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Learning to play golf is one of the great challenges in all of sports. Learning the game’s golf terms and lingo may be just as difficult.
Golf terms frequently searched in our golf dictionary:
Golf Terms: Birdie. Bogey. Mulligan. Golf Club Fitting.
Golf Terms: Slice. Hook. Shank.
Golf Terms: Drivers. Wedge. Hybrid.
What’s a newbie to make of all these baffling golf terms? Heck, even veteran golfers are sometimes stumped by the language that pops up on the course.
There’s one set of words and phrases covering the swing (address, backswing, follow-through), another describing results (fade, draw, fat), still another devoted to different types of shots (chip, pitch, bump-and-run). Then there’s the golf course (fairway, green, bunker) and equipment (putter, perimeter weighting, center of gravity).
You’ve got to know golf’s basic rules (out of bounds, penalty stroke, ground under repair) and its byzantine etiquette practices (honors, away, marking your ball). And you can’t walk a yard on a golf course without hearing a few slang terms (19th hole, chicken wing, sandy) or statistical talk (green in regulation, up-and-down).
That, friends, is merely the tip of a massive linguistic iceberg.
When learning any new language, total immersion in the culture is the best way to go. By playing and practicing often, hanging around the clubhouse, talking to other golfers and watching golf on TV, you’ll pick up the lingo lickety-split. If your golf time is limited, however, you’ll find the Golf-Info-Guide.com Golf Terms Glossary a terrific resource for boning up.
Before long, you’ll be slinging golf slang like an old pro.
“Man, I am loving my new progressive offset irons.”
“Maybe I should try a left-hand-low putting grip.”
“Did you see Bob cut the corner on that dogleg?”
On those occasions when you hear a new golf term, dial up this page and scroll down. You’ll probably find it here. We’re constantly expanding our own vocabulary, adding words and phrases to help all golfers – from novices to old hands – better understand this perplexing game.
Please find below a glossary of golf terms. A dictionary with definitions, and golf terminology of the most popular golf jargon terms used by other golfers, golf web sites, and golf videos.
| Golf Terms | Definitions | Term Details |
| Ace | Synonym for hole-in-one | |
| Address | Taking a stance and placing | |
| Aeration | A golf course maintenance practice | |
| Aim | Direction in which the player | |
| Albatross | Same as the golf term double eagle | |
| Alignment | The manner and direction in | |
| Alternate Shot Match | Match play format pitting a | |
| Angle of Approach | Angle at which the clubhead | |
| Approach Shot | On a given hole, this | |
| Approach Wedge | Approach Wedge,also known as Attack Wedge | |
| Apron | Similar to a fringe | |
| Arc | Path traveled by the clubhead | |
| Army Golf | Slang term for the golfer | |
| Away | When playing in a group | |
| Back Weighting Irons | A process called back-weighting | |
| Backspin | A golf ball rotating opposite | |
| Backswing | Initial section of the swing | |
| Bad Lie | When the golf ball sits | |
| Bailout | A shot intentionally aimed away | |
| Balance Point | The point on a golf shaft | |
| Ball Core | The ball’s center | |
| Ball Cover Hardness | Tests measure the amount a golf | |
| Ball Cover | The ball’s outer layer | |
| Ball Dimples | Small, round indentations on a golf ball | |
| Ball Initial Velocity | According to golf’s rules | |
| Ball Layers | Most golf balls are constructed | |
| Ball Mantle | The layer between the ball’s | |
| Ball Mark Tool | A tool that is used | |
| Ball Marker | Is a small, flat object | |
| Ball Overall Distance Standard | Established by the USGA in 1976 | |
| Ball Position | At address, the ball’s placement | |
| Ball Size | A golf ball no less than 1.68 inches | |
| Ball Speed | The velocity at which the golf ball | |
| Ball Weight | Rules state a golf ball may weigh | |
| Banana Ball | An extreme slice | |
| Baseball Grip | A grip style used | |
| Belly Putters | Longer than conventional putters | |
| Bend Point | Point of maximum bending on a shaft | |
| Bentgrass | Grass strain used on courses | |
| Bermuda Grass | Grass strain very common | |
| Best Ball | A type of tournament played | |
| Between Clubs | When a golfer faces a shot | |
| Biarritz Green | A green with a deep swale | |
| Bias | A clubhead that is weighted | |
| Birdie | A score of one stroke less | |
| Bite | A golf shot is said to bite | |
| Blade Irons | The term refers to irons | |
| Blast | A shot from a bunker | |
| Blocked Shot | Right of the target and curves farther right | |
| Blocked Shot | Shot that flies directly right | |
| Bogey Golfer | Golfer who averages a bogey per hole | |
| Bogey Rating | Similar to Course Rating and Slope Rating | |
