Golf Terms

Lag

(i) A long putt designed to simply get the ball close to the hole. (ii) During the downswing, how far the club-head "lags" behind the hands prior to release.

Lie

(i) How the ball is resting on the ground, which may add to the difficulty of the next stroke. (ii) The angle between the center of the shaft and the sole of the club-head.

Scramble

(i) When a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better on a hole. Scrambling percentage is one of many statistics kept by the PGA Tour. (ii) 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.

Release

(i)The point in the downswing at which the wrists uncock. A late release (creating lag) is one of the keys to a powerful swing. (ii) The forward motion of a ball played onto a green after the braking effects of backspin have ceased.

Hole

A circular hole in the ground which is also called "the cup", 4.25 inches (108 mm) in diameter.

Iron

A club with a flat-faced solid metal head generally numbered from 1 to 9 indicating increasing loft.

Bunker

A depression in bare ground that is usually covered with sand. Also called a sand trap. It is considered a hazard under the Rules of Golf.

Mulligan

A do-over, or replay of the shot, without counting the shot as a stroke and without assessing any penalties that might apply. 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.

Green in regulation (GIR)

A green is considered hit "in regulation" if any part of the ball is touching the putting surface while the number of strokes taken is at least two fewer than par (i.e., by the first stroke on a par 3, the second stroke on a par 4, or the third stroke on a par 5). Greens in regulation percentage is one of many statistics kept by the PGA Tour.

Birdie

A hole played in one stroke under par.

Eagle

A hole played in two strokes under par.

Bogey

A hole played one stroke over par.

Double eagle

A hole played three strokes under par. Also called an Albatross.

Dogleg

A hole where the fairway is straight for some distance and then bends to the left or right. These holes are so-named because they resemble the shape of a dog's leg.

Duff

A horrible shot. Typically, this is a shot where very little or no contact is made between the club-face and golf-ball. Also known as Dub, Flub or Shank.

Range Finder

A measuring device used to determine one's relative distance to an object. In golf, they are most commonly used to find out how far a player is from the hole.

Downswing

A motion involving the body and golf club used to move the club from the top of the swing to the point of impact.

Handicap

A number assigned to each player based on his ability and used to adjust each player's score to provide equality among the players. In simplified terms, a handicap number, based on the slope of a course, is subtracted from the player's gross score and gives him a net score of par or better half the time.

Caddie or Caddy

A person, often paid, who carries a player's clubs and offers advice. Players are responsible for the actions of their caddies. Players cannot receive advice from anyone other than their caddie or partner. A Scots form of the French 'Cadet', meaning an assistant or errand-runner.

Scratch golfer

A player's whose handicap equals zero.

Pull

A pull is a shot that unintentionally travels on a trajectory on the same side of the ball from which the player swings.

Push

A push, or block, is shot that unintentionally travels on a trajectory opposite the side of the ball from which the player swings. In match play, a push occurs when neither competitor wins the hole.

Duck-hook

A severe low hook that barely gets airborne.

Pro shop

A shop at a golf club, run by the club professional, where golf equipment can be purchased.

Pitch

A short shot (typically from within 50 yards or meters), usually played with a higher lofted club and made using a less than full swing, that is intended to flight the ball toward a target (usually the hole) with greater accuracy than a full iron shot.

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.

Lob

A short, high arc shot, often produced with a lob wedge.

Putt

A shot played on the green, usually with a putter.

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.

Slice

A shot that initially takes a trajectory on the same side of the golf ball from which the player swings but eventually curves sharply back opposite of the player. Under normal circumstances, a slice is unintentional; however, good players can use a slice to their advantage in certain situations. Slices are often the most common miss for below-average players. A shot that follows the same trajectory but to a lesser degree is referred to as a 'cut' or 'fade'. A cut or fade is often intentionally used by above-average players to achieve a certain type of spin. The curved shape of the ball-flight is the result of sideways spin. For that reason a "slice" does not refer to a putt.

Hook

A shot that initially takes a trajectory opposite the side of the golf ball from which the player swings but eventually curves sharply back towards the player. Under normal circumstances, a hook is unintentional; however, good players can use a hook to their advantage in certain situations.

Fade

A shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves slightly to the right, and is often played intentionally by skilled golfers. An overdone fade will appear similar to a slice.

Draw

A shot that, for a right-handed golfer, curves to the left; often played intentionally by skilled golfers. An overdone draw usually becomes a hook.

Tee

A small peg, usually made of wood or plastic, placed in the ground upon which the golf ball may be placed prior to the first stroke on a hole. May also refer to the teeing ground.

Putter

A special golf club with a very low loft that makes the ball roll along the green with top-spin.

