News and Tips - Golf Terms

If you play golf, you'll want to speak the language. . . here are some common golf terms to become familiar with. I'll add to them in the future as they come to me!

Ace - Hole in one; very rare other than on a par three.

Away - Describes the player who is farthest from the pin.

Ball Mark - An indentation in the grass, which was made by a ball landing on the green. Should be repaired before leaving the green with a ball mark repair tool. Players should repair their ball mark and at least on other in an attempt to keep the putting surface in the best condition.

Ball Marker - A coin or specially made small, flat object used to place directly behind the ball on the putting green allowing the player to lift, clean and re-place the ball prior to it being putted.

Birdie - One shot under par, i.e. a score of three on a four-par hole.

Blast - A shot from a sand bunker.

Blind Green - A green that cannot be seen from the tee box.

Bogie - One shot over par, i.e. a score of five on a four-par hole. A double bogie would be a six on a four-par hole.

Break - The slant of the green between the ball and the hole is called a break; it can be to the right or the left. The break is caused by the lay of the land. Gravity will pull the ball from the high to the low as it rolls. The more speed a ball has on the green, the less it will take the break. The less speed a ball has, the more it will break. Aim accordingly to allow the ball to curve and have a chance to go into the cup.

Bump and Run - A chip shot in which the ball flies approximately 1/3 of the way to the hole in the air, and rolls 2/3 of the way on the ground like a putt.

Bunker - A hazard consisting of a prepared area of ground, often a hollow, from which grass has been removed and replaced with sand or a similar substance.

Carry - The distance the ball moves through the air before landing.

Chip - An approach shot used when the ball is close to the green. It has more roll and less loft than a pitch shot.

Cleats - Spikes on golf shoes which provide traction. Used to be metal but now are plastic and called soft spikes.

Compression - The hardness rating on a golf ball. The softest is 80 (for slower swing speeds and often used by women), the middle compression rating is 90; 100 is the hardest and is used by players with higher swing speeds. Newer technology now classifies balls more into women's balls, distance balls, and spin balls.

Dimples - Indentations on golf balls, which give the ball loft and direction.

Distance Markers - Special Stakes, trees, shrubs, rocks, monuments or in-ground blocks, which mark the distance to the center of the green, usually placed at 200, 150, and 100 yards. Some courses have GPS systems on their golf carts. And some courses have yardages plaques on the top of some of the sprinkler heads.

Divot - A piece of turf which is cut out by the club when it is swung through the ball. Should be replaced after the shot. Some courses have a container of seed / sand mixture on the golf carts that should be used to sprinkle in the divot to help it grow back and repair itself.

Dogleg - A hole in which the fairway curves sharply to the left or right.

Dormie - Describes the following situation when playing a format in golf called match play: you have played six holes out of nine. You are three holes down to your opponent with three left to play. You have the chance to tie, but can't win. You are dormie.

Draw - A shot curving to the left for a right hand golfer. For a left hand golfer, it is a shot curving to the right. The most ideal ball flight to produce maximum distance.

Drive - Initial shot from the tee box with the longest club in your bag designed to hit the ball the greatest distance called the driver.

Duck Hook - A shot that takes a sharp left turn for a right handed golfer. For a left hand golfer, it's a shot that takes a sharp right hand turn.

Eagle - Two under par, i.e. a score of three on a par five.

Fade - A shot that flies off to the right slightly for a right handed golfer. For a left handed golfer, it's a shot that flies off to the left slightly.

Fairway - The closely mown grass that lies between the tee box and the green.

Fat Shot - Hitting the ground before the ball; a mis-hit.

Flop Shot - A high approach shot landing with little roll often hit with a 60 degree wedge or a sand wedge.

Flyer - A high, sailing ball, often resulting from a shot hit from the rough that is hard to stop on the green because it does not have any backspin on it. Results when the long grass of the rough gets between the ball and the grooves on the golf club at impact.

"FORE!" - A loud shout used to alert others on the course that a struck ball may endanger another player. When you hear someone yell "Fore", turn away, duck and cover your head, a ball may be flying towards you. If you hit a ball off line and it may endanger another person on the course, you should yell "Fore".

Fringe - The short grass, encircling but not part of the green. May also be called the "frog hair" or the "apron'.

Gimme - A very close putt that is conceded and the player picks up the ball adding another stroke to their score as if they went ahead and putted it, and made it into the hole.

Grain - Inclination of the way the blades of grass grow on the green which can effect the speed and direction of the rolling ball.

Green - Putting surface where the pin is placed. FYI. . . the pin position is usually changed daily to prevent wear of the green and vary the difficulty of the hole.

Ground (verb) - To rest the club head on the ground behind the ball when lining up a shot prior to hitting the ball.

