Golf Terms

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

19 Hole: A common term for a restaurant, pub, or bar in or near the clubhouse, to which golfers can repair after (normally) a round of golf for food and beverages.

Ace: Another term for a hole in one.

Action: To impart backspin onto the ball.

Address: When a player lines up to hit the ball and begins the pre-swing routine, adjusting one’s stance and position relative to the ball. If the ball moves once a player has addressed the ball, there is a one-stroke penalty.

Aim: Generally, the direction in which your target lies and the direction you intend for your ball to go.

Aimline: When lining up for a putt, the direction of the invisible straight line running from the ball directly to the pin, which you must then adjust according to the amount of break which you have determined the green to have, based on your read of the green.

Alignment: The position of a player’s body relative to the target line of the ball.

Approach Shot: A shot intended to land the ball on the green.

Apron: The grass surface on the perimeter of the green that separates it from the fairway.

Attend (the Flagstick): When a player holds and removes the flagstick for another player.

Back nine: Holes 10 through 18 on a golf course.

Backspin: Striking the ball with a sloped clubface, a wedge for instance, with a downward motion that catches the rim of the ball along the ridges within the clubface, causing the ball to spin backward as is its lifted into the air. Backspin causes a ball to travel less far in the air, and to stop more quickly once it strikes the ground. Also called bite or action.

Ball: A small sphere used in playing golf, which is intended to be struck by a club and soar in the general direction of the green for a particular hole, if one is playing on a regulation golf course. The important thing is to be able to identify your ball and distinguish it from the balls used by other players. Normally this is done by noting the brand and number of a ball, though some players will often add personalized markings to further differentiate their own sphere of choice.

Bare Lie: When your ball is almost completely visible and free from interference from the grass or other surface. Also often the case when practicing at home with mats and practice tees, as the ball is always slightly elevated and free.

Best Ball: A match where one player competes against the best ball of two or three other players.

Birdie: The advanced player’s primary goal, scoring one under par on a given hole.

Bite: To impart backspin onto the ball. Also called action.

Blade: To strike the ball with the bottom edge of the club, topping the ball so that it flies short.

Blind: A shot that does not allow the golfer to see where the ball will land, such as onto an elevated green from below.

Bogey: Completing a hole in one stroke over par.

Break: The distance and direction your ball will travel on a green after having been struck, determined by the slope and grain of the green, and the speed and trajectory of the ball. Put simply, the distance between the path of the ball and a straight line to the hole.

Bunker Fairway: Hazard of bare earth or sand usually in a recessed depression. Grass and wooden walls or banks are not part of the hazard.

Caddie: A person paid to carry a player’s clubs and offer advise or suffer abuse. Players are responsible for the actions of their caddies.

Carry: How far the ball travels through the air. Contrasted with “run.”

Cart: 1) The four-wheeled electrical vehicle for use in transporting players from hole to hole. 2) A hand-pulled cart for carrying a bag of clubs, also now available in powered versions controlled by remote.

Casual water: Any temporary standing water visible after a player has taken his stance. Snow and ice can also be taken as casual water, as well as water that overflows the banks of existing water hazards.

Chip: A shot used the send the ball a short distance in the air, usually over an obstacle, and allow it to roll onto the green. A general rule of thumb is that the ball shot fly one-third of its distance and roll two-thirds.

Closed Face: Caused when you clubface does not strike the ball in a neutral plane of impact, but instead strikes it at an angle, sending the ball toward the player’s front foot, to the left for right-handed players.

Closed Stance: When a player’s front foot is closer to the ball, used to draw the ball or to prevent a slice.

Club: Usually used to strike a golf ball, and occasionally the ground or grass in moments of extreme frustration. Clubs can be made of metal or wood, but players are officially limited to fourteen clubs per person when playing on a regulation course. Note that manufacturers normally make clubs in sets of sixteen; players should therefore select which clubs to play before leaving the clubhouse.

Clubface: The angled surface of the club head that is used to strike the golf ball. The center of the clubface is known as the “sweet spot.” Players should strive to impact the ball in the center of the clubface to maximize distance and accuracy.

Clubhouse: This is where play begins and ends. The clubhouse is also your source for information about local rules, the conditions of the course, upcoming events and other essential information for the avid golfer. Normally, you can also purchase balls, clubs, clothes, and other golfing equipment at the clubhouse.

