Glossary Of Golf Terms
Compiled By OttawaGolf


Ace – To hole out or put the ball in the hole in one shot. Congratulations. The odds of a non-pro to make an ace are 8,404 to one.

Addressing the ball - A player has "addressed the ball" when he has taken his stance and has also grounded his club, except that in a hazard a player has addressed the ball when he has taken his stance.

Advice - "Advice" is any counsel or suggestion which could influence a player in determining his play, the choice of a club, or the method of making a stroke.

Aggregate - The score made over more than one round of play, or by two or more players playing as partners.

Albatross – A British term for a "Double Eagle" – to score three strokes under par on a hole.

All square - A tied match

Amateur - A player who does not receive any monetary compensation.

Approach - The shot played to the green or pin.

Apron - The grassy area surrounding the putting surface.

Arc - Path of club swing on backswing

Attack - To aggressively go after the hole; to take a risk looking to reap a reward.

Attend the flag - To hold the flagstick while another player putts.

Away - The ball that is the furthest distance away from the hole when more than one golfer is playing. It is the first ball to be played.

Back door - The rear of the hole. If you fly over the green you’ll be coming in the back door.

Back lip - The edge of the bunker, furthest from the green.

Back nine - The last nine holes of an 18-hole course.

Backspin - A reverse spin put on a ball to make it stop on the green.

Backswing- The beginning of the swing where the club is brought in a backward motion from the ground until it stops over the head.

Back tee - Championship tee where the course plays the longest

Baffy - A term used in the 1800’s for a five wood. A lofted wooden club developed from the baffling-spoon.

Bail out - To avoid trouble purposely, such as a water hazard, by hitting the ball to a safe area.

Balata - The sap-like substance from the South American Balata tree used to make golf ball covers.

Ball - The round, usually white, dimpled object which is hit with a club hopefully towards the target. Most balls today are made of a solid compressed synthetic rubber.

Ball in play - A ball is "in play” as soon as the player has made a stroke on the teeing ground. It remains in play until holed-out, except when it is lost, out of bounds, lifted, or another ball has been substituted whether or not such substitution is permitted. A ball so substituted becomes the ball in play.

Ball holed - A shot that goes in the hole from off the green.

Ball marker – An item such as a coin used to mark the position of the ball on the green so as to not interfere with the next players ability to putt.

Ball retriever - A long pole with a scoop on the end used to pull balls from water hazards and other hard to reach areas.

Ball washer - A device for cleaning golf balls usually next to the tee area.

Banana ball - A slice that curves hard to the right in the shape of a banana.

Baseball grip – To hold the club with all ten fingers like a baseball bat on the grip.

Beach - A sand hazard on the course.

Bend - To curve a shot by using side-spin.

Bent grass - A hardy and resilient type of grass native to North America and Eurasia that can be cut very short.

Bermuda grass – A type of grass seen mostly on southern courses in North America.

Best Ball - The better score of each of the players on a team is used.

Birdie - One stroke under par for a hole.

Bird's Nest - A lie in which the ball is cupped in deep grass.

Bite - Backspin put on the ball that makes the ball stop with little or no roll.

Blade - The bottom of the club face or sometimes used as a description of a golf club which is not cavity back or perimeter weighted

Blade putter - A type of putter with an iron head similar to other standard numbered irons.

Bladed - Shots that are hit on the leading edge of the club head, not with the face.

Blast - A shot that takes a large amount of sand with it when hitting out of a sand trap.

Blaster - Sometimes used as another description for a sand wedge.

Blind Bogey - A type of competition in which each player tries to come closest to a score that has been drawn out of a hat.

Blind hole – A hole where the putting green can not be seen by the player as he approaches.

Block shot - A shot made by delaying the rotation of the wrists during a swing. This causes the clubface not to be square at the point of impact resulting in a sliced shot.

Bogey - A score of one over par for the hole; to play a hole in one stroke over par.

Borrow - The amount of predicted distance to the left or right of a hole when putting on an un-level surface.

