Glossary of Golf Terms
12 July 2009
Commonly used terms for golf games.
| Ace | A hole in one. |
| Address | When you take your stance and line up the club to hit the ball. |
| Adjusted Gross Score | Your score after you apply your handicap stroke allowance. |
| Air ball | When you miss hit causing the ball to go extremely high with little distance. Also may define a swing and a miss. (see “whiff”) |
| Approach Shot | A stroke intended to land on the ball on the green. |
| Away | The “away ball” is furthest from the hole when more than one golfer is playing. Convention says that it is to be played first. |
| Back Nine | The last nine holes of an 18 hole course. |
| Backspin | Reverse spin applied to the ball and prevents it from bouncing forward after landing; same as “Bite.” |
| Banana Ball | A ball struck that is sliced such that it curves off to the side in a banana shaped trajectory. |
| Barkie | When your ball hits any part of a tree and you still complete the hole with a par. |
| Beach | Any sand bunker. |
| Best Ball | A competition where any individual or team compete to earn the best net score to record on the scorecard for each hole. |
| Birdie | Posting a score that is one stroke under par on any hole. |
| Bird Nest | When your ball lands in the thick rough and lies like an egg surrounded by deep grass. |
| Blocked Shot | When you strike the ball late in your swing causing it to travel to the right of the target. (or left for lefties) |
| Blood | As in “no blood,” meaning no points were won or lost. |
| Bogey | Posting a score that is one over par for the hole. |
| Bunker | A hazard filled by sand or grass that is typically placed where a fairway or approach shot may land. |
| Bump and run | A chip shot that lands in from of the target and rolls towards the hole. |
| Carry | The distance that your ball travels in the air after being struck to the place where it first hits the ground. |
| Carry Overs | Used to describe a tie, where no one wins a bet on the hole and the points are added to the points available on the next hole. |
| Casual Water | Rain or watering puddles that collect on the course as opposed to a permanent water hazard. You are allowed to take relief if you are in casual water or move your ball if you have to putt through it on the green. |
| Chili-dip | To hit the ground before the ball when attempting to chip, resulting in an errant, weak lofted shot. |
| Chip Shot | An iron shot from within a few feet of the green that is often executed with a putting motion creating a low trajectory running ball that tracks to the hole. |
| Choke | A description used when a player or team collapses under pressure during a match. Also, to grip down on the club handle further than normal. |
| Course Rating | Used by golf associations to rate the degree of difficulty of a course. aka Slope |
| D.O. | Condition described when a man does not hit his drive past the women’s tee. I will leave the full meaning to your imagination. |
| Dogleg | Describing a hole where the fairway curves noticeably to the left or right. |
| Dormie | Term given to describe the situation when you cannot win a match against your competitor(s) because if you win every remaining hole your best result would be a tie. |
| Double Bogey | Two shots over par |
| Double Eagle | Three shots under par; also known as albatross. |
| Down | Number of stokes or holes you are behind your opponent(s). |
| Draw | Striking the ball in such a way that it creates sidespin causing it to curve noticeably to the left for right handed players. Opposite of the “fade.” |
| Drive | A shot made from the tee area. |
| Drop | Bringing the ball back into play after striking the last shot out of bounds or into a water hazard etc. The ball is released from an outstretched arm held at shoulder height. |
| Duck Hook | A ball hit with so much sidespin it hooks radically to the left for right handed player. |
| Duffer | An unskilled golfer. a..k.a a hacker |
| Dunk | To hit your ball into a water hazard. |
| Eagle | A score that is two under par for a hole. |
| Equitable Stroke Control Method (ESC) | Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) is the system put in place by the USGA to eliminate the effect of “distaster holes.” You know, that one hole per round where you put three balls in the water and then 5-putt.
