Having a hard time relating to the golfer in your life? I receive enough questions and confusion on golf terms that I thought I’d write an entry on all the golf lingo I can think of. Please reference this blog when you want to talk “golf” with your loved one. Heaven forbid you actually think they “SHOT AN EAGLE TODAY”!
~ GOLF GLOSSARY ~
Ace
Slang for a hole-in-one.
Address
The position which a player adopts in order to hit the ball. A player is said to have “addressed” the ball when he has taken his stance and grounded his club; except that, in a hazard, a player has “addressed” the ball when he has taken his stance.
Approach
A shot played to the green from the fairway or rough.
Apron
The area around the green that is cut a little closer than the fairway, but not as short as the putting surface.
Away
It is a natural rule of golf that a player takes his turn when his ball lies further from the hole. He is then said to be “away”. In certain circumstances on the putting green, however, particularly in a medal competition, a player who has already putted once may hole out before his partner, who may be further from the hole, takes his shot.
Bag Valet
An attendant that gathers the player’s clubs prior to the start of the round and appropriately places them on the assigned cart; and at the end of the round, cleans, organizes, checks for missing clubs and delivers the club to the owner’s vehicle.
Ball Mark
The depression on the ground caused by a hit ball.
Bent Grass
A finely textured grass commonly used in the sowing of putting greens and fairways.
Bermuda Grass
A coarsely textured species of grass used for both fairways and greens, especially in hot climates.
Best Ball
Each golfer plays his own ball, but only the lowest score from each team counts.
Better Ball
A match in which the better score of two players determines the result of the hole.
Bingo-
First ball hit onto the green.
Bango-
Ball closest to the pin once all players are on the green.
Bongo-
First person to hole out.
Birdie
A score of 1-under par for a hole.
Blind
A hole is said to be “blind” when the player cannot see the target at which he is aiming. It may apply to a fairway or a green.
Bogey
A hole played in one stroke more than par.
Bunker
A crater or hole in the ground filled with sand. A bunker, as laid down by the rules of golf, is a hazard in which a player must not ground his club before striking the ball.
Caddie
A person skilled in the game of golf who carries a player’s clubs and offers advice.
Carry
The distance from the point at which the ball is struck to the point at which it touches the ground.
Casual Water
Any temporary accumulation of water which is visible before or after a player takes his stance and which is not a hazard of itself or is not a water hazard. Snow and ice are either casual or loose impediments, at the option of the player. The most common cause is flooding after heavy rain.
Champion-ship Course
Any golf course with a par of 70 or greater. Normally considered to have a least two par-5 holes and a minimum length of 6,000 yards for 18 holes. (Note: refer to Executive Course).
Chip
A short approach consisting almost entirely of roll. It is usually played from just off the green with a variety of clubs.
Course Rating
A course is rated based on the score a scratch golfer should shoot on that particular course. The higher the course rating, the more challenging a course for the amateur golfer. (Note: refer to Slope Rating).
Cup
Another name for the hole cut on the putting green.
Direction Post
A post or flag specially erected to show the player the line to the hole. Most frequentlydirection posts reveal the line to a concealed fairway but are also used to show the location of a hidden green. If a ball strikes a direction post, it must be played as it lies. Similarly, if a ball ricochets off a direction post and finishes out of bounds, no relief is allowed.
Divot
The piece of turf uprooted in making a shot. It is common etiquette that all divots must be replaced. No relief is allowed for a ball coming to rest in a divot.
Dogleg
A hole whose fairway is marked by a gentle or acute bend; this poses to the player the problem of attempting the carry or of playing more safely. Doglegs are most common on tree-lined courses and may curve left or right. A double dogleg curves twice.
Double Eagle
A term used for a hole completed in three under par.
Draw
A shot moving slightly right to left for right handed players and left to right for left handed players.
Driver
The number 1 wood used from the tee at the hole where a player needs maximum distance with his shot.
Eagle
A hole performed in 2 strokes below par.
Executive Course
A golf course with an overall length of less than 6,000 yards for 18 holes; is comprised mostly of par-3 holes and with an average par of less than 68. Normally considered a course without par-5 holes and/or fewer than 18 holes. (Note: Refer to Championship Course.)
Face
The surface of the club designed and prepared for hitting the ball; the only part intended to make contact with the ball. Bunkers also have faces: that part of the sand that rises steeply at the front.
Fade
The opposite of draw; a shot moving slightly from left to right for right handed players and right to left for left handed players.
Fairway
The specially prepared and cut part of the course between tee and green, surrounded by rough, bunkers and other hazards.
