Golf Foundations - Golfing Glossary

Golf Swing Foundations: Learn the fundamentals of golf

Golfing Terms

Here are a few of the less colorful golf terms.

A

Ace: A hole in one whether it be on a par 3, 4 or 5.
Address: The act of taking a stance and placing the clubhead behind the ball. If the ball moves once a player has addressed the ball, there is a one-stroke penalty.
Albatross: a hole played three strokes under par. Statistically speaking, it is more difficult to get on a par 5 than it is to get a hole in one on a par 4.
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.

B

Back nine: Holes 10 through 18 on a golf course.
Backspin: The spin imparted to a ball when struck with a sloping clubface, a wedge for instance. In the air, backspin generates aerodynamic lift causing the ball to follow a higher trajectory than would otherwise be the case, often resulting in a significantly longer carry. On landing, backspin causes the ball to stop more quickly, even to spin backward. Also called bite or action.
Ballmark Tool: tool used to repair an indentation on the green caused by the ball on an approach shot (often inaccurately called a Divot Tool).
Baseball grip: grip style with all ten fingers on the club. Also known as the "Ten-Finger Grip".
Best ball: where a single player plays a match against a team consisting of either two or three players.
Birdie: a hole played one stroke under par.
Bite: heavy backspin applied to a ball that causes it to stop quickly instead of rolling when it lands.
Blade: term used to describe the type of iron made by forging the metal rather than from a cast mold. Also, describes a shot struck "thinly" with an iron in the middle of the golf ball.
Bogey: a hole played one stroke over par.
Break: the amount of lateral slope one must account for on a putt. In the United Kingdom, it is known as "borrow".
Bump and run: a low-trajectory shot that is intended to get the ball rolling along the fairway and up onto the green. Similar to a chip shot, but played from a greater distance.
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.

C

Chip: a short shot (typically played from very close to and around the green), that is intended to travel through the air over a very short distance and roll the remainder of the way to the hole.
Closed Face: When (in relation to the target-line) the clubface is angled toward the player's body, ie angled left for right-handed players.
Closed Stance: When a player's front foot is set closer to the target-line. Used to draw the ball or to prevent a slice.
Clubface: The surface of the club head which is designed to strike the golf ball. Players should strive to hit the ball with the center of the clubface to maximize distance and accuracy.
Condor: a four-under par shot, a hole-in-one on a par 5 . This has occurred on a hole with a heavy dogleg, hard ground, and no trees. Might also be called "a triple eagle".
Cross-handed: putting (and, occasionally, full-swing) grip in which the hands are placed in positions opposite that of the conventional grip. For right-handed golfers, a cross-handed grip would place the left hand below the right. Also known as the "left-hand low" grip, it has been known to help players combat the "yips".

D

Dance Floor: slang term for the green.
Divot: the chunk of grass (either fairway or rough) displaced when an iron or wedge shot is played. The indentation on the green caused by the ball on an approach shot is called a pitch mark, not a divot.
Double Bogey: a hole played two strokes over par.
Double Eagle (or Albatross): a hole played three strokes under par.
Draw: a shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves slightly to the left; often played intentionally by skilled golfers. An overdone draw usually becomes a hook.
Drive: a tee shot of great length, usually done with a driver (a type of golf club)
Duck Hook: see snap hook.

E

Eagle: a hole played in two strokes under par.

F

Fade: a shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves slightly to the right; often played intentionally by skilled golfers. An overdone fade usually becomes a slice.
Fairway: the short grass between the tee and the green. Also, "fairway percentage" is a statistic kept on players in the PGA Tour. A player is awarded a fairway if, after a tee shot, the ball comes to rest touching a fairway.
Fat shot: a poor shot in which the club is slowed by catching too much grass or soil, resulting in a short and slow ball flight.
Flop shot: a short shot, played with an open stance and an open clubface, designed to travel very high in the air and land softly on the green. The flop shot is useful when players do not have "much green to work with", but should only be attempted on the best of lies. Phil Mickelson is a master of the flop shot.
Fore: "Fore!" is shouted as a warning when it appears a ball may possibly hit other players or spectators.
Foursomes: In matchplay, a contest between two sides each consisting of a pair of players, where the 2 partners hit alternate shots on ONE ball. The first player tees off, the second player hits the second shot, the first player hits the third shot, and so on until the ball is holed. Also partners alternate their tee shots, so that one member of each team will always tee-off on the odd holes and the other will tee off on the even holes. (Foursomes are the afternoon matches played on the Friday and Saturday of the Ryder Cup). In strokeplay, a foursome competition is played between several teams each consisting of a pair of players, where partners play alternate shots until the SINGLE ball is holed. The term ‘foursome’ is often incorrectly used to describe any group of 4 players on the course.

