Golf Glossary

Ace (Hole-in-One)

Holing the ball with a single stroke, straight from the tee.

Address

The setup position a golfer takes before starting the swing.

Albatross (Double Eagle)

A score of three strokes under par, one of the rarest feats in golf.

Alignment

Aiming the body (feet, hips, shoulders) and the clubface so they work together toward the target.

Angle of Attack (AoA)

Whether the club is moving up, down, or level at the moment it strikes the ball.

Approach Shot

Any shot hit toward the green when you're not already on or near it, typically with an iron, hybrid, or wedge.

Backswing

The motion from address to the top, where the club is loaded before the downswing.

Ball Position

Where the ball sits relative to your stance, from just inside the left heel (driver) to the center (short irons/wedges).

Ballooning

A shot that climbs unusually high and loses distance, often in the wind.

Banana Ball

Slang for an extreme slice, named for the huge curving shape of the shot.

Best Ball

A team format where each player plays their own ball throughout, and the team takes the best score on each hole.

Birdie

A score of one stroke under par on a hole.

Bogey

A score of one stroke over par on a hole.

Bounce

The angle built into the sole of a wedge that helps it glide through sand or turf instead of digging in.

Breaking Putt

A putt that travels on a curved line due to slope, rather than straight at the hole.

Bump and Run

A low, running chip shot that carries a short distance in the air and rolls the rest of the way to the hole, like a putt.

Carry Distance

How far the ball travels through the air before it first touches the ground, not counting any roll after landing.

Casting

Releasing the wrist hinge too early in the downswing, before reaching the ball.

Casual Water (Ground Under Repair)

Temporary standing water or a marked damaged area on the course from which a golfer is entitled to free relief.

Cavity Back vs. Blade

Two iron head designs: cavity-back irons hollow out the back of the head for forgiveness, while blades (muscle backs) are more compact for feel and control.

Chicken Wing

A lead arm that bends and folds through impact instead of staying extended.

Chili Dip

Slang for an extreme chunked chip that barely moves the ball at all, essentially just a bad case of the fat chip.

Clubface Angle

How open, closed, or square the clubface is pointing relative to the target at impact.

Compression (Ball)

A rating (roughly 30 to 100+) of how much a golf ball deforms on impact, which affects feel more than distance for most golfers.

Cover the Ball

Keeping the chest and upper body rotating over the ball through impact, rather than the upper body hanging back or lifting up.

Dart

Slang for a shot that flies dead straight and lands tight to the flag.

Divot

The piece of turf displaced by the club on a well-struck iron shot.

Dogleg

A hole that bends left or right partway down the fairway instead of running straight from tee to green.

Double Bogey

A score of two strokes over par on a hole.

Double Cross

When a golfer aiming to hit a draw or fade gets the opposite curve instead, often a much bigger miss than usual.

Downswing

The motion from the top of the backswing down through impact.

Draw

A gentle, intentional curve toward the left that still finishes on target, most golfers' idea of an ideal shot shape.

Eagle

A score of two strokes under par on a hole.

Early Extension

The hips and spine moving toward the ball during the downswing, standing up out of the original posture.

Face-Balanced vs. Toe Hang (Putter)

Two ways a putter's weight balances when you rest it on your finger, which usually tells you what kind of stroke it's designed for.

Fade

A gentle, intentional curve toward the right that still finishes on target, most golfers' idea of an ideal shot shape.

Fairway

The mown strip of grass between tee and green where tee shots are meant to land.

Fat Shot (Chunk)

The club strikes the ground before the ball, losing speed and distance.

Flip (Flipping the Clubhead)

Releasing the wrists actively through impact instead of letting them unhinge naturally, often to compensate for a lack of lag.

Flop Shot

A very high, soft-landing short shot played with an open, lofted clubface, usually over an obstacle with little green to work with.

Follow-Through (Finish)

The motion after impact as the swing decelerates into a finished position.

Fore!

The traditional warning shout when a ball might be heading toward someone, always yell it, immediately, if there's any doubt.

Foursomes (Alternate Shot)

A team format where two partners share one ball, alternating shots (and alternating who tees off) throughout the hole.

Fringe (Apron / Collar)

The narrow band of slightly longer grass bordering the green, between the green itself and the fairway or rough.

Gimme

A short putt close enough to the hole that playing partners agree to count it as made, without requiring the golfer to actually putt it.

Grain

The direction grass blades lean on a green, which subtly affects a putt's speed and break.

Green (Putting Green)

The area of very short, smooth grass surrounding the hole, where putting takes place.

Handicap

A number representing a golfer's skill level, used to adjust scores so players of different abilities can compete fairly.

Heel Strike

Contact made near the shaft end of the clubface instead of the center, a milder cousin of a shank.

Honor

The right to tee off first on a hole, traditionally earned by having the lowest score on the previous hole.

Hook

A shot that starts near the target, then curves hard to the left, often diving into trouble.

Hosel

The part of the clubhead that connects to the shaft, the exact spot a shank makes contact with instead of the face.

Impact

The moment the clubface actually contacts the ball, where clubface angle, path, and attack angle all come together to decide the shot.

Lag

Retaining the wrist hinge deep into the downswing instead of releasing it early, storing up clubhead speed for impact.

Lag Putt

A long putt played primarily for distance control, aiming to leave a short, easy second putt rather than trying to make it.

Lay-Up

A deliberately short shot played to a safe distance instead of trying to reach the green or clear a hazard in one go.

Lie (of the Ball)

How the ball is sitting on the ground before your next shot, cleanly on short grass, buried in the rough, or perched on a slope, which affects what shot is realistically possible.

Lie Angle

The angle between the shaft and the ground when the club is soled correctly at address.