Bounce sole - The sole angle of an iron when the trailing edge is below the leading edge.

Boundary - The edge of the golf course that defines the area of play.

Brassie – The name formerly given to the 2 wood.

Break - To make less than a specified score; to break par on a hole or 80 for the course; the direction which a putt will roll on the green.

Break the wrists - To bend the wrists back during a swing.

British ball - The type of golf ball specified by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Diameter is not less than 1.620 inches and weighing not more than 1.620 ounces. Now used mostly in amateur play.

British Open - The first open golf tournament ever, first held in 1860. The National Championship sponsored by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Bulge - The amount of bulge or curvature on a wood club face.

Bunker - A hazard consisting of a prepared area of ground often a hollow, from which turf or soil has been removed and replaced with sand or the like. Grass-covered ground bordering or within a bunker is not part of the bunker. The margin of a bunker extends vertically downwards, but not upwards. A ball is in a bunker when it lies in or any part of it touches the bunker.

Burn - The Scottish term for a creek or stream.

Buzzard - A score of two strokes over par on a hole, same as a Double Bogey.

Bye - A tournaments term. A player who draws a "bye" is allowed to advance to the next round without playing an opponent.

Caddie - A "caddie" is one who carries or handles a player's clubs during play and otherwise assists him accordance with the Rules. When one caddie is employed by more than one player, he is always deemed to be the caddie of the player whose ball is involved, and equipment carried by him is deemed to be that player's equipment, except when the caddie acts upon specific directions of another player, in which case he is considered to be that other player's caddie.

Caddie Master - The manager of the caddies at a course.

Caddie car - A golf cart.

Calamity Jane - The name which Bobby Jones gave to his putter.

Can – The hole on the green.

Can a putt - To make or hole a putt.

Cap - The top end of the club.

Casual water - "Casual water" is any temporary accumulation of water on the course which is visible before or after the player takes his stance and is not in a water hazard. Snow and natural ice, other than frost, are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player. Manufactured ice is an obstruction. Dew and frost are not casual water. A ball is in casual water when it lies in or any part of it touches the casual water.

Callaway - A handicap system which is determined by a players worst holes.

Card – The scorecard used to record scores at a course.

Carpet - A term used to refer to the surface of the putting green or fairway.

Carry - The distance of travel by a ball from when it is hit to where it lands, not accounting for the roll on the ground

Cart - A two-wheeled trolley which carries a golf bag and pulled around the course or a golf cart.

Casual water - Any temporary accumulations of water that are visible to a player and is not in a hazard or in a water hazard. A player may lift his ball from casual water without penalty.

Cavity back iron - An investment cast iron head that has extra weight in the heel, toe and sole

Center shafted – A club whereby the shaft is fitted in to the center of the golf head, usually found in putters

Center of gravity - The point where weight is evenly distributed in all directions throughout the club head

Charge - To come from behind and play great or to play aggressively.

Chart the course – Walk and pace each hole for distances to the green, usually done by a professional's caddie prior to an event.

Chili-dip – To hit the ground before the ball, producing a weak shot.

Chip shot - A short low running approach shot usually hit from near the green.

Chip-and-run - A chip shot intended to run the ball after landing.

Chip in – To hole a chip shot.

Choke – To play bad under pressure. To grip down farther on the club’s handle.

Chop - To hit the ball with a hacking motion.

Cleat - The spike on the sole of a golf shoe.

Cleek – Old term used for a 4 wood.

Closed stance -The left foot extends over the balls line of flight while the right foot is back.

Closed face - When the clubface is pointed to the left of the target when you address the ball.

Closed stance - A stance taken with the right foot pulled back away from the ball.

Club - The instrument used in golf to hit the ball. A club is made up of the shaft, grip and club head.

Club face – The area on the golf club where the golf ball is to be struck.

Club head - The hitting area of the club.

Clubhouse - The building on the course housing the locker rooms, pro shop, etc.

Clubhouse lawyer - A self-appointed caller or arbiter of the rules.

