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ACE:
A hole-in-one.
ADDRESS: The
position a player assumes when preparing to hit a shot.
APPROACH: Any shot
to the green.
AWAY:
The player farthest from the hole.
BACK
NINE: The last
nine holes of an 18-hole golf course.
BALL
MARK: The
depression that a ball makes when impacting a green.
BEACH: A sand
bunker.
BEST
BALL: A type of
competition in which typically 2 or 4 players form a team
and each play their own ball. The lowest gross or net score
shot by an individual player is recorded as the team score
on each hole.
BIRDIE: A score of
one less than par on any hole.
BOGEY: A score of
one more than par on any hole.
BREAK: The amount
the path of a putted ball curves, or the amount the green
itself curves or slopes.
BUNKER: A hazard
filled by sand or grass. You are NOT allowed to practice
swing or ground your club in a bunker.
CASUAL WATER:
Water on the course that is not a water hazard (e.g.,
puddles). Relief may be taken when in casual water or if
having to play through it on the green.
CARD:
To obtain a score.
“She carded a four on that difficult Par 5.” Also short for
scorecard.
CARRY: How far a
ball travels in the air after being struck until it hits the
ground.
CHILI
DIP: When the club
hits the ground before the ball, causing the ball to jump
straight up and plunk back down.
CHIP:
A low shot around
the green that rolls farther than it flies in the air – chip
and run.
COLLAR: The edge
around a green or bunker.
COMPRESSION: When
a golf ball is struck by a golf club, it is compressed,
deformed and flattened by the force of impact (golf ball
compression rating is less with harder core golf balls than
softer cored balls). Generally speaking, a harder, low
compression golf ball travels farther than a softer or high
compression golf ball.
COURSE RATING:
Evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course by its
ruling committee.
CUP:
The target on each hole. It is 4.25" in diameter.
DIVOT: A piece of
turf that is lifted out of the ground by the head of the
club during the swing.
DOGLEG: A right or
left bend in the fairway.
DORMIE: A term
used in Match Play. A side or individual player is dormie
when it is as many holes up as there are holes remaining to
be played.
DOUBLE BOGEY:
Two over par on a hole. Example: a 6 on a par 4.
DRAW:
A slightly curving
shot from right to left for a right-handed player. The
opposite for a left-handed player.
DRIVER:
A metal or wooden headed club used for hitting long shots
from the tee. Usually designated as the #1 Wood, sometimes
called a driving club.
EAGLE: A score of
two under par for the hole. Like its flying counterpart, it
is rarely encountered.
FADE:
The opposite of
draw.
FAIRWAY:
The part of the golf course covered with short grass and
extending from the teeing ground to the putting green.
FAT:
Striking the ground with your club before you hit the ball.
A shot which is hit fat, generally takes up a lot of turf
and doesn’t go as far. Often you will hear the announcers
say, “She hit that a little fat.”
FORE:
A cry of warning issued when it appears that a shot is in
danger of hitting someone.
FRINGE: (Apron)
The short grass around the green.
FRONT
NINE: The first
nine holes of an eighteen-hole golf course.
GIMMIE: A putt
that is conceded by your opponent. Generally, gimmies are
given on very short, impossible-to-miss putts. The stroke
must still be counted even though it is not executed. No
gimmies are allowed in any type of competition.
GREEN: The
shortest grass area around the hole. This is where a putter
is typically used.
GROSS: The actual
number of strokes taken in a round before a handicap has
been deducted from it.
GROUND UNDER REPAIR:
Areas of the course under repair. Balls may be removed from
them without penalty - the nearest point of relief no closer
to the hole. Please consult local rules.
GROUNDING THE CLUB:
To place the club on the
ground prior to striking the ball when addressing it.
HANDICAP: An
equalizing system which allows players of varying levels to
compete with each other based on a player’s average 18-hole
score, handicaps of 36 are the highest permitted in most
competitions. Holes are handicapped #1–18 (#1 is the
hardest) so players will know on which holes they get
strokes. For example, if you have a handicap of 1, you will
get one stroke on the #1 hardest hole. You don’t get to
choose on which holes you get strokes. Visit your local golf
professional to establish your handicap.
The
purpose of the USGA Handicap System is to make the game of
golf more enjoyable by enabling golfers of differing
abilities to compete on an equal basis. The system provides
fair course handicaps for players regardless of ability and
adjusts a players Handicap Index up or down as one’s game
changes.
A
basic premise underlies the USGA Handicap System, namely
that every player will try to make the best score at each
hole in every round, regardless of where the round is
played, and that the player will post every acceptable round
for peer review.
HANDICAP INDEX (A.K.A. “INDEX”):
The USGA’s service mark used to indicate the measurement of
a player’s potential ability on a course of standard
difficulty. Potential ability is measured by a player’s best
scores and is expressed as a number taken to one decimal
point.
USGA
Course Rating indicates the evaluation of the playing
difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal
conditions based on yardage and other obstacles that affect
scoring ability.
USGA
Slope Rating is an evaluation of how much more difficult the
course plays for individuals who are not scratch golfers.
Each course is rated from each set of tees for both the
scratch golfer and the bogey golfer.(Taken from the USGA
Handicap System Manual)
HAZARD: Any bunker
or water hazard.
HOLE
HIGH: The ball has
landed on the green, level with the hole as you are looking
at it.
HOLE-IN-ONE: A
score of one on any hole on the golf course.