Lay-up

A stroke deliberately played with a shorter range club than to reach the pin, in order to position the ball in a certain spot. This may be done to ensure a more comfortable next stroke or to avoid a hazard.

Fat

A stroke in which the club makes contact with the turf long before the ball, resulting in a poor contact and significant loss of distance.

Flag-stick

A tall marker, often a metal pole with a flag at the top, used to indicate the position of the hole on a green. Also called the pin. An additional smaller flag, or other marker, is sometimes positioned on the flag-stick to indicate the location of the hole (front, middle, or back) on the green.

Ball-marker

A token or a small coin used to spot the ball's position on the green prior to lifting it.

Wood

A type of club where the head is generally (except for the club-face) bulbous in shape; so named because the head was originally made of wood, although almost all are now metal. Of all the categories of clubs, woods have faces with the lowest degrees of loft.

Hybrid

A type of club, increasingly popular in the 21st century, that in the broadest sense combines the mechanics of a long iron with the more forgiving nature and distance of a fairway wood. Most golfers today carry at least one hybrid.

Wedge

A type of golf club; a subset of iron designed for short range strokes. Of all the categories of clubs, wedges have faces with the highest degrees of loft.

Links

A type of golf course, usually located on coastal sand dunes.

Knock-down

A type of shot designed to have a very low trajectory, usually employed to combat strong winds.

"Fore!"

A warning shout given when there is a chance that the ball may hit other players or spectators.

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".

PGA

Any Professional Golfers' Association, for example the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

Hazard

Any bunker or permanent water including any ground marked as part of that water hazard. Special rules apply when playing from a hazard.

Away

Describing the golfer whose ball is farthest from the hole. The player who is away should always play first.

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.

Even

Having a score equal to that of par.

Hole in one

Hitting the ball from the tee into the hole, using only one stroke.

Front nine

Holes 1 through 9 on a golf course.

Play through

Permission granted by a slow-moving group of players to a faster-moving group of players to pass them on the course.

Short game

Shots that take place on or near the green. Putting, chipping, pitching, and green-side bunker play are all aspects of the short game.

Pin

Slang for flag-stick.

Par

Standard score for a hole (defined by its length) or a course (sum of all the holes' pars).

Loft

The angle between the club's shaft and the club's face.

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. As an example, if a player's first shot from the tee comes to rest out of bounds, a one stroke penalty is assessed and the player then plays the third shot from the tee.

Tee box

The area from which you hit your drive or tee shot. The teeing ground for a particular set of tees is two club lengths in depth. The ball must be teed between the markers, called tees, that define the teeing ground's width, and no further back than its depth.

Green

The area of specially prepared grass around the hole, where putts are played.

Fairway

The area of the course between the tee and the green that is well-maintained allowing a good lie for the ball.

Divot

The chunk of grass and earth displaced during a stroke. Also, the indentation on the green caused by the ball on an approach shot; more properly called a pitch mark or ball mark.

Fringe

The closely mowed area surrounding the green. The grass in between the green and the fairway.

Grain

The direction in which the grass grows, specifically on the green (see below). Depending on the variety of grass used on the green and mowing patterns, grain can significantly influence the speed and movement of a putt.

Follow through

The final part of a golf swing, after the ball has been hit.

Back-swing

The first part of the golf-swing. The back-swing starts with the club-head immediately behind the ball and ends when the club-head travels back behind the player's head. The term take-away refers to the first part of the back-swing.

Drive

The first shot of each hole, made from an area called the tee box (see definition below), usually done with a driver (a type of golf club).

Rough

The grass that borders the fairway, usually taller and coarser than the fairway.

Hosel

The hollow part of the club-head where the shaft is attached. Hitting the ball off the hosel is known as a shank.

Back nine

The last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course. Playing the back nine is called "heading in".

PGA Tour

The organizer of the main male professional golf tours in the United States and North America.

Up and down

The situation where a player holes the ball in two strokes starting from off 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. A variation is called "up and in".

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.

Pre-shot routine

The steps an experienced player goes through to get ready for his or her shot. It usually involves taking practice swings and visualizing the intended shot.

Grounding the club

To place the club-face behind the ball on the ground at address. Grounding the club is prohibited in bunkers or when playing from any marked hazard.

Thin shot

Usually, an unintentional, poor shot where the club-head strikes too high on the ball. When taken to an extreme but still at or below the center-line of the ball, it is known "blading" the ball. Sometimes, when the ball is lying a certain way around the green, advanced players will intentionally hit a thin shot to achieve certain results.

Open face

When (in relation to the target line) the club-face is angled away from the player's body, i.e. angled right for right-handed players.

Ace

When a player hits the ball directly from the tee into the hole with one stroke. Also called a hole in one.

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.

Heel

Where the club-head is attached to the shaft.