Golf Terms Explained: Complete Guide to Golf Terminology

Golf is among the most elegant and historical sports you will find. The sport comes with clubs, courses, and competitiveness, but it also has a specific, unique language of its own, which can sometimes confuse the novice player. 

There are general terms like par and birdie in golf, and there are terms that are funny slang like Mulligan or Gimme Putt, which are golf words all to themselves. This guide is laid out to help you with golf terms and their meanings.

Let’s go into the complete guide of golf terminology, slang, and more.

What are Basic Golf Terms?

Before we go into more complex or complicated golf terms, let’s just take a look at everyday golf sports terms you’ll hear on the course. Here is the list. 

• Tee – It is the small wooden or plastic peg used to hold the ball on the ground at the start of a play. 
• Fairway – Fairway is the short and well-kept grass that is in between the tee and the green. It is the ideal place for you to land your ball. 
• Green – It is the smooth and closely mowed area around the hole where putting happens. 
• Rough – The area around the fairway and green with longer grass is called the Rough. It is harder to control shots from the Rough. 
• Hazard – The obstacles like water, bunkers (sand traps), or thick Rough are called hazards. 
• Bunker – A Bunker is a sand-filled area near the green that requires players to concentrate while playing. 
• Par – It represents the number of expected strokes a golfer should take for a particular hole. 
• Hole – It refers to the physical cup in the green or the entire area between the tee and the cup. 
• Stroke – It is one attempt at hitting the ball.
• Handicap – It is a system that adjusts the scores based on the skills of each player. 
• Driving Range – It is the practice area where golfers can practice their swing and improve gameplay. 
• Caddie – In golf, there is a person who carries different types of golf clubs for golfers and offers advice. That person is called a caddie. 

Golf Terminology for Scoring

Now, we will focus on golf scoring terms everyone should know about. Most beginners get confused with these golf terminologies. Here is the list of the most important ones:

• Par – It is the number of strokes assigned to a hole. It means that a golfer should complete the hole in the same number as it was assigned at the beginning. 
• Birdie – If a golfer scores the hole one under par, it is called a birdie. Check out more about the birdie in this article. 
• Eagle – When a player scores two under par, it is called an eagle. 
• Albatross – Scoring three under par is called an albatross. It is a rare and impressive feat by any golfer. 
• Bogey – Scoring one over par is called a Bogey. It means taking 5 strokes for a 4-par hole. 
• Double Bogey or Triple Bogey – When a golfer takes two or three more shots than par score. 
• Hole-in-One (Ace) – As the name suggests, getting the ball into the cup in one stroke. 

Golf Terminology for Gameplay

Apart from Golf score terms, there are some terms related to playing the game. These terms are often used in commentary. Here is the list of golf terms you should know about the gameplay. 

• Drive – It refers to the long-distance shot on the course. Usually, it is from the tee using a driver (a type of club). 
• Approach Shot – A shot played towards the green. 
• Putt – A short and precise stroke on the green with a putter. 
• Chip – A chip is a short shot of the green. It sends the ball briefly into the air before rolling. 
• Lay-up – It’s a strategic shot that avoids hazards. 
• Mulligan – It is an unofficial do-over shot. This is not allowed in professional play – it’s often allowed in a casual round of golf. 
• Stroke Play – The scores are based on the total strokes over a round. 
• Match Play – It’s a head-to-head format where the winner of each hole gets a point. 
• Tee Box – It is the area from which the players start each hole. 
• Front Nine and Back Nine – The first and last nine holes of an 18-hole course. 
• Pin or Flagstick – They refer to the pole marking the location of the hole on the green. 
• Cup – It refers to the green where the ball is supposed to go. 
• Fringe – The slightly longer grass surrounding the green. 

Funny Golf Terms

Golfers love humor, and over the years, funny golf slang has been developed. Here is the list of some funny golf terms. 

• Gimme Putt – It’s a short putt that fellow players agree you can skip. They consider it a made putt. 
• Scramble – A scramble happens when a golfer misses the green but still manages to save par.
• Yips – Yips refers to the sudden, involuntary loss of motor functions that causes a golfer to jerk. It results in a missed putt or shot. 
• Shank – It’s a miss-hit where the ball shoots sideways. 
• Sandbagger – It refers to golfers who claim to be worse than they are to gain an advantage in handicap. 
• Snowman – When a player scores an 8 on a hole, it is called a snowman. Because 8 looks like a snowman. 
• Mulligan – It is an unofficial do-over shot played in casual games. 
• Slice – It is a common issue for amateur golfers. The slice causes the ball to curve from left to right in the air. This overspin in the air results in a shorter distance. 
• Hook – It is the opposite of slice. It affects the right-handed players. A hook causes the ball to curve from right to left in the air. This can create additional distance due to topspin. 

Conclusion

Golf is not just a sport; it is a whole culture, and the language of golf reflects this. Golf terms have very basic stuff like how we score a hole: par, birdie, or bogey; then there is the strange (and funny) slang we use: snowman, slice, etc. 

If you are a beginning golfer, you should start with the basics (par, birdie, bogey) and learn as you go. Soon enough, you will be playing the game better and even enjoying watching and talking about the game with others. 

The terms of golf can be a little daunting to tackle at first, but once you do tackle those terms, you will be able to access a whole new level of appreciation for the game.

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