More Golf Terminology

Ace - More commonly known as a "hole-in-one," this occurs when a player hits his/her very first shot from the tee into the hole.

Addressing the ball - When a player prepares to take a stroke.

Approach shot - A shot hit onto the putting green.

Apron - The grass bordering the green, also known as the fringe.

Away - The player that is farthest from the hole.

Back nine - The last nine holes on an 18-hole course, also called "in."

Back door - When a ball rolls around the hole, then falls into it from the back side.

Backspin - Spin put on the ball that helps it stop after it lands.  The highest-lofted clubs put more backspin on the shot.

Bent grass - A fine textured grass used on the green, tees and fairways.

Best Ball - A team competition using the best player's score on each hole.  For example, on the ninth hole, if Player 1 gets a four, and Player 2 gets a three, the best ball score for the team on the first hole would be three.

Birdie - A score of one under par.

Bite - When a shot stops quickly due to the backspin on the ball.  The more backspin a shot has, the more likely it is to bite.

Blind shot - When the spot to where a player wants to hit the ball is not visible when he/she takes his/her shot.

Bogey - A score of one over par.

Break of green - Hills, slopes and contours on the surface of the putting green that mark the ball curve.

Buried lie - A ball imbedded in the sand, making the shot more difficult to hit.

Caddie - A person who carries a player's golf equipment and assists with club selection and playing strategy.

Callaway Stream - A scoring method used to handicap players who do not have an established handicap.  This is normally used in one-day golf outings.

Carry - The distance a ball must go in the air before touching the ground.

Casual water - A temporary collection of water, such as a puddle, that is not part of any water hazard.

Chip shot - A short, low shot to the green.

Choke down - When the club is held closer to where the grip and shaft meet.

Closed clubface - When the clubface is aligned left of a player's target.

Clubface - The part of the club that is used to strike the ball.

Course rating - A rating system that assigns each course a number based on its difficulty.

Cup - The actual hole on the putting green, 4 1/4 inches in diameter.

Cut shot - A shot that goes from right to left.

Divot - A piece of sod often taken when taking a stroke.

Dogleg - A hole that curves left or right.

Dormie - In match play, this occurs when a player/team is as many holes ahead as there are holes left to play.

Double bogey - A score of two over par.

Double eagle - A score of three under par.

Down - The number of holes a player is behind his/her opponent.

Draw - A shot that curves slightly from left to right.

Driver - A popular term for the one-wood.

Dub - A poorly-hit shot.

Duck hook - A low shot that starts left of the target and goes further left.

Duffer - A player with poor golf skills.

Eagle - A score of two under par.

Embedded ball - A ball buried in soft ground, usually in a bunker.

Fade - A shot that curves sligtly from left to right.

Fat shot - When the club hits the ground before the ball, usually making a poor shot.

Feral - A plastic fitting where the clubhead meets the shaft.

Flange - The bottom (sole) of the club.

Follow-through - The part of the swing from the point of impact with the ball to the finish.

"Fore!" - A word that is usually shouted out by the player whose shot is headed towards other people.

Forecaddie - A person assigned by a tournament committee to help spot where the golf balls land for players in a tournament.

Foursome - A group of four players playing a round of golf together.

Fried egg - A lie in the sand trap where the ball is embedded in its own impact mark.

Front nine - The first nine holes on an 18-hole course, also called "out."

Grain - The direction the grass grows or lies on the green.  The grain usually affects the amount a ball breaks or curves when putting.

Greens fee - The rate that is paid for a round of golf.

Grip - The part of the shaft covered with rubber or leather where the club is held.

Gross score - The score a player has before his/her handicap is deducted.

Ground under repair - A marked area of the course where work is being done.

Grounding the club - When the sole of a club touches the ground while addressing the ball.

Halved/Halving a hole - In match play, this occurs when both players get the same score on the same hole.  For example, if both players get a score of four on the first hole, they have halved Hole 1.

Handicap - A number representing a player's ability in relation to par, used to equalize players with different abilities in a competition.

Hazard - Any bunker or body of water on a golf course.

Heel - The area of the clubhead near the neck or shaft of the club.

Heeled shot - When the club hits the ball near the heel of the club.

Hole - Either one unit of a golf course, or a round receptacle 4 1/4 inches in diameter and at least 4 inches deep in the green.

Hole high - A shot that lies even with the hiole but to either side.

Hole-out - When a player completes the hole by putting his/her ball into the cup.

Honor - The privilege of hitting first from the tee.  Usually given to the player with the lowest score on the last hole; it can also be determined by a coin toss for the first hole.

Hook - A shot that curves from right to left.

Hosel - The part of the clubhead where the shaft goes into the clubhead, also referred to as the neck.

Insert - A piece of material in the face of a wood head, to improve the durability of the face from the impact between the ball and the club.

Inside-to-outside swing path - Used in reference to the target line.  When the club travels left of the target line before impact and right of the target line after impact, you will hit a shot that starts to the right of your target.

Lag putt - When a golfer attempts a long putt close to the hole.