It’s also a way to combat those pernicious sandbaggers who intentionally blow up on a hole in order to raise their handicaps. Equitable Stroke Control puts a limit on the number of strokes you can write down on the scorecard for any one hole, based on your course handicap. |
| Fade | Striking the ball in such a way that it creates sidespin causing it to curve noticeably to the right for right handed players. Opposite of the Draw. |
| Fairway | The playing area between the tee and the green bordered by rough. |
| Fairway Hit | Causing the ball to land and stop on the fairway from the tee on holes greater than par 3. |
| Flier | When a ball travels further than the selected club would cause one to expect. |
| Four Ball | Where two pairs of golfers play in match play against each other in one foursome. |
| Foursome | Any group of four golfers playing a round together. |
| Fried Egg | When a ball lands steeply in a bunker causing it to rest in a crater sand with the ball substantially below the surface. |
| Fringe | The short grass surrounding the green before the fairway grass or rough. |
| Front Nine | The first nine holes of an 18 hole course. |
| Get Down | To putt the ball into the hole. Also yelled by players when trying to command their ball not to travel too far. |
| Get Legs | A term used by golfers to encourage the ball to keep rolling when they suspect it may stop short. |
| GHIN | Golf Handicap Information Network. The governing body of the handicapping system in the US. See www.ghin.com |
| Gimmie | When your ball comes to rest so close to the hole that your opponent decides you may assume that only one stroke would be required to putt it in and offers to allow you to simply count that stroke and pick the ball up. Usually when you are twenty inches or less from the hole. |
| Go to School | To study the travel of a previous putt to ‘read’ the green. |
| Grain | The angle at which the grass on the green lies. Playing against it or with it affects the speed of the ball when putting. |
| Green in Regulation | The number of shots you are expected to play before getting your ball onto the green. Always two shots less than the par of the hole. |
| Gross score | Your score over 18 holes before you reduce it by deducting your handicap strokes. |
| Ground Under Repair | Areas of the course under repair. Balls may be removed from them without penalty. |
| Grounding the Club | To place the club on the ground prior to striking the ball when addressing it. |
| Hacker | An unskilled golfer prone to hitting shots into trouble resulting in high scores. |
| Halve A Hole | In any game where opponents scores are the same resulting in no points won or lost. |
| Halve A Match | When the competition results in a draw because opponents have the same points, score, or won the same number holes in the round. |
| Handicap | The number of strokes a player is given to adjust his score from par.
It allows golfers of different abilities to compete on equal terms. |
| Handicap Allowance | Your adjusted handicap depending on the type of competition you have entered. |
| Handicap Index | Your handicap index is a mathematical calculation of your playing ability on an average course. Maximum index allowed is 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women. |
| Handicap System | Established by the USGA and managed by the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN) this creates a method of adjusting golfers’ scores to a standard such that they can compete on equal terms. |
| Handicap-Stroke Hole | A hole where in competition where a player receives a shot from their opponent. It is determined by the stroke index of the hole listed on the scorecard. |
| Hack or Hacker | A poor golfer. |
| Halve A Hole | In match play, refers to a draw when both opponents take the same number of shots to complete the hole. |
| Hazard | Permanent features on the golf course designed to obstruct play. |
| Hcp | Handicap |
| “Hit a Brick” | A direct request to a ball rolling rapidly towards the hole in a fashion that it appears it will go substantially past the desired resting place. Also used to describe a generally poor shot. |
| Hit a House | see Hit a brick. |
| Hole High | Means that the ball has landed on the green even with the hole when measured from the front to the back of the green. |
| Hole In One | The ball goes straight into the hole from your tee shot. |
| Hole Out | To finish play on one hole by hitting the ball into the cup |
| Honor | The honor on the tee goes to last player to win a hole. The player with the honor tees off first. |
| Hook | A hit on the ball causing sidespin such that it curves dramatically to the left (for right handed players). The extreme of a “draw,” opposite of a slice. |
| Hustler | Word to describe someone who maintains an artificially high handicap in order to win bets. |
| Jungle | A description for heavy rough. |
| Jail | As in “In Jail,” describing when a players ball lands in a spot that is difficult or impossible to hit from |
| KP | “Closest to the Pin” on par 3′s. He who lands the ball on the green, closest to the hole and makes at least Par wins the “KP” point. Also known as a “Greenie” in some parts of the country. |
| Knockdown Shot | A shot played low into the wind. |
| Lag | A putt that is intended to get the ball near to the hole not expecting it to go in. |
| Lay Up | When you try to get close to the hole to prepare for a putt. |
| Lateral Water Hazard | A water hazard running parallel to the fairway. |
| Lie | The position and condition around a ball at rest. |
| Line | The intended path of the golf ball. |
| Links | Golf course within only a few miles of a major body of water. Characteristically with open rolling fairways, lots of sand, high grass and brush. |
| Lip | The edge of the hole. |
| Lob Shot | When you try to hit a shot where the flies to maximum height and short distance. Normally used when you are trying to avoid an obstacle. Phil
Mickelson is famous for these. |
| Local Rules | Additional rules at a given course you must follow. |
| Long Game | That part of your game where you hit the ball over 160 yards. |
| Match Play | A form of competition where each hole is won, lost or tied (halved).