Compression: The measurement for expressing the hardness of a golf ball, normally 90 compression. Harder balls (100 compression) can be used in windy conditions.

Course Management: The members of the course staff who run and maintain the course. The term also refers to a golfers expected behavior in helping to maintain the course in optimum condition. This involves repairing pitch marks, replacing divots, taking care when using the greens, raking bunkers out when finished, and so forth. It is only as a team of committed golfers that we can maintain the course in premium shape.

Cut: A shot that causes the ball to move from left to right through the air (encompassing both fade and slice)

Dead: A ball so close to the hole that it is not necessary to putt the ball into the hole.

Deuce: When a player holes out in two strokes on the green.

Distance: Normally, the amount of distance your ball will travel when struck by a club, measured in yards. This can also refer to the total length of the hole, also measured in yards.

Divot: The clump of dirt and grass kicked up through the force of the club head striking the ground behind or in front of the ball. Divots should be replaced and lightly-stamped down by foot to maintain the course for the next golfer.

Dog-leg: A hole that angles off about midway to the right or left. Viewed from above, the fairway seems to bend like the hind leg of a dog.

Double-bogey: A score of two over par on a given hole.

Double-eagle: A score of two on a par 5. Also called an albatross. Very rare.

Draw: An intentional strike that causes the ball to move from right to left in the air

Drive: The first shot from the tee.

Driver: The longest clubs for a golfer, both in terms of overall length and in the distance in which they can hit the ball. Drivers are normally only used on the tee or from a driving range for practice. The 1-Wood (or your highest wood) is considered the driver.

Driving Range: A practice course specifically designed to allow multiple golfers to practice hitting with different clubs and drivers to improve one’s skill and consistency.

Drop: When a player elects to “drop” a new ball into play after the original ball is lost in a water hazard or out-of-bounds. The ball is to be dropped straight down from shoulder height.

Dunk: When your ball lands in a water hazard.

Eagle: Completing a hole with two strokes under par.

Fade: An intentional stroke that causes the ball to move from left to right in a controlled path.

Fairway: The smooth, well-manicured approach to the green, between the tee and the green itself, often punctuated by obstacles and/or bunkers.

Fairway Hit: Landing a ball onto the fairway when struck from the tee.

Fairway Wood: Wooden clubs used to supplement the driver and offer alternatives to the lowest irons, such as the 3 and 5 woods. The will generally hit the same distances as the 1 and 2 irons, but with greater loft and less roll, making them ideal for overcoming obstacles. Most amateur players also find woods easier to use than the low irons.

Fat Strike: Caused when a player strikes the ground first before striking the ball.

Finish: Your stance after completing your follow-through at the end of your swing.

Flag: The flag marker for the hole on the green, allowing the golfer to see the location of the hole from a long distance. The flag should be removed and placed out of the way during putting and replaced before moving onto the next hole.

Float Shot: A lie where grass or other vegetation holds the ball higher than normal between the ball and clubface at impact, resulting in a farther than normal shot.

FORE! Used to warn other players that an errant shot might hit them.:

Four-ball: A match in which two players ball their better ball against the better ball of two other players.

Fringe: The grass edge just off but surrounding the putting green. Also called “apron” or “collar.”

Front nine: The first 9 holes of a course.

Grain: The direction in which the grass in growing, determined by sunlight, wind, and water. Grain can strongly affect your ball’s direction when putting.

Grass: The normal surface of a course on which golf is played. Grasses are cut to specific lengths depending on their location within the course, and several different types of grass are commonly used on golf courses.

Green: The goal of your tee shot. The green is the area immediately surrounding the hole and flag, demarcated by exceptionally short and well-groomed grass.

Green in Regulation: The term refers to the number of shots required to get from the tee to the green. For example, on a par three, it is one shot; two shots for a par four, and three shots for a par five. If a green is reach in less than the required shots, it is still considered “in regulation.”

Greenside: Hazard (sand trap) lying near the green. These obstacles are best negotiated by a shot that does not hit the ball directly, but rather skims the clubface through the sand just behind and under the ball, to lift and drive it from the sand onto the green. Sand wedge clubs are designed to help you do just that, allowing you to strike the ball with an flattened clubface to “bounce” the ball out of the bunker.

Grip: The position of your hands on the club. Common grips are the overlapping grip and the interlocking grip.