| Bogey Double | Score of one stroke more than par | |
| Bogey | Averaging one over par | |
| Bomb and Gouge | Golfer drives the ball as far as possible | |
| Bounce | Trailing edge of a club’s sole is lower | |
| Bowed Wrist | When the left wrist is bent | |
| Break of a Putt | Direction a putted ball will roll | |
| Broomstick Putters | Extra-long putter | |
| Bulge and Roll | Faces of woods that aren't flat | |
| Bump-and-Run | A low-trajectory shot | |
| Bunker Lip | May refer to the edge | |
| Bunker | A hazard filled with sand | |
| Caddy | Assistant to the golfer | |
| Camber | Curvature on the sole of a golf club | |
| Cape Hole | A hole with a severe dogleg | |
| Carry | Measurement of distance the ball travels | |
| Casting the Club | A quick movement of the hands | |
| Casual Water | Water which collects on the course | |
| Cavity-Back | Hollowed-out space on the back of the clubhead | |
| Center-Line Bunker | A sand bunker that lies in or near the middle | |
| Center-Shafted Putter | Putter shaft in the clubhead's center | |
| Check Up | Golf shot that stops abruptly | |
| Chicken Stick | Any club, except the driver, used to tee off | |
| Chicken Wing | Unwanted motion of the left elbow outward | |
| Chili Dip | Slang for a short shot | |
| Chip In | Chip shot goes into the hole | |
| Chip Shot | A shot, played near the green | |
| Chippers | Cross between a putter and a mid-iron | |
| Chipping | A short shot from very near the green | |
| Choke Up | Move hands down on the club’s handle | |
| Chop | Chop the ball from thick rough | |
| Chunk the Ball | Synonymous with hitting the ball fat | |
| Church Pews Bunker | Large bunker with strips of turf | |
| Claw Putting Grip | Left (lead) hand is placed on top | |
| Clear the Hips | Rotating the hips to the golfer’s left | |
| Closed clubface | When the face of the club points left | |
| Closed Stance | Left foot (right-handers) is closer than the right foot | |
| Club Center of Gravity | Spot on the clubhead where all balance points intersect | |
| Club Crown | Top of a clubhead is the crown | |
| Club Grooves | Lines that are cut into the golf clubface | |
| Club Length | Measured from the butt end of the grip | |
| Club Loft | Also called face angle | |
| Club Swingweight | A club's weight distribution | |
| Clubface | Area used to strike the ball | |
| Clubhead Swing Speed | Rate the clubhead is traveling | |
| Clubhead | Part of a club which contacts the ball | |
| CNC Milled Putters | Computer Numeric Controlled process to create putters | |
| Coefficient of Restitution | Measurement of how much a ball will rebound off a clubface | |
| COR | COR of golf clubheads is limited to 0.83 | |
| Coil | Tension of turning the hips | |
| Collection Area | A swale or hollow | |
| Come Up and Out | Raising of the shoulder just before impact | |
| Comeback Putt | When a putt goes past the hole | |
| Concede or Concession | A golfer may concede a shot or the match at any time | |
| Conforming | Any ball or club that meets USGA standards | |
| Course Management | A skill when a player uses his strengths of his game | |
| Course Rating | A classification of difficulty of a course | |
| Cross Bunkers | Series of bunkers intersecting or crossing | |
| Cross-Handed Grip | A method of holding the putter | |
| Crown (of a club) | The very top portion of a wood | |
| Crowned Green | A green that is highest in the center | |
| Cubic Centimeters | More cc equates to a broader hitting area | |
| Cup | Another word for hole | |
| Cupped Wrist | When the back of the top hand forms an angle | |
| Curved Shaft | A putter whose shaft bends | |
| Cut Shot | A shot that curves gently from left to right | |
| Decelerate | To slow the pace of the swing | |
| Deck | Slang term for fairway | |
| Deep-Face Drivers | Driver with a face that’s taller than standard | |
| Deuce | A score of two on a hole | |
| Die-Casting | Production process where metal is injected into a pre-formed mold | |
| Dimple | A small indentation in the cover of a golf ball | |
| Dipping the Shoulder | The player lowers his right shoulder excessively | |
| Divot | Piece of turf cut out when the golf club, contacts the ground | |
| Dogleg Golf Hole | A left or right bend in the fairway | |
| Dormie | Player is ahead of his opponent by a score exactly to the number of holes that are left | |
| Double Bogey | A score of 2 over par | |
| Double Break | break in one direction then break to the opposite direction | |
| Double Eagle | A score of three strokes less | |
| Double-Cross Swing | When a player intends to play a left-to-right shot | |
| Down Hill Lie | When the ball position is on the down slope | |
| Downswing | Motion from the completion or top of the backswing | |
| Drag | Wind resistance to a golf ball in flight | |
| Drain | Hole a shot, usually a putt | |
| Draw | A shot that curves a small amount to the left | |