HONOR: The right
to tee off first by virtue of the fact that you had the
lowest score on the previous hole.
HOOK:
For a right-handed player, a ball that curves from right to
left more severely than a draw.
HYBRID: A cross
between a wood and an iron, combining the wood's long
distance with the iron's familiar swing.
IRON:
A club with a flat angled face and a shorter shaft than a
wood, designed for shots approaching the green or from more
difficult lies such as the rough, through or over trees, or
the base of hills.
LAG
PUTT: A long putt
which the putter does not expect to make but hopes to get
close to the cup, often leaving it a bit short. A good lag
putt positions the golfer to have a simple and easily
make-able follow-up putt.
LIE:
The position of
the ball on the ground.
LIP:
The rim of the hole or the edge of a bunker.
LIP
OUT: A missed putt
that hits the edge of the hole.
LOCAL
RULES: Additional
rules pertaining to a given course.
LOST BALL:
A ball not found or identified within 5 minutes of searching
for it. A ball is lost if another ball is put in play or a
provisional ball is played from a position the original ball
was likely to have been lost. The penalty for a lost ball is
stroke and distance.
MASHIE: An old
fashioned golf club – specifically a mid-iron.
MATCH
PLAY: Like the
Ryder and Solheim Cups, rounds are played hole by hole.
Winners are determined by which side has won the greater
number of holes. Each hole is won by the side holing the
ball in the fewest strokes.
MULLIGAN: A shot
you can get a second chance to hit. Mulligans are used in
friendly matches only and are agreed upon before the round.
Often charity tournaments will sell mulligans, which can be
used anytime during the round. Mulligans are not allowed
under golf rules.
90
DEGREE RULE: A
golf course may require that any deviation from the cart
path to cross the fairway must be made at a 90 degree
angle.
NASSAU: A bet or
wager comprised of three parts: the winning total on the
front nine, the winning total on the back nine and the
winning total for 18 holes.
19TH
HOLE: The bar at
the club. A great place and time for business conversation.
OUT OF BOUNDS:
Area of course where play is prohibited marked by white
stakes. If a player hits a ball out of bounds, the penalty
is stroke and distance.
PAR:
The number of
shots a low handicapper should take for a hole or round. The
hole par is measured by the number of shots needed to reach
the green plus two for putting. The round par is calculated
by adding all the hole pars together. Typical par for a
regulation course is 72.
PIN:
The flagstick
marking each hole.
PIN
HIGH: A shot to
the green that lands or ends up even with the hole (90
degrees) from where you are.
PITCH: A higher
shot to the green that flies farther in the air than it
rolls.
PROVISIONAL BALL:
A ball played in case the ball originally hit is suspected
to be lost or our of bounds. You hit a provisional so if
your ball is deemed lost, you don't have to go all the way
back to the tee or the original spot to re-hit.
PUTTING GREEN:
A closely mowed grassy area that contains the hole and is
specially prepared for putting.
READY
GOLF: Allowing the
player who is ready to hit to play first. Helps to speed up
play.
RELIEF: To lift
and drop the ball without penalty in accordance with the
rules.
ROUGH: The longer
grass or natural area bordering the fairway or the green.
SANDY: When a
golfer still makes par after escaping a bunker.
SCRAMBLE: A
popular format for golf outings. Each team chooses the best
shot as the ball in play and all players hit from that spot.
This process continues until the ball is holed.
SCRATCH: An even
par score or a player with a zero handicap.
SHANK: A dreaded
shot. This ball veers sharply, sometimes nearly sideways.
This is one of the many reasons that one should always stand
safely behind the player hitting.
SHOTGUN START:
Tournament in which the field starts from different holes at
the same time rather than tee times at the first tee.
SLICE: For a
right-handed player, a ball that curves from left to right
more severely than a fade.
STROKE: The
forward motion of the club to hit the ball.
STROKE AND DISTANCE:
The penalty for a lost ball or a ball hit out of bounds. It
means you add one stroke to your score and re-hit from the
same place or where the lost shot was hit.
STROKE PLAY: A
competition in which the total number of strokes hit
determines the winner. The player who plays the round in the
fewest strokes is the winner.
TEE
MARKER: Most
courses have at least three sets of tee markers (some may
have six or more), each a different color and denoting
different yardages. The front, left and right sides of the
tee are denoted by the outer edges of the tee markers and
the teeing ground is two club lengths in depth.
TEMPORARY GREEN: A
green used when the normal green is under repair or when the
club wishes to preserve the permanent green.
TENDING THE FLAG:
To hold the flagstick such that a player may aim for it and
then remove it as the ball approaches.
THIN:
When the club strikes only a portion of the ball. Generally,
the trajectory of the ball is much lower and distance is
diminished.
TOP:
When the club strikes the top of the ball, resulting in the
shot just dribbling in front of you.
UNPLAYABLE LIE: A
ball in a position that is impossible to hit. The player is
the sole judge as to whether the ball is unplayable. The
ball can be deemed unplayable at any place on the course
except for a water hazard.
WEDGE: Wedges are
a subclass of irons which have a loft greater than that of a
9-iron (generally more than 44°).
WHIFF: A swing
that completely misses the ball. It counts as a stroke!
WOOD:
Woods are
long-distance clubs, meant to drive the ball a great
distance down the fairway towards the hole. They generally
have a large head and a long shaft for maximum club speed. |