Hazard - Penalty area marked by stakes, such as water, marshes, etc.

Hardpan - Hard ground surface with little or no grass on it.

Honor - The person who wins the previous hole has the honor of hitting the first shot on the succeeding tee.

Hook - A shot going sharply to the left for a right handed golfer. For a left handed golfer, it's a shot going sharply to the right.

Knockdown - A low hit shot, often used to avoid overhead limbs or high winds.

Lie - The position of the ball on the course. Can also describe how the ball is sitting in the grass such as a "buried lie".

Match Play - Hole by hole play against opponent(s).

Medal Play - Total 18-hole score against opponent(s).

Mulligan - One extra shot on the first tee; optional with group of players, not encouraged because it slows down play.

Out - Describes the player who is farthest from the hole; same as "away". The player who is away should play first.

Out-of-Bounds "O.B." - The area where play is prohibited, generally marked by white stakes or white lines drawn on the ground. Penalty is one stroke and you have to go back to when hit your last shot from. This penalty is called "stroke and distance".

Pin - Flag stick.

Pin High - Describes a ball hit onto or near the green which is directly in line with the pin.

Plugged - A ball that flies and embeds deep into the ground when it lands with only the top of it showing. Some courses have a local rule that allows free relief called "the embedded ball rule".

Practice Swing - A swing without a ball used to rehearse the technique or feel of the swing that will be used to actually hit the ball. Players should limit themselves to only one practice swing per shot to keep the pace of play and not fall behind.

Pre-Shot Routine - A series of physical and mental steps that all good players do consistently before each shot.

Putt - A rolling shot on the green hit with a putter.

Pitch - A lofted approach shot resulting in less roll than a chip shot.

Pull - A shot that starts out to the left and flies straight on that path for a right handed golfer. For a left handed golfer, it's a shot that starts out to the right and flies straight on that path.

Push - A shot that starts out to the right and flies straight on that path for a right handed golfer. For a left handed golfer, it's a shot that starts out to the left and flies straight on that path.

Ready Golf - Hitting when you get to the tee box and you are ready vs. waiting for the person who had the lowest score on the previous hole to hit first. Used to speed up play and usually agreed to by the group on the first hole.

Rough - The area bordering the fairway and also includes the un-maintained terrain, woods, and high grass areas.

Sandie - Hitting from a sand bunker onto the green and into the hole in two strokes.

Sandbagger - A critical term which describes a player who is carrying a higher handicap than is appropriate for his or her level of play.

Shank - Some call it the worst shot in golf and refer to it as the "s" word for fear of jinxing themselves if they say it out loud. A shot which is mis-hit off of the hosel of the club (shank of the club), resulting in a ball shooting straight right for a right handed player. For a left handed player, it would shoot straight left.

Skied-Shot - A high flying shot, short shot, pronounced "sky-ed." Also known as a "pop-up".

Skulled Shot - A low flying shot which is hit accidentally with the bottom of the blade of the club, producing a rolling, bumping shot.

Slice - An undesirable shot that curves off to the right for a right handed player. For a left handed player, it's a shot that curves off to the left. A slice results in a loss of distance because it's a higher trajectory shot with a lot of side spin.

Snake - A very long putt that goes into the cup often breaking several times vs. straight.

Speed of Play - The time it takes to play a round of golf. 9 holes should take approximately 2 hours and 18 holes should take approximately 4 hours. All efforts should be made to play without delay. Players should be ready to hit when it is their turn and limit the number of practice swings taken. Mulligan's should not be used on the course. Golf carts should be parked at the back of the green and the scores should be written down at the tee box of the next hole. All of this in attempt to speed up play and keep up with the group ahead of you.

Stance - Body position taken in preparing to swing. Can also refer to the width apart of the feet.

Stroke - Any swing hitting or intending to hit the ball.

Stymie - When your line of play is blocked by an object, tree, rock; (stymied).

Tee Box - Driving area with tee markers. The front tees (often red in color) are are for the average woman player, beginners, and men who want to play the course from a shorter distance. The middle tees (often white in color) are for advanced women players who want to play the course at a longer distance and the average men players. Championship tees (often blue and or black in color) make the course play the longest and are usually used for professional players and low handicappers. Depending on the course, other tees may be indicated for Senior's and or Juniors.

Top (verb) - Hitting high up on the ball (it's equator or above) resulting in a ball that flies low or does not get off of the ground and rolls. Also called a "thin" shot.

Unplayable Lie - When the lie of the ball makes swinging at it impossible. The ball may be moved with a penalty stroke.

Up - As in "Who's up?" in other words, "Whose turn is it to hit".

Whiff - A swing that counts as a stroke that misses the ball.

Worm Burner - A mis-hit ball that rolls along the ground.

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