G

Gimme: is a shot that the other players agree can count automatically without actually being played (under the tacit assumption that the putt would not have been missed). "Gimmes" are not allowed by the rules in stroke play, but this is often practiced in casual matches. However, in match play, either player may formally concede a stroke, a hole, or the entire match at any time, and this may not be refused or withdrawn. A player in match play will generally concede a tap-in or other short putt by his or her opponent.
Green or putting green: the area of specially prepared grass around the hole, where putts are played
Green in regulation (GIR): a green is considered hit "in regulation" if any part of the ball is touching the putting surface and the number of strokes taken is 2 less than par, i.e. with the first stroke on a par-3 hole, second stroke on a par-4, etc. Greens in Regulation percentage is a statistic kept by the PGA Tour.
Grounding the club: to place the clubface behind the ball on the ground at address. Grounding the club is prohibited in bunkers or when playing from any marked hazard.
Ground Under Repair (GUR): An area of the golf course that is being repaired. A free drop is allowed if the ball lands in an area marked "GUR"

H

Halved: in match play, a hole is halved (drawn) when both players or teams have played the same number of strokes. In some team events, such as the Ryder Cup (though not in the Presidents Cup), a match that is level after 18 holes is not continued, and is called "halved", with each team receiving half a point.
Handicap: A calculation that makes all golfers equal on the playing surface
Hardpan: a lie consisting of very hard turf.
Hazard: any bunker or permanent water including any ground marked as part of that water hazard. Special rules apply when playing from a hazard.
Hole In One (or ace): getting the ball directly into the cup with one shot.
Hook: a poor shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves sharply to the left (may occasionally be played intentionally but is difficult to control). Hooks are often called the "better player's miss", thanks to the fact that many of the game's greatest players (Ben Hogan, for instance) have been plagued by the hook at one time or another in their careers.
Hosel: the crooked area where the clubhead connects to the shaft. Hitting the ball off the hosel is known as a "shank".

I

Interlocking grip: grip style where (for right-handed players) the pinkie finger of the right hand is hooked around the index finger of the left. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods use the interlocking grip.
Iron: a club with a flat-faced solid metal head generally numbered from 1 to 9 indicating increasing loft.

K

Knock-down: a type of shot designed to have a very low trajectory, usually employed to combat strong winds.

L

Lag: a long putt designed to simply get the ball close to the hole. Or, in the downswing, how far the clubhead "lags" behind the hands prior to release.
Lay-up: choosing to hit a shot shorter than you are capable of in order to avoid a hazard or to position the ball in a certain spot. For example, on a par 5, on the second shot, instead of going for the green and being under GIR, a player may lay-up which he hits his second shot short of the green and then hits his 3rd shot on the green and gets GIR.
Lie: the ground that the ball is resting on. "Good lies" include the fairway and the green, while bunkers, pine straw, and the rough are examples of "bad lies". Also, the angle between the center of the shaft and the sole. Incorrect "lie angle" calibration will result in toe-first or heel-first contact with the ground when swinging the club.
Line: the expected path of the ball to the hole, particularly on putts. "Stepping in a player's line" on the green is considered a major golf faux pas.
Links: a course on the ocean, usually devoid of trees and therefore windy. Many courses in the United Kingdom are links.
Loft: the angle between the club's shaft and the club's face.

M

Mis-read: when a player takes an incorrect line on a putt.
Mulligan: a do-over, or replay of the shot. It is not allowed by the rules and not practiced in tournaments, but is common in casual rounds in some countries, especially the United States.
Mashie Niblick: Term used for a 6/7 iron in the early 1900's.

N

Nassau: a type of bet between golfers that is essentially three separate bets. Money is wagered on the best score in the front 9, back 9, and total 18 holes.

O

Open Face: When (in relation to the target line) the clubface is angled away from the player's body, ie angled right for right-handed players.
Open Stance: When a player's front foot is drawn backwards further from the target line. Used to fade the ball or to prevent a hook.
Ostrich: a hole played five strokes under par. This is widely considered impossible, requiring a hole in one on a par six.
Out-of-bounds: the area designated as being outside the boundaries of the course. When a shot lands "O.B.", the player "loses stroke and distance," meaning that he/she must hit another shot from the original spot and is assessed a one-stroke penalty. Out-of-bounds areas are usually indicated by white posts.

P

Pace: the speed at which a putt must be struck to get to the hole. Pace and break are the two components of green-reading.
Par (apocryphally an abbreviation for "professional average result"), standard score for a hole (defined by its length) or a course (sum of all the holes' pars).
Pin-high: at the same level as (distance to) the hole.
Pitch: a short shot (typically from within 50 yards), usually played with a higher lofted club and made using a less than full swing, that is intended to flight the ball towards a target (usually the hole) with greater accuracy than a full iron shot.
Pro: a professional is a golfer or person who plays or teaches golf for financial reward, may work as a touring pro in professional competitions, or as a teaching pro (also called a club pro).
Punch shot: a shot played with a very low trajectory, usually to avoid interference from tree branches when a player is hitting from the woods. Similar to the knock-down, it can also be used to avoid high winds.
Push: a shot played severely to the right; as opposed to slices, which curve from left to right, a pushed shot goes directly right. Similar to the "block". Also, term used in match play where neither competitor wins the hole.
Putt: a shot played on the green, usually with a putter.
Putter: a special golf club with a very low loft that makes the ball roll.

