Golf Course Lingo

Teeing area - Where play starts at a hole on the course.  The player places his/her ball on a tee, between two markers on the sides of the teeing area.  Usually, there will be three teeing areas to hit from:

Area #1 - Used by female amateurs

Area #2 - Used by female professionals (LPGA Tour) and male amateurs

Area #3 - Used by male professionals (PGA Tour)

Fairway - the well-manicured section of the hole between the teeing area and green.

Rough - Any area on the hole where the grass grows higher than the other areas.  The grass on the rough can be short, of medium height or tall.

Bunker - Ususlly refers to a sand trap, but can also apply to areas of very tall grass.

Out-of-bounds - An area where play is prohibited, marked by either white stakes or solid white lines.  When a player hits a ball out-of-bounds, he/she must replay the ball from the spot where it was last hit, and a two-stroke penalty will be added to his/her score.

Water hazard - Any area, such as lakes, rivers, streams or oceans, marked with either yellow stakes (direct hazards) or red stakes (parallel hazards).  If a player hits into these water hazards, he/she can either play the ball from where it lies, place the ball at a location near the hazard, or replay the ball from the spot where it was last hit.  If the ball is not played where it landed, one stroke will be added to the player's score.

Green - A smoothly-cut area on the hole that contains the cup, a receptacle where the player aims the ball.  Located inside the cup is a flagstick, which is usually removed while the player is putting.

Par-3 - A usually short hole, under 200 yards, where the par score is three

Par-4 - A medium-length hole, 200 to 400 yards, where the par score is four

Par-5 - A very long course, over 400 yards, where the par score is five