Are you a golf enthusiast wanting to increase your knowledge of the game? Or you’re a beginner looking for an introduction to common terms used in golf.
Look no further in this comprehensive guide to commonly heard golf terms. We’ll explain all the helpful phrases and intricacies surrounding this sport so you can understand what is being said on the course.
Whether it’s learning about handicaps, etiquette, club make-up, or yardage, this blog post has covered everything! Stop any confusion or hesitation, and prepare to become an expert golfer.
Basic Golf Terms For Dummies
The goal of golf is to get the ball in the hole with as few strokes as possible. This game requires skill and patience, but understanding how it’s scored can be a great first step for newbies.
The scorecard that is used to record each round of golf includes two columns for each hole: par (the expected number of strokes it should take to complete the hole) and strokes (how many shots you took). For 18 holes, the total score is calculated by adding up all of the hole’s stroke numbers. The lower your score, the better!
Ace – Hole in One
Ace refers to a player’s first shot on the hole where they get the ball in the cup with just one stroke, also known as a “hole in one.” This is considered a great achievement and something every golfer strives for!
Albatross (Double Eagle)
An albatross is similar to a hole-in-one, but for a par 5. This means a player has managed to get the ball in the cup with only three strokes on a par 5-hole. This is an incredibly rare feat and very impressive!
Eagle
An eagle scores two under par on a hole. This means the golfer has managed to get the ball in the cup with only two strokes on par 3, 4, or 5 holes.
Birdie
A birdie is a score of one under par on a hole. This means that the golfer has managed to get the ball in the cup with only two strokes on a par 3, three strokes on a par 4, or four strokes on a par 5 hole.
Par
Par is the expected number of strokes it should take to complete a hole. This can range from two on more accessible holes to seven on more difficult ones.
Bogey
A bogey score is one over par on a hole. This means that the golfer has managed to get the ball in the cup with three strokes on a par 3, four strokes on a par 4, or five strokes on a par 5 hole.
Double Bogey
A double bogey is a score of two over par on a hole. This means that the golfer has managed to get the ball in the cup with four strokes on a par 3, five strokes on a par 4, or six strokes on a par 5 hole.
Triple Bogey
A triple bogey score is three over par on a hole. This means that the golfer has managed to get the ball in the cup with five strokes on a par 3, six strokes on a par 4, or seven strokes on a par 5 hole.
Other Golf Terms
Handicap – A numerical measure of an individual golfer’s potential ability compared to other golfers. It is used to adjust the score of an individual golfer to make the game more fair and even.
Air Mail– When a ball is hit too far, resulting in it flies over the green and into trouble on the other side.
Albatross – An extremely rare score of three under par on a hole (also known as a ‘double eagle’).
Approach Shot – The shot taken from the fairway towards the green.
Back Nine – The second nine holes of an 18-hole golf course.
Banana Ball – A shot that curves severely to the right (for a right-handed golfer).
Birdie – A score of one under par on a hole.
Birdie Blitz – When a player makes three consecutive birdies.
Blast – Refers to when a player takes an aggressive shot from close range with the intention of the ball traveling low and fast toward the hole.
Bogey – A score of one over par on a hole.
Break – The difference between the intended line of a putt and where it actually rolls due to bumps and undulations on the putting green.
Bump and Run – A short, low-trajectory shot that is usually hit from close to the green, allowing it to roll toward the pin.
Bunker – An area of sand that must be navigated when playing from the fairway.
Caddie – A person who carries a golfer’s equipment and provides advice and tips on the course.
Cheater – Refers to when a player takes an illegal action or uses equipment that does not conform to the rules of golf.
Chicken Wing – Refers to when a player’s arms and elbows are too close together while attempting a shot, resulting in an inconsistent strike.
Chili Dip – A shot in which the ball lands short of the green and rolls back toward the player.
Chip Shot – A short shot with a high trajectory, often used from close to the hole or when playing from an uneven lie.
Cinderella Story – When an unlikely golfer makes a winning comeback or comeback win.
Cuppy Lie – A lie where the ball is sitting in a depression on the fairway, making it more difficult to strike cleanly due to the raised lip of the depression.
Divot – A piece of turf that a golf club has displaced during a swing.
Dogleg – A hole that bends to the left or right, making it more difficult to reach the green in regulation.
Dormie – Refers to when one golfer reaches the green with a score that is equal to the number of holes remaining on the course.
Double Bogey – A score of two over par on a hole.
Downhill Lie – When a player’s ball is on lower ground than their feet, making it is easier to hit the ball cleanly.
Duck Hook – A shot that curves severely to the right (for a right-handed golfer).
Duff – A poorly-struck shot that doesn’t even make it out of the tee box.
