Terms and Phrases

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Address: Position taken by a player prior to hitting a shot.
Ace: A hole-in-one
Aeration: Process of boring small holes into a putting green or fairway to improve growth. The process is usually done once or twice per year. Greens fees are often lowered during this time of season.
Albatross: 3 under par on a hole. Also known as a double eagle.
Amateur: Any golfer who receives no compensation for playing golf (other than taking money from his friends). A non-professional.
Approach: Any shot made with the intent of reaching the green. Not usually applicable for par-3 holes.
Army Golf: Slang term given to a player who has directional problems, especially from the tee. One shot will go to the right, one will go left...(left, right, left, right.) Hence the term "army golf."
Away: The player farther from the hole whose turn it is to shoot.


Back Nine: The final nine holes of an eighteen hole round. Not necessarily holes 10 thru 18.
Banana Ball: A sliced shot that has a flight pattern shaped liked a banana.
Best Ball: A match in which one player of a team plays against the better ball of another team of players.
Be the Club: A phrase spoken when a player has chosen a 7 iron into a green when he should have used a 5 iron. It is usually NOT the club.
Birdie: 1 under par on a hole.
Bite: Term expressed when a player wants a ball to stop moving. Commonly heard when the player has skulled the ball and needs divine intervention to keep the ball on the green.
Blast: A shot made from a sandtrap that produces a cloud of sand.
Bogey: 1 over par on a hole.
Break: The amount of movement the ball takes when rolling on a putting green. The more the green slopes, the greater the break.
Bunker: A bunker is a type of hazard usually below the normal level of the fairway or green. Bunkers can be filled with sand or grass.


Casual Water: Any temporary accumulation of water on the course that is visible before or after the player takes his stance. A good example is simply a puddle after a rainfall. Creeks and Ponds do not qualify as casual water.
Chili-Dip: A shot in which a player hits behind the ball, not moving it very far. Also be referred to as a "fat" shot or a "chunk" shot.
Chip: Any number of short shots, typically played to the green, with a higher lofted club (#7, 8, 9 or wedges.) This shot produces more roll than carry.
Chip-Out: A shot, generally going only a short distance, made from trouble in an attempt to get the ball back in play. Chip-outs are commonly made from trees or similar positions.
Chunk: When a player hits well behind the ball resulting in a big divot.
Course Rating: A numerical rating, usually by a recognized organization such as the USGA, that identifies the difficulty of a course. For example, a course rated 72.4 is more difficult than one rated at 68.5. A scratch player should expect to shoot a 68 or 69 on a course rated 68.5.
Cut: A type of shot which curves from left to right. If it's not intentional, see the definitions for Hook or Slice.


Dimple: The depression on a golf ball. Without them, the ball would not travel straight on the straightest day of it's life hit by an electrified straight-hitting machine (any Simpsons fans reading this?).
Divot: Turf removed when striking the ball from the fairway or rough. An abnormally large divot falls under the category of Chunk.
Dogleg: A hole that does not layout in a straight or near-straight line, but is more of an L-shape.
Double Bogey: 2 over par on a hole.
Double-Eagle: See Albatross.
Draw: A shot that gently curves from right to left while still airborne (assuming a right-handed golfer). This is a shot most amateurs cannot make.
Drive: The first shot on a hole, played from the teeing ground. Unless you've been drinking, you only drive on par-4 or par-5 holes.
Drop Area: A pre-determined usually well-marked area where a player may drop his ball after hitting the ball into a water hazard.
Duck Hook: A shot that starts straight at the target and curves quickly and dramatically to the left of target (assuming a right-handed golfer). Also referred to as a snap-hook.


Eagle: 2 under par on a hole.
Etiquette: Accepted code of behavior and dress on the golf course.
Executives: Overpaid middle-aged men driving up greens fees using company expense accounts.


Fade: A shot that gently curves from left to right while still airborne (assuming a right-handed golfer). This is a shot most amateurs cannot make.
Fairway: Closely mowed grass between the teebox and the green. Also known as the area most amateurs visit on the way to finding their ball in the rough or OB.
Fat: See Chili-Dip or Chunk.
First Cut: The part of the rough directly adjacent to the fairway. Also known as light rough.
Flyer: A shot that flies substantially longer than desired. Flyers usually occur when hitting from unpredictable rough.
Foot Wedge: A 'club' used by your opponent when the ball was hit into a tough spot in the rough, then is magically found a few inches or feet away in fine shape. No stroke is ever counted, and of course YOU would never do this.
Fore: What you yell loudly toward players who may be in danger of being hit by your shot.
Fried Egg: Lie in a sand bunker in which most of the ball is below the surface of the sand. Visually, the ball looks like a "fried egg", hence the term.
Fringe: Area of grass that borders a putting green. The fringe is typically higher than the grass on the green, but lower than the grass on the fairway.
Front Nine: The first nine holes of an eighteen hole round. Not necessarily holes 1 thru 9.


Gimme: A conceeded shot, usually for short putts that are almost certain to be holed.
Grain: Direction of growth for blades of grass. For professionals, it can affect the roll of a ball on the green. For amateurs, just do your best.
Greens Fee: The amount charged to play a round of golf.


Handicap: A calculated value intended to level the playing field for golfers of all skill levels. This is better defined in the FAQ section.
Heel: The part of the clubhead closest to the hosel. If a shot is struck there, it is said to be "heeled."
Hook: Similar to a Draw, except it's unintended and much more dramatic.
Honor: The player who hits first on a hole is said to have the "Honor". The honor is obtained by having the lowest score on the last hole played.