Collar - The grassy fringe surrounding the putting green.

Come back shot - The shot made after overshooting the hole.

Committee - The "Committee" is the committee in charge of the competition or, if the matter does not arise in a competition, the committee in charge of the course.

Competitor - A "competitor" is a player in a stroke competition. A "fellow competitor" is any person with whom the competitor plays. Neither is partner of the other. In stroke play foursome and four-ball competitions, where the context so admits, the word "competitor" or "fellow-competitor" includes his partner.

Compression - The flattening of the ball against the clubface at impact. Balls have different compression ratios or factors.

Concede - Surrender the hole or match.

Condor - A four-under par shot or a hole-in-one on a par five.

Control shot - A shot that is played with less than full power to hit a target area.

Core - The center of the golf ball.

Course - The "course" is the whole area within which play is permitted, usually made up of nine or 18 holes.

Course rating - The comparison of playing one course as opposed to another in terms of difficulty (terrain, distance and hazards). It is expressed in strokes or decimal fractions of strokes. The yardage of the course and the ability of a scratch golfer are the basis for determination.

CPGA - Canadian Professional Golfers Association.

Crack - To choke or play bad under pressure.

Cross-bunker - A lengthy bunker that is located across a fairway.

Cross-handed grip - A grip where your left hand is below the right.

Cup - The container which holds the flagstick.

Cut - The score that reduces the field to a pre-determined number and eliminates players from a tournament, usually made after 36 holes in a 72-hole tournament.

Cut shot - A control shot that stops the ball almost immediately on the green without rolling.

Dead put - A putt is said to be dead when there is no doubt that it will be made.

Deep-faced - A club face that is thick from top to bottom.

Deflection - The deviation of the tip from the butt center line after a known unit of force is applied to the tip create a curve in the shaft.

Deuce - A hole made in two strokes.

Dimple - The round indentations on the golf ball cover which are designed to give a ball a steady, true flight.

Divot - A piece of turf removed with by the club when making a shot.

Dogleg - A bend in the fairway either to the left or right.

Dormie - To be unable to lose a match, for example: golfer is winning by two holes in match play with only two holes left to play.

Double bogey - A score of two over par for a single hole.

Double eagle - A score of three under par for a single hole.

Down - Being a specific number of holes behind your opponent.

Downhill lie - When addressing the ball and your right foot is higher than your left for a right-handed player.

Downswing - The motion of swinging a club from the top of the backswing to the point of impact.

Drain - To sink or make a putt.

Draw - Curved ball flight to the left for right handed players; the pairing of golfers for a match play tournament

Draw shot - A controlled shot that curves from left to right. To play a shot so that it curves with sidespin from right to left for a right-handed player.

Drive - To hit the ball from the tee.

Drive the green - hitting for first shot on the green

Drive and pitch - The type of hole on which the green can be reached with a drive and a pitch shot. Some courses have all the holes of this type. A course of this type would be known as an Executive Course.

Driver - The longest-hitting club in the bag usually the one wood, used primarily from the tee, when maximum distance is needed.

Driving iron - Another name for the one iron.

Driving range - An area or indoor building used to hit practice shots.

Drop - To put the ball on the course after you have already had a ball in play, after it has been declared unplayable or lost.

Dub - A missed or badly hit shot.

Duck hook – A shot that curves sharply to the left for right handed players.

Duff - To miss hit a shot by hitting the ground behind the ball first and then hitting the top of the ball. The resulting shot does not go far or look very nice. This usually results in a stream of four letter words. A player who makes many of these shots in a round obviously lacks skill and is referred to as a "Duffer"

Duffer - An unskilled or bad golfer. (see above)

Dunk - To hit your ball into the water hazard.

Eagle – To score two strokes under par for a single hole.

Eight-iron - A lofty iron club also called a pitching Niblick.

Effective loft - The loft of a wood when placed in a square position face angle.