The winner is the person who wins the most holes. A winning score of 3 and 2 means that the winner won by being 3 holes ahead with 2 left to play. |
| Medal Play | A competitive round where all shots are recorded and the winner is the one who took the least number strokes on 18 holes. |
| Mulligan | When you are allowed to replay any one shot during a round. (Usually off the tee) Often allowed on the first drive when people claim not to be warmed up. Not allowed in an official scoring game. |
| Net Score | A player’s score after handicap deductions. |
| Nassau | Common bet for a match that divides a match into three segments; the
front nine, the back nine and the total score. |
| Nineteenth Hole | When players meet in the clubhouse or bar after playing 18 holes. |
| On the Dance Floor | When the ball has come to rest on the green. |
| OB | Ball out of bounds. Requires a player to lose another stroke and hit again from the same location. |
| Pin | Same as “flagstick” |
| Pairings | Two player groups, or two golfers playing together in competition. |
| Par | The number of shots a good golfer should take for a hole or round. Par for a hole reflects the number of well executed shots needed to reach the green plus two for putting. Par for the course is calculated by adding all the hole par’s together. |
| Partner | Players on the same side in the same group or match. |
| Penalty Stroke | A stroke added to a player’s score due to a rule infringement, taking relief from a hazard or an unplayable lie. |
| Pin | The pole inside the hole on the green with a flag attached. aka “Flagstick” |
| Pin High | A ball that came to rest even with the pin but off to one side. Same as “hole high” |
| Pin placement (position) | The location of a hole on a putting green. Usually described as “front,” “middle,” or “back.” |
| Pitch | A ball you hit high into the air onto the green using a lofted club and less than a full swing. |
| Pitch and Run | To pitch the ball onto the green in such a way that it rolls towards the hole after it first lands. |
| Press | Increasing an previously agreed bet during a match after it started. |
| Pro-Am | A tournament where a golf pro is partnered with an amateur. |
| Provisional Ball | The playing of a second ball from the same place as the first because the player is unsure of what may have happened to the first ball (i.e. it may be lost or OB). |
| Punch Shot | Where the ball is struck on the down-stroke of a partial swing resulting in a short low shot; typically used to hit the ball out of rough or to keep the ball below the wind. |
| Push | When you unintentionally cause the ball to fly or roll in an outward direction after being struck . |
| Quitting on the ball | Slowing your swing down before hitting the ball causing an errant shot. |
| Reading the Green | The act of identifying the preferred path the ball to get it in the hole. |
| Recovery Shot | To bring the ball back into a favorable playing position from an unfavorable one such as a hazard. |
| Regulation | The expected and correct result of your strokes on any given hole. Playing a par 4 in regulation means your tee shot lands in the fairway, your second shot lands on the green and you two putt for par. |
| Release | When you hit the ball such that it rolls freely on impact with the green.