Flagstick
Marker used to show the position of the hole on the putting green.
Fivesome
A group of five players.
Follow Through
The part of the swing after the ball has been hit; the follow through cannot alter the way the ball has been hit but it reflects the way the club has been swung.
Fore!
The golfer’s traditional warning call when other players or bystanders are in peril of being struck by a ball.
Foursome
A group of four players.
Green Speed
The pace at which the ball rolls on the putting green.
Gross Score
The player’s score, before the handicap is deducted.
Ground Under Repair
An area of the course from which the player is allowed to remove his ball without penalty, usually a temporary concession occasioned by re-turfing, re-seeding and repairs.
Handicap
The rating of amateur players based on the average of their scores which they record for each round of golf. This rating of a handicap is used in U.S.G.A. governed events to equalize the competition.
Hi-Low
The low score of each hole wins a point from all other players. The highest score gives a point to every player.
Hole
The units into which a course is divided; most courses are made up of 18 holes. More specifically, hole means the opening 4-1/2″ in diameter and at least 4″ deep cut in every green, into which the ball is played.
Hook
A stroke which starts to the right of the direct line to the target and finishes to the left. For a left-handed player, this is reversed. The hook is different from the pull, which is a stroke (often perfectly struck) in the wrong direction that travels straight or curving to the left of the intended line or right for a left handed player.
In
The holes of the second 9 of a course as opposed to “out”, the holes of the first 9.
In Play
A ball is “in play” as soon as the player has made a stroke on the teeing ground. It remains in play as his ball until holed out, except when it is out of bounds, lost or lifted, or another ball is substituted in accordance with the rules.
Irons
Clubs with metal blades for heads. They are graduated according to loft from 1 to 9, plus wedges and sand irons.
Lie
The situation in which the ball comes to rest. A “good lie” is one where the ball “sits up” on nice, spring turf; and a “bad lie” when it nestles in a depression and may not be fully visible.
Lift & Drop
The act of lifting the ball and dropping it on a playable lie behind, or as otherwise allowed by the Rules of Golf.
Line
The direction in which the player intends the ball to travel after it is hit. It often happens, however, that the line is different for two players, particularly if one is a longer hitter than the other.
Links
Traditional term meaning a natural seaside golf country among the sand dunes with little or no plant coverage other than dune grasses and mosses.
Loft
The degree of slope on the face of a club which varies the distance and trajectory that can be achieved with each.
Lost Ball
A ball is lost if it is not found and identified within five minutes of the player’s search of it. Five minutes is the maximum time allowed for search but the player can declare a ball lost before the time is up.
Marker
A disc used to mark the position of a ball when lifted from the putting green.
Marshal
A person responsible for the speed of play on the course.
Match
A contest between two player or two sides which is determined by the number of holes won and lost. “Matchplay” is a tournament or championship conducted under the rules of match rather than those of stroke play. It was the original form of the game.
Mulligan
Slang for a friendly arrangement whereby a player has the option of a second drive for the first tee. Not acceptable for competitive matches.
Municipal Course
A public course run by a local authority on which anyone may play on payment of a green fee.
Nassau
3 matches in 1. A point is allotted for the results of the first 9 holes, and another for the second 9; and another for the overall 18.
Net Score
A player’s score when his handicap has been deducted.
Pace of Play
The length of time that is required to complete a hole and/or round of golf. The average “pace of play” is 4-1/2 hours based on the industry’s averages of course designs (18 holes with four (4) par-3s, four (4) par-5s; and ten (10) par-4s with an average length of 6,400 yards and a slope of 115).
Four (4) Par-3s (175 yards each) 8 minutes play = 32 minutes*
Ten (10) Par-4s (370 yards each) 15 minutes play = 150 minutes*
Four (4) Par-5s (500 yards each) 22 minutes play = 88 minutes*
18-holes of golf 6,400 yards 270 minutes play = 4-1/2 hours*
(*) denotes the pace of play including the travel time between each hole.
Par
The score that a scratch golfer would be expected to make for a given hole. Par is based on yardage and applies on the length of the hole and not necessarily by its difficulty. Difficulty is determined by the course rating system in the United States.
Penalty Stroke
A stroke added to a player’s score for a hole or a round under the penalty clauses in the Rules of Golf; i.e. lost ball, out of bounds, accidentally moved, etc.
Pin High
A ball is “pin high” when it comes to rest at a point level with the hole for distance.
Pinsheet
A diagram of each of the 18 hole’s green dimensions and the measurement of the pin in relations to the distance from the edge and center of the green.
