Are You Up To Date And Familiar With Your Golf Terms And Phrases?

What are golf terms? Golf is one of those sports that really has a language of its own. To the casual uninformed onlooker it can be very confusing when it comes to terms and phrases such as albatross, birdie, bogey, and mulligan. For someone new to the game of golf this can be sometimes a little overwhelming and maybe even intimidating.

TERMS AND PHRASES USED FOR SCORING

PAR:

Par is the number of strokes a golfer is expected to need to complete the play of one hole on a golf course. Every hole on a golf course is rated as either a par-3, a par-4, or a par-5. Par-6 holes do exist, but they are fairly rare.

BIRDIE:

A birdie is a score of one under par on a hole.

EAGLE:

Eagle is a score of two under par.

DOUBLE EAGLE OR ALBATROSS:

A double eagle or albatross is a score of three under par. You need to be very good to achieve this!

BOGEY:

A bogey is a score of one over par.

DOUBLE BOGEY:

A double bogey is a score of two over par.

TRIPLE BOGEY:

A triple bogey is a score of three over par.

ACE:

An ace is a hole-in-one. Hitting the ball into the hole in one stroke. You need to be a genius!

HANDICAP:

The handicap is a system used to rate the average number of strokes above par a player scores in one round of golf.

TERMS USED FOR GAMEPLAY AND SHOT MAKING

FORE!:

Fore is a verbal warning shouted when the ball is heading toward a person.

PUTT:

A putt is a shot taken by any putter when you are on the green.

DRIVE:

A drive describes a golfer’s first stroke from the tee box on each hole played.

APPROACH:

An approach is a shot taken by a player from the fairway to the green.

BANK SHOT:

A bank shot is a shot where a steep slope is used to manipulate the speed and, or the direction of the ball.

AWAY:

This signifies the ball that lies farthest from the cup when two or more golfers are playing. The player farthest away typically always hits first.

BEST BALL:

Best ball is a format of play usually used in tournaments in which the team score each hole is the “best score” of at least one of the players in a foursome.

THE TURN:

The turn is the halfway point in a round of golf.

EXPLOSION SHOT:

An explosion shot is a common technique used by a golfer to hit the ball out of a sand trap.

DUFF:

A duff signifies a bad shot.

MULLIGAN:

In casual play only, a “do-over” shot is made to replace a poorly hit shot, taken without counting the stroke toward the score.

HACKER:

A hacker is a slang term describing a person who is not very good at golf.

TERMS TO DESCRIBE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COURSE

FAIRWAY:

A fairway is a long stretch of the course which describes the neatly maintained grass which runs between the green and the tee box.

ROUGH:

The rough is the taller grass that borders the fairway. If your shot is off course you land in the ‘rough’.

GREEN:

The green is the smooth grassy area at the end of a fairway especially prepared for putting and positioning the hole.

HAZARD:

A hazard describes anywhere on a golf course that is designed to be hazardous to one’s score, such as a sand bunker or water.

BUNKER:

A bunker is an indented area containing sand or the like, considered a hazard.

BEACH:

The beach is a slang term for a sand bunker.

CASUAL WATER:

Casual water is a build up of water that is not normally part of the course, maybe due to heavy rain. The players are allowed to move the ball without penalty.