Also refers to movement of golfer’s hands during a swing. |
| Relief | To move the ball without penalty in accordance with the rules. |
| Rough | The high grass area adjacent to the fairway and green. |
| Round robin | A tournament in which everyone gets to play everyone else. |
| Run | The distance that the ball continues to travel after it’s initial impact with the ground. |
| Skins | A betting game that awards the money to the player with the lowest score on a hole. In case of a tie, the points available on the hole are carried over to the next hole until someone wins. |
| Sandbagger | A player who understates their ability (may even not post all their scores to maintain a high handicap) in order to win in competition. |
| Sandy | You still makes par on a hole after landing in a sand hazard. |
| Scramble | Team competition where players play from the position of the best ball of a team member after every stroke or drive. |
| Scratch (scratch player) | A player without handicap, meaning that on average they will complete the course with a score of par. |
| Shank | To strike the ball with any the part of the club head other than the middle causing an ugly shot. |
| Short Game | Chipping, Pitching and Putting. |
| Shotgun Start | Tournament in which teams start from different holes at the same time rather than one at time from the first tee. |
| Side hill lie | When the ball comes to rest on a slope. |
| “Sit” | Asking the ball to stop as soon as possible. |
| “Sit Down” | A term used when a golfer wishes to implore the ball to land or stop rolling. Usually follows yelling “sit.” |
| Skull | Hitting the ball above it’s center resulting in a low errant shot. |
| Sky Ball | When you strike too low on the ball causing it to fly straight up. Normally happens off the tee or from the rough. |
| Slice | A shot that curves dramatically left to right as a result of sidespin for a right handed player. The converse applies to a left-handed player.
See Banana Ball. |
| Slope | A rating applied to every course that measures it’s degree of difficulty.
This will allow an adjustment of your handicap to the difficulty of the course you play. The more difficult the course, the more strokes you’ll need. An average course will have a slope rating of 113. |
| Snake | Describing a long putt which travels over the undulations of the green.
Also, a three-putt on any green. |
| Snap Hook | To severely hook the ball. |
| Stableford | Using point scoring rather than strokes in competition . One point for a bogey, two points for a par, three for a birdie, four for an eagle and five for a double eagle. |
| Stroke Index | The measure of difficulty on any given hole shown on the course score card. 1 = the most difficult hole. 18 = the easiest hole. |
| Stroke play | A competition in which the total number of strokes for one round, or a pre-determined number of rounds, determines the winner. |
| Sweet Spot | The preferred spot on the club face with which to strike the ball. |
| Tending the Flag | To hold the flagstick such that a player may aim for it and then remove it as the balls approaches. |
| Texas wedge | Name given to putter when it used from off the green. |
| Thin Shot | To strike the ball above it’s center causing a low shot that bounces along the ground rather than rise into the air. |
| Thread | To hit the ball through a very tight gap. |
| Threesome | Three players playing a round together. |
| Triple bogey | The term is used to describe a score of three over par on a hole. |
| Twosome | A group of two golfers. |
| Unplayable lie | When ball ends up in a position from which it cannot be played forcing the player to take a drop and an extra stroke. |
| Up | A golfer’s lead in strokes or holes over an opponent. |
| Up and Down | When you miss the green in regulation but still achieve par. |
| Water hole | A hole with water, such as a stream or lake, that forces the players to shoot over it. |
| Whiff | A mighty swing at the ball that connects with nothing but air. |
| Uphill Lie | When your ball comes to rest on an uphill slope. |
| USGA | The United States Golf Association is the governing body for the game of golf since it’s formation in 1894. Learn more at www.usga.com |
| Woodie | When the ball hits any part of a tree and the golfer still completes the hole with a par. |
| Worm Burner | A shot which rolls along the ground. |
| Yips | When you miss simple putts or chips because of nerves. |
Good suggestion. “Sit” has become a quite an overused exclamation as you observe.
Anytime a player is concerned that their shot may exceed their intended distance they call for it to “sit” or “get down” hoping that somehow the wind, or the spin on the ball might keep it close to the hole.
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