Pitch
A shot of varying length in which the ball is lobbed or lofted into the air
Pitch & Run
A shot so played that part of the desired distance is covered by the roll of the ball after it has pitched.
Playing Gross
Whatever you shoot is your score. Handicaps are not taken into consideration.
Playing Net
Handicaps are utilized here. In a net competition, the difference between handicaps of two competing players is applied to the first handicap holes. The player with the higher handicap receives strokes.
Plus Handicap
A handicap better than scratch. A “plus” player adds his handicap to his total instead of subtracting it.
Preferred Lie
Usually a winter rule to preserve the fairway whereby the player is allowed to select a lie within close limits.
Press
To begin another match for a halved stake when a bad start has been made and winning the original bet is unlikely.
Putting Green
The specially prepared part of every golf hole on which the hole is cut and the putting takes place. Ideally, greens have beautifully smooth and fast surfaces but this depends largely on the type of grass, the climate and other factors.
Ready Golf
A pre-determined method of play among a foursome to play each owns ball when the player is “ready” for their next shot rather than play to “away” etiquette; promotes the best pace of play for amateur level tournaments yet is not recommended or endorsed for professional sanctioned tournaments.
Registration Table
An assigned station located normally near the entrance of the clubhouse or near the first tee box to verify and assign the player’s starting position and cart number prior to the start of a tournament.
Rough
That part of the course which is neither tee, green, fairway nor hazard. Usually a thicker length of grass thus a more difficult lie for the golfer to play their ball.
Rub of the Green
Any chance deflection of the ball while in play.
Scotch
Alternate shot format played by two player teams.
Scratch Player
A player who needs no handicap.
Shotgun
A tournament that positions the starting of players at different holes and yet, starts all players at the same time. This tee time format is used in order to accommodate a large group of players on the course and allowing them to finish simultaneously. Normally considered an acceptable format if the group has a minimum of 72 or more players.
Skins
Each hole is assigned a “skin”. The lowest score on each hole wins the “skin”. If the hole is tied by any two or more players, the next hole is worth 2, and so on; thus, there is no winner in the event of a tie. At the end of the round, the prize is divided by the total number of skins won.
Slope Rating
A rating system used by the U.S.G.A. to measure the relative degree of difficulty for the average golfer. The higher the slope rating, the more difficulty the average golfer will experience on the course. (Note: Refer to Course Rating.)
Stroke
A forward movement of the club made with the intention of hitting the ball. A stroke does not necessarily move the ball.
Strokeplay
A competition in which the player’s total strokes for the round are recorded and compared with the scores of other players in the field. This format may be used with a handicap ( the player’s handicap is deducted from the total score, giving a “net” score) as illustrated below:
A player with a handicap of 21 records a score of 93 for 18 holes;
Gross Score: 93
Less handicap: 17
Net Score: 71
The standard game of golf in which the player with the lowest score at the end of round wins with handicaps included.
Sudden Death
A form of play-off in strokeplay competitions used when one or more players tie with the same score. The first person to win a hole outright is the winner; with more than 2 players, a process of elimination is involved.
Takeaway
The act of taking the club away from the ball to start the swing. Although covering only a few inches, it is generally considered to be a movement of prime importance.
Tee
A wooden peg on which the ball is placed for the initial shot to each hole only.
Tee Box
The area reserved at each hole for the initial shot to be taken. Usually this area is designated by two parallel markers facing the fairway of the hole by which the player may place his tee anywhere between these markers so long as it is not past the markers or closer to the hole.
Texas Wedge
A putter when used from off the green. When the ground short of the green is dry and hard, and the use of a broad-soled club difficult, a putter is often the most effective club.
Thin
A ball hit off the bottom of the club that does not attain normal height or flight.
Yardage Guide
A printed description of each hole of the course with yardage information, noted hazards and green location to assist a player not familiar with the course.
Our Fairway Golf Blog Editor can be reached at TEAM@FairwayGolf.com.
but nevertheless, it has come and gone. Now, Torrey Pines is back to preparations for hosting their annual Buick Invitational. Something missing? Yeah, simply put: “Tiger.” San Diego is sunny and beautiful and moving up the coast to La Jolla even gets prettier! We all can’t wait to see what the PGA Tour has in store for 2009 despite the absence of Tiger Woods. We’ll miss him at Torrey Pines in La Jolla February 2-8, 2009. Here are some facts about the Buick and Ticket info. You better come on down to San Diego for this event despite Tiger’s presence…where else would you rather be in February?