Equipment - Anything used, worn or carried by or for the player except any ball he has played at the hole being played and any small object, such as a coin or a tee, when used to mark the position of a ball or the extent of an area in which a ball is to be dropped. Equipment includes a golf cart, whether or not motorized. If such a cart is shared by two or more players, the cart and everything in it are deemed to be the equipment of the player whose ball is involved except that, when the cart is being moved by one of the players sharing it, the cart and everything in it are deemed to be that player's equipment. Note: A ball played at the hole being played is equipment when it has been lifted and not put back into play.

Etiquette - The proper behavior on the golf course.

Executive Course - A short course that can be played in a briefer period of time than a championship course, so named because of its popularity among executives with limited time to play golf. Made up of mostly par three and four holes, often not having any par five's at all.

Explode - To hit the ball from sand using a lofted club with the club hitting the sand behind the ball first and sending a large amount of sand upwards.

Explosion shot - A shot that takes large quantities of sand out of a sand trap.

Face angle – The direction of club face alignment relative to the target line.

Fat shot - Hitting the ground before striking the ball; Hitting “behind” the ball.

Face - The hitting area or surface of the club head.

Fade - A shot in which there is a slight turning of the ball from left to right at the end of the balls flight for a right-handed player.

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

Fairway wood - A loftier wooden club other than a driver used for long shots.

Fan - To swing and miss the ball completely, also known as a whiff.

Fat Shot - To hit the ground behind ball first.

Featherie - An old leather ball stuffed with feathers; replaced the wooden ball; later replaced by the gutta percha.

Fescue – A type of grass used widely for the rough on golf courses.

Field - The players in a tournament.

Five-iron - An iron club, also known as a Mashie.

Five wood - A lofted wooden club.

Flat swing - Club being swung closer to a horizontal plane.

Flex - The designation assigned to a shaft based on its stiffness, or ability to resist bending flier: ball hit at the green lacking backspin from lack of improper contact.

Flag - The cloth marker attached to the flagstick.

Flagstick - The "flagstick" is a movable straight indicator, with or without bunting or other material attached, centered in the hole to show its position.

Flange - The surface of the club head which protrudes at the sole.

Flat swing - A type of swing that occurs when the club head is carried back in a flat manner.

Flex - The amount of bend or the degree of stiffness of the club shaft.

Flier - A ball is hit without spin and goes further than normal.

Flight - In tournament play, the division of players with equal ability placed in the same flight. Usually there are 16 players in a flight.

Flub - A badly hit shot caused by hitting the ground before the ball.

Fluff – miss hit shot

Follow through - The continuation of the swing after a ball has been hit.

Forced carry - The distance a ball must fly in order to safely land on the other side. This does not include the roll of the ball.

Forced carry hole - A player must get over an obstacle with no option of circumventing said obstacle. A hole with a large lake or waste area where there is nowhere to go but over the trouble. Not the same as a Risk/Reward hole.

Fore - A term used to warn players that a golf ball could be approaching. Gentleman golfers of the 18th century employed a forecaddie to sight the driven ball on blind holes and because the grass was only cut by the sheep and rabbits they tended to rely on the forecaddie at every hole. The word "fore" derives from "forecaddie" who would be
alerted to spot the flight of the ball.

Forecaddie - A "forecaddie" is one who is employed by the Committee to indicate to players the position of balls during play. He is an outside agency.

Forging - Method of club head production where a block of metal is literally pounded in to the finished club shape.

Four ball - A match which the better ball of two players is played against the better ball of their opponents.

Four iron - An iron club also called a jigger iron.

Forward press - a slight movement forward of the hands at the address position just before beginning the backswing

Four wood - A lofty wooden also called a cleek.

Foursome - A group of four players playing together. A match in which two play against two and each side plays one ball.

Free drop - A drop where no penalty stroke is incurred.

Frequency matching - A technique in custom club fitting where all clubs are matched to an optimum frequency for the player.

Fried egg - A ball half-buried in the sand.

Fringe - The grassy area surrounding the putting surface.

Front side - The first nine holes of an 18-hole course.