The masculine gender used in these Golf Terms and Glossary should be understood to include both genders. For technical definitions see the Rules Of Golf.
| TERM | MEANING/(USAGE) |
|---|
| abnormal ground condition | Any casual water, ground under repair (GUR), or hole, cast, or runway on the course, made by a burrowing animal, a reptile, or a bird. |
| address | A player has addressed the ball when he has taken his stance and grounded his club, except that, in a hazard, he has addresses the ball when he has taken his stance. |
| albatross | (Great Britain) 3 under par on any hole or double eagle |
| apron | The part of the fairway directly in front of the green which is more closely mowed than the rest of the fairway. |
| away | To be away means that it is your turn to hit. |
| backspin | The reverse spin (as opposed to forward spin) that is imparted to the ball when it is struck with an iron (especially a wedge). Usually used for shots to the green. This can result in the ball sharply stopping and moving backwards. Backspin imparted to a ball by a driver or wood will help to increase the carry of a ball. |
| backswing | The part of the swing from address back to the position at the top. |
| ball in play | A ball is in play from the stroke on the teeing ground until it has been holed. It is no longer in play if it has been hit out of bounds, or lost or lifted, or another ball has been substituted. The substituted ball becomes the ball in play. |
| ball mark | The mark made on the green from the impact of a ball. These should be repaired as soon as possible. |
| banana | A severe slice. So named because of the shape of the ball flight. |
| biomechanics | The study of human movement. In golf, the study of how the body moves while swinging a golf club. |
| birdie | A score on a hole of 1 stroke lower than the rated par. According to the Atlantic City Country Club (USA), they were the birthplace of the term "birdie". |
| bogie | A score on a hole of 1 stroke higher than the rated par. |
| bunker | (Also sand trap) A prepared area of ground covered or filled with sand and classified as a hazard. |
| buzzard | A seldom-used term for double bogey. |
| caddie | A person who assists a player in accordance with the rules, which may include carrying or handling the player's clubs during play. |
| cart | A manually pulled or pushed cart or a power cart used to carry a player's clubs. The power cart is normally designed to carry two sets of clubs as well as the players themselves. |
| cart path | A designated pathway, often paved, which a power cart may use or may be required to use during the course of a game. |
| casual water | Any temporary accumulation of water that is not in a water hazard. Snow and natural ice (not frost or dew) may be considered as casual water by the player at his discretion. |
| chili-dip | A shot in which a player hits behind the ball and gets more ground than ball. Usually the ball does not go very far, and a large divot is created. |
| chip | A hit onto the green that has a short carry and a long roll. Usually hit with a low-lofted club. |
| CPGA | Canadian Professional Golfers' Association. A member based non-profit organization representing Canadian professional golfers. |
| cut (cut shot) | A deliberate controlled fade ball |
| dimples | The external depressions on the surface of a golf ball. They are used to decrease the drag on a ball in flight. Various shapes have been used. While mostly circular, some companies are now using hexagonal dimples. |
| divot | The clod of earth removed from the hitting surface during a golf swing. Also the depression remaining after the hit. |
| dormie | In match play - the player or team that is dormie is up by the same number of holes that remain in the match. (eg. A player is up by two, and there are two holes remaining. |
| double-eagle | (also albatross) A score on a hole of 3 strokes lower than the rated par for the hole. |
| draw | A hit causing the ball to move gently right to left, for a right-handed player. It moves left to right for a left-handed player. |
| eagle | A score on a hole of 2 strokes lower than the rated par for the hole. |
| etiquette | Behavior on the golf course that is courteous and considerate of others. It helps the game to proceed smoothly. |
| fade | A hit causing the ball to move gently left to right, for a right-handed player. It moves right to left for a left-handed player. |
| fairway | That part of a hole, from tee to green, that is closely mown. |
| fat | A hit where the club hits the ground prior to striking the ball. |
| fellow competitor | In stroke play competition, someone with whom a competitor plays. Not a partner. |
| flop shot | A short high shot made from around the green using a high-lofted club with the face set wide open. Also called a lob shot. |
| fore | A shouted term used to warn other players that your ball is headed in their general direction, so they should take care. |
| forward swing | The part of the swing that starts at the finish of the backswing and progresses through the downswing, striking the ball and to the follow-through. |
| grooves | The horizontal markings on the surface of a golf club, especially an iron. |
| ground under repair | GUR - an area on the course which has been marked off as not normally to be played on. It may be indicated by stakes or lines or both. There is usually a physical reason for the designation. |