Loft

The angle of the clubface relative to a vertical plane, which controls launch angle and, largely, distance.

Match Play vs. Stroke Play

Two ways of scoring a round: match play counts holes won or lost head-to-head, while stroke play (the format used in most professional tournaments) counts total strokes over the round.

Mulligan

An informal "do-over" shot, replayed without penalty, common in casual rounds, not allowed under the actual rules.

Nassau

A bet split into three separate matches in one round: the front 9, the back 9, and the full 18, each settled on its own.

Offset

A design feature where the leading edge of the clubhead sits slightly behind the hosel.

Open / Closed / Square Stance

Whether your feet (and by extension, your body) are aimed left of, right of, or parallel to the target line.

Out of Bounds (OB)

The area outside the legal boundaries of the course, marked with white stakes, hitting a ball there costs stroke and distance.

Over the Top

A downswing that starts with the shoulders and arms instead of the lower body, throwing the club outside its ideal plane.

Par

The number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to need to complete a hole, including two putts.

Penalty Area (Hazard)

Water or other marked areas (yellow or red stakes/lines) where a ball landing inside carries a one-stroke penalty and specific relief options.

Posture

The forward bend from the hips and the amount of knee flex at address.

Provisional Ball

A backup ball played when the original might be lost or out of bounds, to save time walking back if it is.

Pull

A straight shot (no curve) that starts and stays to the left of the target.

Pull Hook

A shot that starts left of target and then curves even further left.

Pured (Flush)

Slang for a shot struck perfectly out of the center of the clubface, it usually feels like almost nothing in the hands.

Push

A straight shot (no curve) that starts and stays to the right of the target.

Reading the Green

The process of studying a putt's slope, grain, and speed before hitting it, to figure out the line.

Ready Golf

An informal approach to pace of play where whoever is ready hits, instead of strictly playing in honor order, common (and encouraged) in casual rounds.

Release

The natural unhinging of the wrists through impact that squares the clubface and delivers speed to the ball.

Relief

Being allowed to move the ball to a better spot under the rules, either free (casual water, cart paths) or with a penalty stroke (unplayable lies, penalty areas).

Reverse Pivot

Weight moving toward the target in the backswing and away from it in the downswing, backwards from how weight should shift.

Rough

The longer, less-manicured grass bordering the fairway, which makes clean contact harder.

Sandy

Making par or better on a hole after having been in a bunker.

Scramble

A team format where everyone plays a shot, the best one is chosen, and the whole team plays their next shot from there.

Shaft Flex

How much a shaft bends during the swing, rated from Extra Stiff down to Ladies/Senior flex.

Shamble

A team format where everyone tees off and the best drive is chosen, then each player plays their own ball the rest of the hole.

Shank

The ball contacts the hosel instead of the clubface and shoots hard sideways.

Skins

A hole-by-hole format where the single lowest score on a hole wins that hole's stake, and a tie carries the stake over to the next hole.

Sky Ball (Pop-Up)

A weak, high, short shot hit off the top of the clubface.

Slice

A shot that starts near the target and curves hard to the right, usually losing distance.

Slide

Excess lateral movement of the body toward the target during the downswing, without enough rotation.

Smash Factor

Ball speed divided by clubhead speed, a launch monitor number that measures how efficiently you transferred energy into the ball.

Snap Hook (Duck Hook)

A violent, sudden hook that dives hard and fast, often diving out of play almost immediately.

Snowman

Slang for scoring an 8 on a hole, named for the shape of the number.

Stableford

A scoring format based on points per hole instead of total strokes, where a bad hole costs you less than in regular stroke play.

Stimpmeter

A device used to measure how fast a green is running, expressed in feet the ball rolls when released from a set height.

Stinger

A deliberately low, penetrating shot hit to bore under wind or run out a long way.

Straight Ball

A shot that flies with essentially no left-right curve.

Strong / Weak / Neutral Grip

How far the hands are rotated on the handle, usually checked by how many knuckles of the left hand you can see at address.

Sway

Excess lateral (sideways) movement of the body away from the target during the backswing, without any real rotation.

Sweet Spot

The small area on the clubface (roughly the center) that produces the most efficient, powerful contact.

Swing Path

The direction the clubhead is actually moving at the moment of impact, in-to-out, out-to-in, or straight down the target line.

Swing Plane

The tilted, roughly circular path the club ideally travels on throughout the swing.

Takeaway

The first foot or two of the backswing, as the club first moves away from the ball.

Tee

The small peg (usually wood or plastic) pushed into the ground to elevate the ball for a tee shot.

Tempo

The overall rhythm and speed ratio between the backswing and downswing.

The Slot

The ideal downswing channel for the club to drop into on the way down, on plane and coming from slightly inside the target line.

The Turn

The transition point between the front nine and back nine holes of an 18-hole round.

Thin Shot (Skulled)

Contact happens too high on the ball, sending it low and hot with no height.

Toe Strike

Contact made toward the far end of the clubface (away from the shaft) instead of the center.

Top of the Backswing

The highest, furthest point of the backswing, right before the downswing begins.

Transition

The change of direction from backswing to downswing.

Up and Down

Getting the ball into the hole in just two shots from off the green, one chip (or pitch) plus one putt.

Waggle

A small, rhythmic movement of the clubhead (and often the wrists or hips) during the pre-shot routine, just before starting the backswing.

Wolf

A rotating group game where one player, the "Wolf," picks a partner after watching each tee shot, or plays alone against the rest of the group for a bigger points reward.

Worm Burner

A shot hit so low that it skims or rolls along the ground for most of its distance.

Yips

A sudden loss of fine motor control on short shots, usually putting, causing an involuntary jerk or flinch through the stroke.