Lie - The position of the ball on the ground.  Also the angle of the shaft with the ground when the club is soled correctly.

Links - A seaside course.

Lip - The edge (rim) of the hole or bunker.

LPGA - Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Loft - The angle of the clubface in relation to the ground.  More loft results in a higher, shorter shot; less loft results in a lower, longer shot.

Making the turn - The point during a round of golf when a group has just finished the first nine holes and is yet to start the second nine holes.

Mashie - An old term for the 5-iron.

Match play - A competition between two teams or individuals by hole, where the winner is the one with the lowest score on the most holes.

Medalist - The player with the lowest score for a qualifying round in a match play tournament.

Medal play/Stroke play - A competition or tournament where the player with the lowest number of strokes for a predetermined number of holes (usually 9 or 18) is the winner.

Mulligan - A common but illegal practice where a player hits a second ball because he/she didn't like his/her first shot, then selects the better of the two shots.

Nassau - A method for scoring a match, with one point awarded for winning the front nine, one point awarded for winning the back nine, and one point awarded for winning the total eighteen.

Neck - The area where the shaft meets the clubhead.

Net score - A player's score after his/her handicap is deducted.  For example, if a player's handicap is 20, and he/she has a score of 95, the player would have a net score, or adjusted score, of 75.

Niblick - An old term for the 9-iron.

Open Tournament - A tournament where both amateurs and professionals can compete against each other; The U.S. Open and British Open are examples of such tournaments.

Outside-to-inside swing path - The opposite of an inside-to-outside swing path, when a player hits a shot that starts left of the target.

Par - A standard for scoring excellence based on the length of a hole.  Short holes are usually assigned a par number of three, while the longest holes get a par number of five.

Penalty stroke - A stroke added to the player's score as outlined in the rules.  A player doesn't actually take a stroke in a penalty stroke.

Pin high - A shot that lies even with the hole, but to the side; also referred to as hole high.

Pitch shot - A short shot hit to the green, with a high trajectory, that rolls very little upon landing on the green.

PGA - The Professional Golfers Association.

Playing through - A group of players passing a slower group of players with permission.

Plugged lie - When the ball is imbedded in its own impact mark.

Posture - The position a golfer puts his/her body in when addressing the ball.

Pot bunker - A small, deep bunker.

Provisional ball - An additional ball hit when a player thinks his/her original ball could be lost or out-of-bounds.

Pulled shot - A shot that travels straight, but straight left of the target.

Punch shot - A low, short shot hit with less than a full swing.

Pushed shot - A shot that travels straight, but straight right of the target.

Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland - The governing body, or association, of the game of golf in Europe.

Sand trap - Another name for bunker.

Scramble - When a golfer has to show exceptional short game skills to make up for the other poor shots on the course.  For example, a golfer would say that he/she "had to scramble to get a par."  Also, any golf tournament or event where each player hits his/her tee shot.  The team selects the best tee shot, and each player hits his/her next shot from that point.  This procedure continues until the ball is holed-out.

Scratch player - A highly-skilled player whose score averages at or below par, and who has a handicap of zero.

Seniors Tour - A tour of professional golfers aged 50 and older that compete in weekly golf tournaments.

Set-up - The position a golfer's body is in when he/she prepares to make a stroke; more commonly known as the address.

Shaft - The long, narrow part of the club that connects the clubhead and grip.

Shank - When the ball goes into the neck (hosel) of the club, making the ball go either way right or left of the target.

Skying - Hitting the ball higher or shorter than intended.

Slice - A shot that curves from left to right.

Slope rating - A number used to compare the difficulty of courses and calculate a player's handicap.

Sole - The bottom of the club.

Sole plate - A plate, usually metal, located on the bottom of a wood.

Spoon - An old term for the 3-wood.

Stance - The position of the feet when addressing the ball.

Stroke - A complete swing the golfer makes, regardless of whether or not the ball was hit.

Summer rules - When golfers follow the regular rules of the game, stating that no golfer can improve the lie of his/her ball, except in certain situations.

Sweet spot - The location of the club where you should hit the ball.

Swing arc - The circle a player's body and club when swinging.

Swing plane - The angle of the circular motion the club makes in relation to the ground when swinging.

Tee markers - Markers used to designate the starting point on each hole.

Toed shot - A shot hit off the toe of the golf club.

Topped shot - A shot that does not get up into the air because the club hits the top of the ball.

Under-clubbing - Using a club that will not hit the ball far enough to reach your intended target.

Up - In match play, the number of holes a team or individual is ahead of an opponent.

Up and Down - Holing-out in two strokes when off the green.  Allowing one stroke to get the ball onto the green, and one putt to get the ball into the hole.

USGA - United States Golf Association, the governing body of golf in the United States.

Waggle - Movement of the club or body before making a golf swing; it helps to reduce the tension in the swing.

Whiff - A stroke where the golfer swings and misses the golf ball.

Winter rules - When a golf course is not in adequate playing condition, therefore allowing players to improve the lie of their ball before each shot.