Gripping Down: Placing one’s grip lower on the shaft of the club to control the distance of the ball. Also known as choking up on the club.

Ground under Repair: Any part of the course that is designated as GUR or which has clippingsor branches piled for removal.

Grounding the Club: When a player places the club on the ground behind the ball during the address and before beginning the backswing.

Half: In match play, a hole completed in the same number of strokes.

Handicap: A technique for allowing golfers of differing abilities to play one another on equal terms. A player’s handicap is determined in relation to the Standard Scratch Score (determined by the difficulty, length, and par of individual courses). For example, a golfer with a handicap of 12 will, on average, complete the course with a score of twelve over the Standard Scratch Score (SSS). A player with a five handicap, will complete the course five strokes over the SSS. The lower the number, the better the player. A golfer with a zero handicap is a “scratch” golfer, and playing better than scratch is a “plus-handicap.”

Hazard: Obstacles which interfere with your approach to the green, such as bunkers (sand traps), water hazards, trees,

Head: The club head, the part that attaches to the club shaft and is responsible for the weight ofthe club.

Heel: The part of the club head that is closest to the shaft, and your feet if you are lining up for a swing. Contrasted with “toe.”

Hole: Also called the cup or the pin, the hole is the ultimate goal of every shot.

Hole in One: To strike the ball in such a way that it lands and rolls into the hole in one complete shot from tee to hole.

Hook: An unintentional shot that causes the ball to fly from right to left.

Hosel: A part of club anatomy, where the shaft of the club is attached to the club head.

Impact: The point of your swing at which your club has reached maximum velocity and you strike the ball, sending it soaring across the fairway toward the green; at least we all hope this is the case.

Impediments: Natural objects lying on the course, such as leaves, sticks, twigs, and pine cones, are referred to as “loose impediments,” and if not growing or embedded in the ground can be moved. If there is any doubt, do not remove such obstructions. These are different from “loose obstructions” (unnatural artifacts,such as bunker rakes, moveable trash cans, etc.), which can be moved without fault. While you can remove these items, take great care as if moving them causes your ball to move, you can be faulted a one-stroke penalty while on the fairway. On the green, the rules allow you to move the impediments even if they move your ball, without penalty, so long as you replace your ball in its original spot immediately. Exception

In: When a ball is in play within the legal boundaries of the course, as opposed to “out.” Also the last nine holes of an 18-hole course.

Iron: Club used for long and middle-distance shots, opposed to the “woods” used for driving.

Knockdown shot: A shot intentionally played low into the wind.

Lay up: Practice of intentionally playing a ball up short to maximize your position for the next shot.

Line of play: The intended path of the ball when it is struck.

Line of putt: The intended path of the ball when it is struck on the green.

Links: Often employed as part of the name of the golf course, and can refer to multiple courses within one establishment. While many golfers use the term interchangeably with “course,” links are a particular type of course. The term is drawn from the St. Andrews Links, the six-course “home of golf” in Scotland, where the game of golf has been traced back to the early 15th century. Links courses usually have the following characteristics

Lob: A high shot played with a wedge club intended to land softly with backspin.

Loft: The amount of lift imparted to a ball by the club when it is struck, sending the ball into the air. Shorter irons and wedges will give a ball more loft, lifting it higher into the air. Also the angle the clubface is set from vertical.

Long Iron: Refers to an iron that will send the ball further in distance towards the hole. For example, a three-iron would be “long,” and a seven-iron would be longer than an eight.

Match Play: The original method for playing golf. Playing a round of golf by each individual hole. The player who wins the hole with the fewest strokes is “one-up.” The same player winning the second hole would be “two-up.” Holes that are even are “halved,” and the match score remains the same. Match play is concluded when the player who is “up” is ahead by more than the number of remaining holes. For example, being three holes ahead on the 16th hole. The standard penalty for infractions of the rules for match play is the loss of the hole.

Mid-Iron: An iron of the middle range, in terms of length and in distance.

Mulligan: Allowing a player to have a second chance at a botched first drive.

Obstruction: Any artificial object or structure on the course, with the exception of fences, walls, and paths. (also termed “Obstacle”)

Open Face: Caused when the clubface strikes the ball at an open angle, sending the ball away from the player’s feet for right-handed players, off to the right.

Open Stance: When a player stands with the front foot further away from the ball, used when trying to fade the ball or avoid a hook.