In Jail: Term used when faced with a difficult shot with little option for hitting towards the green. Commonly heard when surrounded by trees.


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Knock-Down:A shot intentionally played to keep a ball low, thereby avoiding the wind.


Lateral Hazard: A type of water hazard, marked by colored stakes, that running parallel to the line of play on a hole.
Lie: The position of a ball on the ground at any point on the course.
Links: Specifically the label given to golf courses constructed in which the 1st hole begins at the clubhouse and the 18th ends there, with no holes except those returning to the clubhouse. Links courses are often built near water. Links is also a generic slang term given to any golf course having 18 holes.
Lip: The edge (or rim) of the hole.
Lob Shot: A high, soft shot, generally played near the green with a high-lofted wedge.
LPGA: Ladies Professional Golfer's Association


Marshall: Someone whose job it is to keep spectators under control and separated from the players.
Mulligan: An "agreement" that allows a player to take another shot after a particularly "bad" shot. Mulligans are common on the first tee during friendly matches.


Out of Bounds: Any area encountered during a round of golf from which play is prohibited. Typically, but not always, out of bounds (OB) is off normal course property. The penalty for OB is stroke and distance. The player must return to the spot where the original ball was played, hit another shot from there and add a penalty stroke to his score.


Par: Expected score on a hole. Also used to describe the expected score for a full 18 hole round.
Par 3, 4 or 5: (See "Par.")
PGA: Professional Golfer's Association
Pot Bunker: A small, but very deep bunker, usually filled with sand.
Power Fade: A longer more pronounced version of a Fade. Many amateurs refer to their nasty slice as a power fade to avoid bruising a fragile ego.
Provisional Ball: A second ball played as a potential replacement for a ball that might be lost or out of bounds. If the original ball is indeed lost or out of bounds, the provisional becomes the ball in play, with penalty strokes added.
Pull: A straight shot that tends to go to the left of the intended target (assuming a right-handed player).
Punch: A shot, played intentionally low, to avoid wind, trees or other obstacles.
Punch-Out: Low shot played from trees designed to get the ball back into play.
Push: A straight shot that tends to go to the right of the intended target (assuming a right-handed player).
Putting Green: The area of the hole being played that is specifically mowed for putting. The term "Putting Green" may also refer to a practice putting area, usually near the clubhouse.


Rake: Used to remove footsteps and ball marks in a sandtrap.
Range Ball: Type of ball used at a driving range facility, usually of lesser quality, but difficult to cut. You'll sometimes see amateurs use these on par-3 holes surrounded by water.
Relief: Placing or dropping a ball in order to make a normal stroke at it. Relief may be with or without penalty depending upon the situation.
Rough: The grass bordering fairways that is longer and higher than the grass in the fairway.
Round: Term applied to a typical session of golf, generally 18 holes, but sometimes 9.


Sandtrap: A bunker filled with sand.
Sandbagger: A golfer who consistently plays to a score better than his handicap indicates that he should. This type of player is usually seen collecting many wagers in the clubhouse after the round is complete.
Scratch: A handicap of Zero
Shank: A shot that is struck in the hosel area of the golf club. The resulting ball flight is generally straight to the right.
Skull: To strike the top of the ball with an upwards, glancing blow. Similar to "hitting it thin".
Sky: A golf shot that goes much higher and shorter than desired.
Slice: An uncontrolled shot that starts to the left of the target and curves to the right of the target (assuming a right-handed player).
Slope: Mathematical formula used to compare the difficulty of one course to the next. It takes into account length, hazards, terrain, etc. A higher slope is indicative of a harder course. 113 is considered an average slope by the USGA.
Snake: A long curving putt making multiple turns.
Snap Hook: A shot that starts straight at the target and curves quickly and dramatically to the left of target (assuming a right-handed golfer). Also referred to as a duck-hook.
Stroke: The movement of the club made with the intent of hitting the ball.
Stroke And Distance: Penalty assessed for a ball hit out of bounds or for a lost ball. It involves going back to the spot of the original ball, hitting another ball from there and adding a penalty shot to the score.


Tap In: A short putt.
Tee: A little wooden or plastic contraption that you put the ball on when you play the first shot on each hole.
Tee Box: The area where you hit first shot on each hole.
Tee Time: Specific time when you are scheduled to begin play.
Toe: The end of the club head most far away from the shaft. Also the term used when a player hits the ball on that area of the club, usually resulting in a shorter shot than desired as well as one going to the right of the intended target, i.e., a "toed" shot (assuming a right-handed golfer).
Top: Shot that does not get airborne as a result of a player hitting the top of the ball.
Trap: See Sandtrap.
Triple Bogey: 3 over par on a hole.
Turn: The halfway point of an 18 hole round.


USGA: United States Golf Association


V


Waggle: Pre-shot movement in which a golfer moves the club back away from the ball a time or two, usually to relieve tension.
Water Hazard: The term applied to any permanent and open area of water (sea, lake, pond, etc.) anywhere on the course. The penalty for hitting your ball into a water hazard is one stroke.
Wedge: A highly-lofted club.
Whiff: Swinging at the ball and missing completely.
Wood: A golfclub made of wood. These can be found in museums and attics.
Worm Burner: An extremely low shot and seen rolling or bouncing fast along the ground.


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Yips: The condition, either mental or physical, in which a golfer cannot seem to make short shots.


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