Golf Vocabulary
- Ace: a –hole-in one.
- Air Shot: Missing the ball during a swing.
- Albatross: Three strokes under par for a given hole
- Bag: Golf bag
- Backspin: Reverse spin applied to the ball after landing.
- Balata: Balls (made from a natural material similar to caoutchouc) that a preferred by pros
- Birdie: One under par for the hole
- Bogey: One over par for the hole.
- Bunker: A hazard filled by sand on the fairways and the green
- Dimple: The indentations on the surface of a golf ball.
- Divot: A piece of turf lifted when ball is struck.
- Dogleg: A hole where the fairway hooks to the left or right.
- Draw: To induce topspin onto the ball causing in to move from outside to in on your swing.
- Drive: A shot from the tee area.
- Driver: A 1-Wood Club normally used for the Tee shot.
- Driving-Range: An area set aside for practice (often combined with pitching, chipping and putting green).
- Eagle: To score two under par for a hole.
- Iron:A metal headed club with different angles (loft) for different distances.
- Fade: To induce backspin onto the ball causing it to travel through the air following inside to out swing.
- Fairway: he playing area between the tee and the green, does not include hazards. Fat: A big piece of turf lifted before the ball is hit.
- Flight: A ball is in flight when travelling through the air. In German the term is also used for a group of maximal four players.
- Fore: To cry "Fore" is to warn other players or spectators that your ball may hit them.
- Foursomes: A group of four golfers playing only two balls. A pair of the players form a team and player alternate shots.
- Greenfee: The charge levied to play the course.
- Greenkeeper: The person responsible for grooming the course.
- Green: The area of short grass surrounding the hole where the ball is hit using a putter.
- Hacker: A poor golf player.
- Handicap: The number of strokes a player is given to adjust his score to that of standard scratch. The difference (additional strokes needed) between par of the course and the number of strokes the player needs for being allowed to play the course.
- Hazard:Permanent features on the golf course designed to obstruct play: bunker, pond, lake, river or ditch.
- Hook: To induce topspin onto the ball causing in to move from outside to in on your swing.
- Lie: Position of the ball at rest.
- Loft: The angle of the clubface in relation to the ground which dictates the trajectory of the ball as it rises in the air.
- Net Score:A player's score after handicap deductions.
- Nineteenth Hole: The clubhouse bar after playing 18 holes.
- Out of bounds: The area on or adjacent to the course where the ball may not be played from. Normally marked by white posts.
- Par: The number of shots a low handicapper should take for a hole or round.
- Penalty Stroke: A stroke added to a player's score.Pitch: To the ball is hit high into the air onto the green using a lofted club.
- Pitch Fork: Tool for removing pitch marks.
- Pitch Mark:The indentation left by a ball on the green after it has landed.
- Pro: One who receives monetary remuneration for playing golf or a trainer with handicap 0 or better.
- Pro Shop: Shop at golf club where golfing equipment may be purchased.
- Pull: When the ball flies in an inward direction after being stuck.
- Push: When the ball flies in an outward direction after being stuck.
- Putt: Act of hitting golf ball on the green.
- Putter: Club mainly used on green for striking the ball.
- Putting-Green: Exercise green with several holes for practicing putting.
- Rabbit: beginner.
- Reading the Green: The act of determining the preferred path the ball must take in order to go in the hole.
- Rough: The high grass area adjacent to the fairway and green.
- Round: 9 or 18 holes of golf.
- Score: Number of strokes needed.
- Short Game:Chipping, Pitching and Putting.
- Slice: To induce too much backspin onto the ball causing it to travel through the air following inside to out swing.
- Stableford: Scoring system where one receives the scores according to one’s handicap.
- Tee: A small peg stuck into the ground on which a golf ball is placed. Also area where golfers play first stroke of any given hole.
- Tee-Time: Scheduled start time.
- Test Shot: A shot not to hit the ball but to exercising the actual shot.
- Top: To strike the ball above its centre causing it to skip and bounce along the ground rather than rise through the air.
- Wedge: A metal club designed to give loft rather than distance. Used for high shots into the green.
- Wood: Clubs used for long range shots from the tee off area or fairway.