Out: Your reply when your wife asks you, “Where do you think you’re going?” Also, the first nine holes on an 18-hole course.

Out of Bounds: When a ball lies outside the boundaries of the course.

Overswing: When a player attempts to gain more distance or overcome external factors by swinging “extra” hard on a given stroke, for example, swinging into the wind. Normally, overswing gives you less control and results in poor shots. In the case above, it is better to take a longer club and swing less strongly into the wind, minimizing its effect on your shot and helping you to maximize your control.

Pace of Play: Perhaps the most important rule within golf etiquette, and often one of the most abused. Players are required to complete their play in a timely fashion, including looking for lost or missing balls (five minutes, max.) and to allow faster players to play through to avoid holding up the game for everyone. Practice swings often take up unnecessary time, one is enough for each stroke once the game is underway. If you are struggling with a hole and the others in your party have finished, pick up your ball and continue on to maintain a steady pace of play.

Par: The number of stokes allotted to a particular hole, ranked from three to five. Holes up to 250 yards are Par 3; 251-475 yards are Par 4; over 475 yards are Par 5.

Par 3 Hole: A generally short hole, the objective being to drive the ball from the tee near or onto the green and sink the ball in the hole within two strokes or less, for a total of three or less strokes.

Par 4 Hole: A middle-length hole, the objective being to drive the ball onto the fairway, a second shot is usually required to get the ball near or onto the green, leaving two strokes to putt the ball into the hole, for a total of four or less strokes.

Par 5 Hole: A long-distance hole. It is assumed that it will take three strokes to put the ball on or near the green, leaving two strokes to putt the ball into the hole.

Penalty Drop: When a ball is lost in a water hazard, and the player takes a drop within two club-lengths of the point where the ball crossed into the plane of the hazard.

Pitch Marks: Marks on the green caused by golf balls striking the green from chipped and pitched shots. These should be repaired before playing the green using a wooden tee peg or a pitch mark repairer. Damage from un-repaired pitch marks can take more than two weeks to recover, while freshly repaired marks can heal within twenty-four hours.

Pitch Shot: A shot that is intended to allow the ball to fly over obstacles and land near or onto the green. Pitch shots are longer than chip shots, and the ball will spend more time in the air.

Pitching Wedge: A club with a high loft used in bunkers and for pitch shots.

Plugged Lie: The case when you ball has plunged into sand or soft ground and lies “plugged” in its own crater. Contrast with “bare lie.”

Pre-shot routine: An individual player’s routine of examining the lie, determining the target and distance, and preparing to hit the ball.

Pull: An unintentional shot that flies in a straight line to the left (for right-handers) of the target.

Punch Shot: A shot played with the hands in front of the plane of the ball and the wrists fixed.

Push: An unintentional shot that flies in a straight line to the right (for right-handers) of the target.

Putter: The club used to “putt” the ball towards the hole when on the green.

Putting: The part of the game played on the green, usually to complete a given hole. Players use a special club, the putter, and the ball normally remains in contact with the ground.

Quitting on the ball: When a player slows down the swing before striking the ball.

Rating: The difficulty of a course or the skill level of a player.

Read: Examining the green to determine the amount of break it will exert on your ball.

Rhythm: The speed and technique of your swing. Each particular swing type normally has its own rhythm.

Rough: The ground with longer grass and/or trees and other impediments adjacent to the fairway and green.

Round Robin: A tournament in which all players compete against one another.

Run: How far a ball travels along the ground. Contrasted with “carry.”

Safety Shot: Playing a shot intentionally short, so as to avoid a hazard and set yourself up for the next shot. Also known as “laying up.”

Sand Trap: A hazard or bunker, usually near the green.

Sand Wedge: A club with a high loft used to recover balls in bunkers.

Scramble: A team of golfers where each player has four chances to hit a great shot. Everyone tees off and the best shot from all players is determined. The other players retrieve their balls and everyone plays from the best position. Play continues until one ball is sunk into the cup, ending that hole. Variations of the rules for each player exist to make this method of play more interesting and strategic.

Set-up: The position of your feet, body, and club for a particular shot. Each type of shot, such as the drive, the pitch, putting, and uphill/downhill shots, have their own unique setup.

Shaft: The portion of the club that connects the clubface to the grip.