| grounding the club | Touching your club to the playing surface. It is the final part of taking your stance. You incur a penalty if you ground your club in a hazard prior to hitting. |
| handicap | A course handicap tells the player how many strokes they are allowed on a particular course. It is calculated using their handicap index and the slope rating for that particular course and tees. Normally a club will post charts that can be used to calculate it. |
| hazard | Any bunker or water hazard |
| honor | Away. Next to play |
| hook | A severe and normally undesirable right to left flight of the ball for a right-hander. The opposite for a left-hander. |
| immovable obstruction | Anything artificial such as the artificial surface of roads, and buildings found in the playable part of the course, that cannot be easily moved. |
| lateral water hazard | A body of water. or part of it that lies along-side the fairway and where a ball could not normally be dropped on the other side. Marked bt red stakes or lines or both. |
| lay-up | A decision to hit the ball in front of a hazard rather than try to hit over it. |
| local rules | Rules of golf established by the club to be in addition to the normal Rules Of Golf. |
| loft | The angle of the striking surface of a club, measured from the vertical. |
| loose impediment | Natural objects, including stones, twigs, branches, dung, worms, insects, etc. Sand and loose soil are loose impediments only on the green. Snow and natural ice may be considered as loose impediments. |
| lost ball | A ball that cannot be found or identified by a player or his side within five minutes of having begun to search for it. |
| LPGA | Ladies Professional Golf Association |
| "lying" | Term used to indicate the number of strokes against a ball (player) on a given hole, such as "the ball is lying three" or "I'm lying three". |
| marshal | A designated official whose role is to ensure that play proceeds in a timely manner and that dress and behavior on the course is acceptable to club rules. |
| match play | A golf game where the winner wins more holes than his opponent. |
| movable obstruction | Anything artificial such as the artificial surface of roads, and buildings found in the playable part of the course, that can be easily moved. Local rules may apply. |
| mulligan | A mulligan is a retaken shot, usually due to a previously errant one, and usually taken on the first tee. Like gimmes, mulligans are strictly prohibited in the official rules of the game, but are commonplace in social golf. |
| nearest point of relief | Taking relief without penalty from interference by an immovable obstruction or, an abnormal ground condition (GUR), or a wrong putting green. The nearest point of relief from the obstruction is in a line not closer to the hole until the obstruction no longer exists, and a proper stance can be taken with the club to be used. (The point at which the club touches the ground is the point of relief). The ball can then be dropped within one club length of this point. Note, for example, if the obstruction is a paved road, the nearest point is towards the closest side, and not the farthest side. Also note that there is no entitlement for relief if the obstruction is only in your line of play (unless on the green) |
| out-of-bounds | OB - beyond the boundaries of the course or any part of the course so marked by the club committee. It is marked by white stakes or lines or both. |
| outside agency | Except for the players, their caddies, and their equipment, other agencies. This would include referees, markers, observers and forecaddies. Neither wind nor water is an outside agency. |
| par | The rated score for a given tee for a particular hole. |
| partner | A player associated with another player on the same side |
| pause at top | The transition point between the backswing and the downswing. The timing is dependent on the individual golfer. |
| PGA | Professional Golfers Association |
| pitch | A hit onto the green that has a long carry and a short roll. Usually hit with a high-lofted club. |
| R&A | Royal and Ancient. It is the game's governing body throughout the world except for the United States and Mexico (USGA). It is also responsible for organizing The Open. |
| rating | Course rating is done by the national governing body of a country. The Course Rating System takes into account factors that affect the playing difficulty of a golf course including yardage, effective playing length and number of obstacle factors such as topography, elevation, doglegs, prevailing wind, bunkering, etc |
| recovery shot | A shot taken from a hazard or from a spot in trouble (eg, deep in the woods). The intent should be to put the ball back into normal play. |
| relief | Relief generally relates to immovable obstructions. If your ball position is such that the immovable obstruction would interfere with your making the next shot, you may take relief without penalty. You may drop your ball within one club length of the nearest point of relief, but not nearer the hole tan the nearest point of relief. No relief can be taken from a water hazard. |
| rough | The area of grass that lies alongside the fairway. The rough can be of varying depth. There can be rough around the green as well. |