Dump Shot – Refers to when a player takes a low-trajectory shot that travels in a straight line toward its destination.
Eagle – A score of two under par on a hole.
Fairway – A stretch of short grass directly between the tee box and the green, which provides an easier shot.
Fat Lady – The 18th hole on a golf course, as it’s often the last chance for players to make up lost strokes.
Fat Shot– A shot in which the club strikes the turf before it hits the ball, resulting in
Fat – When a player hits the ball too low, and it travels further than intended as a result.
Fescue – Tall grass found on the side of fairways or roughs.
Finger poke – When a player taps the ball too lightly, resulting in it not reaching its intended target.
Firecracker – Refers to an incredibly fast putt that almost jumps out of the hole.
Fishhook – A shot that curves severely to the left (for a right-handed golfer).
Flipper – When a player takes a very low-trajectory shot that rolls along the ground toward its destination.
Flop Shot – A high-lofted shot with a lot of backspin which is usually hit from close to the green and travels up into the air before dropping near the pin.
Flub – A badly hit shot that goes no distance at all and lands in the same spot as it was played from.
Flush – Refers to when a player strikes the ball perfectly, resulting in it traveling exactly where it wanted it to go.
Flyer– When a player hits their ball too high, resulting in it traveling much further than intended.
For – A warning shout is given to alert other golfers when a ball is heading in their direction.
Fried Egg Bunker Shot – Refers to when a golfer takes a tricky shot from an embedded lie in the bunker.
Fried Egg – When a ball lands in the bunker and leaves a deep impression or footprint.
Fringe – The area between the green and the fairway is often cut shorter than the rough but longer than the green.
Frog Hair – Refers to a lie on the fairway which is very close to the edge of a bunker or water hazard.
Front Nine – The first nine holes of an 18-hole course.
Gimme – A term applied when a player has a very short putt that they are almost certain to make. All other players in the group agree to ‘give’ the putt, meaning the player does not need to hit it.
Gimpy Shot – A shot that is played with less than full power due to an injury or other physical limitation.
Goat Track – A golf course that is in poor condition and not well-maintained.
Goose Egg – When a player fails to make par or better on any given hole.
Gorilla Golf – When a player takes an aggressive shot with a large amount of power, often resulting in the ball going off course.
Grain – The direction in which the grass on a putting green grows, which can have an effect on how the ball rolls.
Grainy Lie – When a golf ball is sitting on top of the grass, it is growing in different directions, making it difficult to determine how the ball will travel.
Grand Slam– When all four players in a group make a birdie or better on the same hole.
Gravy Shot – A shot that is easier than expected due to a favorable lie or wind conditions that allow it to travel further than normal.
Green – An area of closely mown grass (usually around the hole) that is usually more difficult to hit than the fairway.
Greenie – A bet or challenge between golfers in which the winner is determined by who gets closest to the pin after a single shot.
Grip It and Rip It – A phrase encouraging players to hit their shots with maximum power or aggression.
Ground Under Repair (GUR) – A designated area on the course which is currently being improved or repaired, and golfers are not allowed to play from there without penalty.
Gutty – Refers to a type of golf ball that is composed of rubber and wind. This was popular during the 19th century but has since been replaced by modern golf balls.
Hail Mary – When a player takes an aggressive shot from far away with high expectations of success.
Hazard – An area of land or water that is difficult to play from.
Heavy – Refers to a shot that has been hit too hard, resulting in it traveling much further than intended.
Hit and Hope – When a player takes a shot without much thought for the consequences, simply hoping that it goes where they want it to go.
Hook and Slice – Refers to when a player inadvertently hits the ball with a sidespin, resulting in it curving either left or right depending on the direction of the spin.
Hosel Rocket – When a player strikes the ball on the hosel of their club, resulting in it travels off at an unexpected angle.
Ice Cold – A phrase used to describe when a player sinks a long and difficult putt.
Jelly Legs – Refers to when a player has difficulty controlling their body while attempting shots, usually due to nerves or fatigue.
Knockdown Shot – A shot that is played with a low trajectory and less power in order to keep the ball under the wind.
Ladybug – When a ball has a tiny spin on it, resulting in an unpredictable bounce.
Lag Putt – A long putt of over 25 feet (7.6 m) is used to set up a makeable birdie or par putt on the next shot.
Lateral Water Hazard – A water hazard extending along the fairway rather than across it.
Layup – A second shot on a par 5 that is designed to leave a short approach shot into the green as opposed to attempting to reach it in two shots.
Lie – The position of the ball after a shot.
Lip Out – When a putt goes around the edge of the hole but fails to drop in.
Lip-in – When a putt catches just the edge of the cup and goes in.
