Whether your new to the game and need know the whole shebang or merely curious, below is an overview of the most widely used golf terms you will hear or come across while on the course or in the clubhouse.
Ace: A hole-in-one.
Address: The position a player assumes when they are ready to strike the ball.
Alignment: The positioning of the body in relation to the intended target line.
Approach shot: A shot played to the green.
Apron: The area of the fairway surrounding the green, but not including the green itself.
Back nine: The last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course.
Backswing: The portion of the swing where the club is pulled back away from the ball.
Baffy: An old-fashioned term for a wood with a loft of around 15 degrees.
Birdie: One stroke under par for a hole.
Bogey: One stroke over par for a hole.
Bunker: A hazard consisting of a pit or trench filled with sand.
Caddie: A person who carries a player’s clubs and offers advice during a round.
Carry: The distance a ball must travel through the air to clear a hazard or reach a target.
Chip: A short shot played from around the green.
Divot: A piece of turf that is dislodged when a club strikes the ground.
Drive: The shot played from the tee box on a par 4 or par 5 hole.
Eagle: Two strokes under par for a hole.
Fairway: The area of the course between the tee and the green that is well-manicured and intended for play.
Fringe: The area around the green that is not quite as well-manicured as the green itself.
Green: The area of the course where the hole is located and the surface is cut very short to allow the ball to roll smoothly.
Greenside: The area of the course around the green.
Handicap: A measure of a golfer’s ability used to level the playing field in competitions.
Hazard: Any obstacle on the course that can affect play, such as a bunker or a water feature.
Hole: The 4 1/4 inch diameter hole that the ball must be played into.
Hole-in-one: A shot that goes into the hole on the first stroke from the tee.
Iron: A type of club with a flat-faced head used for a variety of shots.
Loft: The angle of the clubface relative to the ground.
Par: The number of strokes that a skilled golfer is expected to take to complete a hole or a round.
Pitch: A shot played with a high trajectory, used to get the ball close to the hole.
Putt: A shot played on the green with the intent of getting the ball into the hole.
Round: 18 holes of golf played in succession.
Sand wedge: A type of wedge club with a high degree of loft, used to hit the ball out of bunkers.
Shank: A shot that comes off the hosel of the club instead of the clubface.
Slice: A shot that curves to the right (for a right-handed golfer) due to an outside-in swing path.
Stroke: A single movement of the club to hit the ball.
Tee: The starting point for each hole, where the ball is placed on a small peg or tee.
Tee box: The area where the tee is located.
Tee shot: The first shot of a hole, played from the
Tee: The starting point for a hole, usually a small rubber or plastic peg on which the ball is placed at the beginning of a hole.
Unplayable Lie: A ball that is in a difficult or impossible position to play from such as being inside a bush or under a tree.
Wood: A type of club with a large, rounded head used for long-distance shots.
Yips: A term used to describe a case of nerves that causes a golfer to make a jerky or uneven swing.
Zero: A score of par on a hole.
