moving too fast in relation to the upper body on the
downswing.

spoon

Old term for a 3-wood.

spot putting

Aiming for a point on the green over which the ball must
run if it is to go in the hole.                                               .

square

Score of a match is even. Or the clubface and stance are
aligned perfectly with the target.

square face

Clubface looking directly at the hole at address/impact.

square grooves

USGA banned them from clubfaces.

St. Andrews

Located in Fife, Scotland, the home of golf.

stableford

Method of scoring by using points rather than strokes.

stance

Position of the feet before the swing.

starter

Person running the order of play (who plays when) from the first tee.

starting time

When you tee off at the first tee.

stick

The pin in the hole.

stiff

A shaft with reduced flex. Or very close to the hole.

stimpmeter

Device used to measure the speed of greens.

stroke

Movement of club with the intent to hit the ball.

stroke hole

Hole at which one either gives or receives a shot, according to
the handi­cap of your playing.

stymie

Ball obstructing your route to the hole - now obsolete.

sudden-death

Form of playoff whereby the first player to win a hole wins the match.

superintendent

Person responsible for the upkeep of the course.

surlyn

Material from which most balls are made.

swale

Depression or dip in terrain.

sway

To move excessively to the right on the backswing without
turning the body.

sweet spot

Perfect point on the clubface with which to strike the ball.

swing plane

Angle at which the club shaft travels around the body during a swing.

swing weight

Measure of a club's weight to its length.

T

takeaway

Early part of the backswing.

tap-in

Very short putt.

tee

Wooden peg on which the ball is set for the first shot on a hole.
Also, the area from which that initial shot is hit.

teeing ground

Area in which you must tee your ball, between the tee
markers and neither in front of them nor more than two
club lengths behind them.

tee it up

To start play.

tempo

The rhythm of your swing.

temporary green

Used in winter to save the permanent green.

Texas wedge

Putter when used from off the green.

that'll play

A kind reference to mediocre shot.

thin

To hit the ball around its equator - don't expect much height.

three-putt

Undesired number of strokes on a green.

through the green

The whole course except hazards, tees, and greens.

Tiger tee

Slang for the back tee.

tight

Narrow fairway.

tight lie

The ball on bare ground or very short grass.