Lob Shot– When a player takes a high-trajectory shot with a backspin, usually from close to the green, allowing it to drop near the pin.
Lone Wolf – When a golfer plays alone instead of in a group or with other players.
Mashed Potato – A shot that is hit too softly and rolls a long way without much speed.
Mulligan – A second shot is allowed without penalty.
Nassau – A popular betting game in which a golfer is pitted against two other players.
Needle – When a player hits their ball through a very narrow gap between trees or obstacles.
Nosebleed – Refers to when the ball is hit too high, resulting in it traveling much further than intended.
Out of Bounds – An area from which a player cannot legally play, usually marked by white stakes or lines.
Par – The expected number of strokes needed to get the ball in the cup.
Peeler – Refers to when a player’s club strikes the grass before hitting the ball, resulting in the ball traveling further than intended.
Penalty Stroke – A stroke added to a player’s score when they breach a rule or commit an infraction.
Pin-Seeker – When a player strikes their ball perfectly, and it travels directly towards the pin.
Plugged Lie – When a ball’s landing spot is blocked by the ground and makes it almost impossible to hit.
Punch Out – When a player takes a low-trajectory shot to get out of trouble, usually accompanied by a backspin.
Punch Shot – A low-trajectory shot with a lot of backspin which is usually hit from close to the green and travels up into the air before dropping near the pin.
Push Shot – When the ball goes slightly off to the left (for a right-handed golfer) as a result of poor contact between the club and the ball.
Putt – The final stroke of a hole, where the ball is rolled along the ground on the putting green towards the hole.
Quadruple Bogey – A score of four over par on a hole.
Rice Pudding – A score of 9 on any one hole.
Rough – Areas of long grass outside the fairway, can make shots more challenging.
Rub Of The Green – Refers to luck or chance when referring to shots that narrowly avoid hazards or go in the hole from an improbable angle.
Scramble – A type of competition where a team of players take the best score from each stroke and add them together for the final score.
Screamer – When a driver is hit with maximum power, causing the ball to fly much farther than expected.
Shank – A shot that goes right off the golfer’s heel, resulting in it traveling severely offline.
Skinny – Refers to when a player hits the ball off the edge of their club, resulting in it traveling further than intended.
Skull – When a player strikes the ball so hard that it goes over the green and out of play.
Snipe – When a player takes an aggressive shot with a lot of backspin, resulting in the ball traveling lower and further than expected.
Snowman – A score of 8 on any one hole.
Stew – When a player takes multiple mulligans on one hole.
Stiff – A term used when a player hits their approach shot close to the hole.
Stimp – A measure of how fast green is playing. The faster it is, the higher the stamp reading.
Stinger – When a player takes an aggressive shot with a low-trajectory and less backspin, resulting in it traveling further than usual.
Stonewall – Refers to when a player hits their ball against an obstacle, such as a tree, and it doesn’t move.
Stroke Play – A type of game where each hole is played in succession, and the winner is determined by the overall score for all 18 holes.
Stuck – When a ball lands in a particularly difficult spot, such as in the middle of a bunker or rough.
Tap-In – A short putt of less than one foot (30 cm) which is almost certain to be holed, so the player does not take their time over it.
Tee box – The area where a round of golf starts.
Through The Green – Any area of the course which is not a hazard or out of bounds.
Tin Cup – Refers to when a player continues trying to hit a difficult shot, even after they have missed multiple times.
Triple Bogey – A score of three over par on a hole.
Uncle Charlie – Refers to when a ball travels straight into the air with very little backspin, resulting in an unpredictable bounce.
Up and Down – A term used to describe a situation in which a player gets the ball on the green in two strokes but then takes three putts.
Uphill Lie – When a player’s ball is on higher ground than their feet, making it is more difficult to hit the ball cleanly.
Ups and Downs – When a player holed out from one green and then holed out from the next without missing a stroke.
Waggle – Refers to when a player moves their club back and forth in a rhythm before taking their shot.
Water Hazard – A water-filled area such as a pond or lake must be avoided.
Whiff – When a golfer swings and misses the ball entirely.
Worm Burner – When a ball is hit along the ground with almost no trajectory at all.
Yardage – The distance (in yards) between a tee and a hole.
Yips – When a golfer experiences an involuntary twitch that affects their putting technique.
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this comprehensive guide to common golf terms. With the knowledge gleaned from it, you’ll be a veritable golf master in no time! It’s important to remember that becoming an expert golfer takes practice and patience, but with these terms firmly embedded in your memory bank, you can now start taking your game to the next level.
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I’m Nichola Gross. I’m a professional when it comes to golf. I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years, and I own longleafgolf.com. My website is the most comprehensive resource on golf courses in the country.