| rub of the green | A situation when a ball in motion is accidentally deflected or stopped by an "outside agency". |
| rules | The Rules Of Golf as issued by the R&A and the USGA. There are 34 of them. |
| sand shot | A stroke made from a bunker. |
| scratch golfer | A golfer who shoots par or better. |
| senior tour | Now called the Champions Tour. Nobody younger than 50 need apply! |
| shank | The player hits the ball on the hosel and the ball squirts sharply right for a right-handed player. The opposite for a left-handed player. |
| short game | Hits from inside 100 yards - chipping, pitching and putting, as well as sand shots. |
| side | A player or two or more players who are partners |
| skins golf | A skins game is a type of match play in which each hole has a value (the skin). The winner of a hole gets the skin. If the hole is tied, then the skin is carried over to the next hole, and so on, until someone wins the accumulated skins. |
| slice | A severe and normally undesirable left to right flight of the ball for a right-hander. The opposite for a left-hander. |
| slope | USGA Slope Rating is a number ranging from 55 to 155 that represents the difficulty of a course for bogey golfers. The higher the number, the more difficult the course. A slope rating of 113 is considered average. |
| Stableford scoring | A Stableford competition is a form of stroke play in which play is against a fixed score on every hole. Scoring is made by points awarded in relation to that fixed score at each hole. For example: 0 points if the score is more than one over fixed score for that hole, 1 if equal to one over fixed score, 2 if equal to fixed score, 3 points if one less, 4 if two less, and do on. |
| staked tree | A tree that has been staked in order to stabilize it, normally because it is freshly planted. |
| stroke | A stroke is the forward movement of the club with intent to hit the ball. It is not a stroke if the player halts his downswing voluntarily before his club head reaches the ball. |
| stroke and distance | A penalty that accrues to a player if he hits his ball out of bounds, or loses it. If the original stroke was made from the tee, then the player is required to hit again from the tee unless he has already hit a provisional ball. The provisional ball will then become the ball in play, and will be lying 3 (the original hit, the penalty for being out of bounds, plus the subsequent hit - in this case the provisional ball, for a total of 3). Stroke and distance penalties can apply to the results of fairway shots, as well. |
| stroke play | A game during which the player with the fewest number of strokes wins. |
| sweet spot | The position on the club face where the greatest amount of energy is imparted to the ball on contact. It used to be a relatively small spot, even on the driver, however newer club technology has concentrated on expanding the sweet spot to make the club more "forgiving". |
| swing | The swing encompasses both the movement of the club and of the body. It incorporates the backswing, the downswing and the follow-through. |
| swing plane | Swing plane is the angle of your swing arc in relation to the ground. It is usually shown in drawings as a single circular plane. However it varies for each individual club. The longer the club, the "flatter" the plane |
| taking a stance | Placing yourself in a position to hit the ball. It usually involves lining up your body towards the target and placing your feet in a proper position. (In a hazard, this is the equivalent of addressing the ball). |
| tee | An object used to support the ball on the teeing ground preparatory to striking it. The more common ones are wooden and circular in shape with a small "cup" at the top to hold the ball. There are various shapes and sizes, but they must conform to the Rules. Also used to mean the teeing ground. |
| thin hit | A hit which results from the bottom of the club hitting the middle or the top part of the ball. The result is either a low shot or a dribbled ball. |
| through the green | The whole area of the course except for the tee and green of the hole being played, and all hazards on the course. |
| toe of club | The part of the club farthest away from the golfer at address. Also the part of the club farthest away from the hosel. |
| trap | Bunker |
| unplayable lie | This is a lie which the player decides that he does not wish to hit from for whatever reason. (This does not apply in a water hazard.) He then has options at a penalty of one stroke. An example might be if a ball is lying nestled in roots. |
| waste bunker | A large area on the course, usually filled with sand, although it may also have stones and plants in it. It is not normally considered to be a hazard (unless a local rule has been applied). As such, you may ground your club and usually do not need to rake the area where you walked. |
| water hazard | Any sea, lake, river, pond, or ditch or other similar area, whether containing water or not. It is identified with yellow stakes, yellow lines, or both. |
| wedge | A lofted club used to get the ball to fly high for relatively short distances. |
| whiff | A stroke that misses the ball. It counts as a stroke. |
| wood | A club used to hit the ball off the tee or on the fairway. Originally made of wood with a plastic insert in the face, it is now usually made of metal. You will sometimes hear the expression "metal wood". |