Q

Q-School: PGA or LPGA Tour Qualifying School, a week-long, six-round tournament in which the Top 30 finishers (of nearly 200 entrants) earn their "Tour Cards", making them exempt for the following year's tour. Aside from the major championships, Q-School may be the most pressure-filled tournament in golf.

R

Release: the point in the downswing at which the wrists uncock. A late release (creating "lag") is one of the keys to a powerful swing.
Rough: the grass that borders the fairway, usually taller and coarser than the fairway.

S

Sand Save: when a player gets up and down from a greenside sand bunker, regardless of score on the hole. Sand Save percentage is a player statistic kept by the PGA Tour.
Sand Trap: a greenside sand filled bunker as opposed to a grass or waste bunker.
Sand Wedge: a lofted club designed especially for playing out of a bunker. The modern sand wedge was invented by Gene Sarazen.
Sandie: a Sand Save (see above) that results in a score of par or better. Sandies are counted as points in some social golf games.
Scramble: when a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better on a hole. Scrambling percentage is a player statistic kept by the PGA Tour. Also a two or four man format, similar to Best Ball, except in a scramble, each player strikes a shot, the best shot is selected, then all players play from that selected position.
Scratch golfer: a player's whose handicap equals zero.
Shank: a severe mishit in which the golf ball is struck by the hosel of the club. On a shank, a player has managed to strike the ball with a part of the club other than the clubface. A shanked shot will scoot a short distance, often out to the right, or might be severely sliced or hooked.
Short game: comprised of shots that take place on or near the green. Putting, chipping, pitching, and bunker play are all aspects of short game.
Skin: a skins game pits players in a type of match play in which each hole has a set value (usually in money or points). The player who wins the hole is said to win the "skin," and whatever that skin is worth. Skins games are often more dramatic than standard match play because holes are not halved. When players tie on a given hole, the value of that hole is carried over and added to the value of the following hole. The more ties, the greater the value of the skin and the bigger the eventual payoff.
Slice: a poor shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves sharply from the left to the right (may occasionally be played intentionally but is difficult to control). 9 out of 10 golfers suffer from slicing the ball.
Snowman: An eight on a hole.
Sit: Telling the ball to drop softly, and not roll after landing.
Sweet-spot: The location on the clubface where the optimal ball-striking results are achieved.
Swing: The movement a golf player makes with his/her club to hit the ball. A golf swing is made up of a series of complex mechanical body movements. A perfect golf swing is regarded as the "holy grail" of the sport, and there are many approaches as to how to achieve "perfection". One of the classic approaches is that offered by Joe Dante's Four Magic Moves to Winning Golf.

T

Tap-in: a ball that has come to rest very close to the hole, leaving only a very short putt to be played. Often recreational golfers will "concede" tap-ins to each other to save time.
Tee Box: the specially prepared area, usually grass, from which the first stroke for each hole is made (teeing ground in official terminology).
Tee: a small peg - made of wood or plastic - placed in the teeing ground, upon which the golf ball may be placed prior to the first stroke on a hole.
Tempo: the duration of a player's swing from first movement to ballstrike. Ideally, the swing should be like a metronome, with an evenly paced transition from backswing to downswing. Ernie Els's tempo is the envy of many professionals.
Thin shot: a poor shot where the clubhead strikes too high up on the ball, resulting in a shallow flight path. Also known as "skulling" or "blading" the ball.
Topped: an errant shot where only the upper half of the golf ball is struck, causing the ball to roll or bounce rather than fly.

U

Up and down: when a player holes the ball in two strokes starting from off of the green. The first stroke, usually a "pitch", a "bunker shot" or a "chip", gets the ball 'up' onto the green, and the subsequent putt gets the ball 'down' into the hole. (var.) "up and in"

V

Vardon grip: grip style in which (for right-handed players) the right pinkie finger rests on top of the left index finger. Also known as the "overlapping grip," most golfers grip with this style. It is named for Harry Vardon, a champion golfer of the early 20th century.

W

Wedge: a type of metal headed golf club with more loft than a number 9 iron
Whiff: an attempt to strike the ball where the player fails to make contact with the ball.
Wood: a type of club where the head is generally bulbous in shape except for the clubface

Y

The yips: A tendency to twitch during the putting stroke. Some top golfers have had their careers greatly affected or even destroyed by the yips; prominent golfers who battled with the yips for much of their careers include Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, and, more recently, Bernhard Langer.

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