| Drivers | Longest shaft, biggest head and least loft | |
| Driving Irons | Similar to a hybrid but with more characteristics | |
| Drop Kicking | Club hits the ground before contact | |
| Drop | The action of dropping the ball back in play | |
| Dub | To hit a shot poorly | |
| Duck Hook | A shot which starts left of target | |
| Duff | Miss hit that the ball only travels a short distance | |
| Eagle | A score of two strokes less than par on a hole | |
| Elevated Green | A green whose surface is higher than the surrounding ground | |
| Etiquette | The behavior of players | |
| Even Par | Golfer's score is the same as the courses | |
| Explosion Shot | Where the player strikes sand before ball | |
| Face Angle | The distance between the clubface and ground | |
| Face Insert | A separate piece of material inserted into the face of a clubhead | |
| Face Progression | Measurement of the angle between the shaft's centerline and leading edge | |
| Face Tape | An opaque strip of tape | |
| Face-Balanced Putter | A putter whose face points upward | |
| Fade | A shot that curves a small amount to the right | |
| Fairway Bunker | An indentation located in the fairway | |
| Fairway Woods | Slightly shorter, with smaller heads and more loft than the driver | |
| Fairway | Area of a par 4 or par 5 hole between the tee and green | |
| Fairways Hit | Any part of the ball is touching the fairway surface | |
| Falling Off the Ball | When you lose balance during the swing | |
| Fat Shot | Club makes contact with the turf before the ball | |
| Feel | Having a good judgment | |
| Ferrules | Part attached to the club just above the hosel | |
| Finish | The end of the golf swing | |
| Flag | A pole with a flag at the top | |
| Flat Lie | Measurement of the angle between the shaft and the bottom | |
| Flat Swing Plane | Describes a horizontal swing plane | |
| Flex Point | Also called the bend point | |
| Flier Lie | A ball position (lie) in the rough | |
| Flop Shot | A short pitch shot played | |
| Flub | To hit a shot poorly | |
| Flush Hit | Contacting it directly on line with the golf club’s center of gravity | |
| Follow-Through | Section of swing beyond the point the ball is struck | |
| Fore | A loud warning shouted when a ball may hit other players | |
| Forgiving Clubs | A club that delivers adequate distance and accuracy | |
| Four-Ball | Where 2 teams of two players compete against each other only recording the best individual | |
| Free Drop | Player is allowed to pick up his ball from a specific area | |
| Frequency Matching Shafts | Shafts within a matched set have identical flexibility | |
| Fringe | Area bordering the green | |
| Gallery | A group of spectators | |
| Game Improvement Irons | Clubs which are designed to help recreational golfers | |
| Gap Wedge | This club has a loft from 50° to 54° | |
| Gear Effect | The bulge (heel-to-toe curvature) on the face | |
| Gimme | Very short putt that is considered unlikely to be missed | |
| Golf Bag | Is a long cylinder shaped bag | |
| Golf Ball Compression | Measurement of how much a golf ball will compress on impact | |
| Golf Club Alignment | Some golf clubs feature a built-in visual aid | |
| Golf Club Fitting | The process of measuring a golfer’s physical dimensions | |
| Gooseneck | An extremely offset hosel | |
| Grain on a Green | The direction of growing grass | |
| Grand Slam | A term used to describe winning the for major PGA championships | |
| Green in Regulation | Any part of the ball is touching the putting surface | |
| Green Speed | The pace at which a putted ball rolls across a green | |
| Green | Extremely close-cropped area where the hole is placed | |
| Grip Core Size | The internal diameter of a grip | |
| Grip | A covering around the end of the shaft | |
| Gross Score | Is the actual score shot before any adjustments | |
| Ground Under Repair | Golf course marked by stakes | |
| Grounding the Club | Placing the clubface behind the ball on the ground at address | |
| Hacker | Slang term for a poor golfer | |
| Handicap | A number assigned to each golfer | |
| Handsy Swing | A golfer with a large amount of wrist | |
| Hardpan Lie | Extremely hard ground conditions | |
| Hazard | A natural or manmade course feature | |
| Heel-Shafted Putters | putter whose shaft enters the head at the heel | |
| Heel-Toe Weighting | Clubhead in which more weight is toward heel and toe | |
| High Finish | The golfer who holds the club at or above head | |
| Hip Turn | Rotation of the hips | |
| Hole High | Ball finishes on a line directly left or right of hole | |
| Hole In One | Score of 1 on any hole | |
| Hole Out | The action of making the ball go into the cup | |
| Hole | A cup located on every green | |
| Honors | The player who records the lowest score | |
| Hood | Reducing the loft of the club | |
| Hook | A shot that curves to the left | |
| Hosel | Where the shaft connects to the clubhead | |