Shamble: A team of players each have four chances to hit one great shot. Everyone tees off, and the best shot for the team is determined (like with Scramble). The other players retrieve their balls, and everyone begins from the most advanced position. Unlike Scramble, however, each player from this point plays a normal stroke-play game, each finishing through the hole.

Shank: A stroke where the neck of the club makes contact with the ball, sending it off at a sharp angle. A very bad sideways shot.

Shaped Shot: This technique is employed when course factors or conditions force you to use a different club than you might normally choose for a given shot. This can also involve playing away from obstructions.

Short game: Usually refers to the approach shots towards the green and in putting.

Short Iron: Clubs that are shorter and intended for shorter distances.

Shotgun Start: A staggered approach to beginning tournament play, where teams start on assigned holes rather than beginning at the first hole and proceeding in sequence.

Slice: An unintentional shot that causes the ball to veer from left to right in an uncontrolled manner.

Slope (green): The angle(s) of a green which will affect your putt.

Slope/Rating type: A handicapping system for golf courses relative to the standard of a 72 par course.

Sole: The part of the club head that touches the ground.

Speed: The amount of resistance or friction on a given green. Fast greens will allow a ball to travel farther than slow greens.

Spin: Imparting a spin to the ball upon impact, by hitting the ball slightly higher or lower than center.

Stableford: An alternative scoring system in which each successfully completed hole is worth a certain point value. A bogey is worth one point, par is worth two, a birdie—three, and eagle—four, and a double eagle—five. All other shots do not score any points. The player with the highest number of points wins.

Stance: The placement of a player’s feet in preparation for making a stroke.

Sticks: Another term for clubs, as clubs were originally made of wood.

Strike: To hit the ball and cause it to travel away from you. Adjectives normally determine if the result was positive or negative, for example, a “fat strike.”

Stroke and Distance: The catch-all method for dealing with an unplayable ball. When the original ball is lost in a tree, in a water hazard, etc., a player may hit another ball from the same point at which the first ball was hit, adding a one-stroke penalty to your score. Example

Stroke Play: Playing a round of golf by counting the total number of strokes for the duration of the round. The standard penalty for rule infractions during stroke play is two shots. This is the most common format for tournaments, consisting of a 72-Hole (four 18 hole courses). format.

Swing: The action of playing a stroke from the movement of the club rearward through the follow-through.

Swing Plane: The plane through which your club will travel during the swing. Short clubs have a more vertical plane, while longer clubs will be more angled.

Takeaway: The start of the backswing.

Tee: The area of prepared and maintained ground located at the beginning of each hole

Tee Box: The part of the tee forming a rectangle in the center of the tee, two club-lengths inside and back from the markers for each respective distance. The ball must be teed up within this box and not past the markers, but a player may stand outside it. Also known as the teeing ground.

Tending the Flag: When a player holds and removes the flagstick for another player.

Texas wedge: A shot played from off the green with a putter.

Thin Strike: When a player hits the top half of the ball (opposite of a “fat strike”).

Toe: The part of the club head furthest from the shaft, and away from your feet if you are lining up for a swing. Contrasted with “heel.”

Topped shot: Different from a “thin strike,” a topped shot is intentional, and causes the ball to travel along the ground, usually for some distance. Can often permit better control than a pitched shot.

Trap: Another name for sand hazard or bunker.

Turn: Midpoint of a course, the end of the ninth hole.

Under-clubbing: Hitting the ball short of your intended target.

Up and Down: To get the ball from off the green into the cup within two strokes, for example, if your second shot lies just off the green and you make par.

Water Hazard: A water-based impediment, a pond, lake, river, ditch, or drainage ditch, whether natural or manmade, which presents an obstacle to the player’s advance. Your ball can be in a water hazard without technically lying in the water itself. “Lateral water hazards” are demarcated by red stakes or redlines, and regular water hazards by yellow stakes or lines. If you can determine within a reasonable doubt that your ball has fallen into a water hazard (not lost in the rough or surrounding trees) you have the following options

Wedge: A club with a high loft, used for sand, chip, or pitch shots.

Whiff: a swing where the player fails to contact the ball. Often embarrassing yes, but only counts one stroke against you, so better than a shot into a water hazard or out of bounds.

Wind: Air movements that can affect the path of your ball, temperature, and comfort.

Woods: The large-headed clubs used for long-distance shots.

Yardage: The range of distances a given club is rated for.

Yardage Rating: The stroke index of a given hole, 18 being the easiest and 1 the most difficult.