Golf Terms

There are low handicappers and high handicappers in the game and one of those you really don’t want to be. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to lower your handicap on the course because a low handicap is synonymous with expertise. What is a high handicap in golf? A high handicap in…

Often, the excitement in specific tour seasons revolves around returning champions, legends, and promising players. They are usually stated to be playing on a “golf sponsor exemption,” which might be confusing to viewers not familiar with the term. What is a sponsor exemption in golf? A golf sponsor exemption is a special invitation from a…

Slice, hook, and bogey are just some of the terms used to define aspects of a poor game in golf. While “golf shank” might seem like a tool that belongs next to “putter” and “wedge,” it is actually a shot that belongs in the same category as slice and hook. What is a golf shank?…

Weekend golfers don’t need to carry as many golf clubs as serious amateurs who play more often. Where a pro might have 14 different clubs to cover every inch of the course, including wedges, putters, drivers, and multiple woods and irons for the fairway, a casual golfer might just have 4 to 7 clubs. What…

Because “starting from scratch” usually refers to beginning something with zero experience or resources, it is easy to erroneously assume that a scratch golfer is someone fresh to the sport. In reality, a scratch golfer is quite the opposite of someone starting golf from scratch. What is a scratch golfer? A scratch golfer is a…

Wedge flex is often confused to mean for wedges what driver’s flex means for a driver. A driver’s flex means the flex rating of its shaft. But wedge flex doesn’t mean the flex rating of a wedge’s shaft. Almost all wedges have similarly stiff shafts, so why does the term even exist? What is wedge…

A double-cross in a movie is usually a plot twist where a character betrays another in the context of a heist or a group mission. While golf’s double cross doesn’t involve a betrayal or a heist, it is definitely a plot twist. What is a golf double cross? A double cross in golf is when…

You might be happy to receive an invitation to a gala dinner ball or a birthday dinner ball. But there is no such enthusiasm when the breakfast ball is called on the golf course. So, what is a breakfast ball in golf? A breakfast ball is the first Mulligan ( penalty-free re-do) of the first…

Golf dictionaries contain thousands of terms, but you don’t need to know all to enjoy a round or two. Even the essential terms are easy to pick up while playing. You only need a comprehensive resource around a term when it has ambiguity. And there are few terms as ambiguous as a cut in golf….

Golfing terms related to score-to-par ratio often use bird names. While eagles are impressive in golf, they aren’t as rare as condors, which happen to be the rarest recorded shots in golf. A condor in golf is an unofficial term for completing a hole with a score of four under par. This is possible on…

Whether you look up scores in golf or take a stroll at your local golf course, you’ll encounter the word “par” everywhere. In general, being on par with someone means being equal to them. But what is par in golf terms equal to? Par in golf refers to the number of strikes it takes an…

“You made a bogey there,” you might hear your golf buddies say. Of course, you laugh along and continue playing. But in the back of your mind, you have a question you don’t want to ask them. What in the world is a bogey in golf terminology? A bogey in golf is a term for…

To the outsiders, golf is seen as an “easy” sport because it doesn’t entail running or wrestling. But to insiders, it is a game that requires precision, walking, upper body strength, and adherence to rules. A lot of rules! So, what is the golf 90-degree rule, anyway? The 90-degree rule refers to a conditional allowance…

One of the cool things about golf is that you can adjust your grip to influence your ball flight. There are multiple types of grips, but today let’s look at the difference between strong and weak golf grips and how they can impact your game. The main difference between strong and weak golf grips are…

A game as full of tradition and history as golf has some terms and play styles that might confuse newcomers…and 4 ball is one of those golf slang terms. If you’ve been invited to play with friends and you hear that it will be a 4-ball golf game, you may wonder what it is. So,…

Consistently hitting perfectly straight shots is neither possible nor necessarily the right course of action for a successful game. Some level of curvature in the ball’s trajectory can help golfers of all handicap levels achieve consistently low scores. That’s where draws and fades come in (and the Honest Golfers guide to golf draw vs fade…

While some rules in golf may work against players, one direction can work for a player, and this is the rule concerning the provisional ball. Using this rule properly in a round can save you strokes, but what is a provisional ball in golf? A provisional ball is played when the ball in play may…

While hitting a straight, clean shot is every golfer’s goal, our movements don’t always go according to plan. Though in some cases, the curvature might be soft enough for you to still get a great shot, in others, you’re not as lucky…watching the ball violently curve either to the left or the right. If you’ve…

If you’re new to golf, you may be overwhelmed by a litany of new terms. After all, who would have thought a sport that’s so quiet and relaxing would have so much terminology? Two confusing golf terms are chipping and pitching. Golf chipping and pitching both involve hitting the ball from a relatively short distance….

Every golfer knows that it takes a good level of consistency to be excellent on the course. You’ll be caught between grooving the right swing and consistently trying to hit the ball in the middle of the face with your iron. These are tough jobs already, and the last thing you’ll want is to attempt…

As someone who’s just developed an interest in golfing, you’ll probably hear so many words you’re used to being used in different contexts, and that can be pretty confusing. One of such words is golf handicap, which is the numerical measure of a golfer’s potential. While handicap is a popular golfing term, not many people…

Whether you’re a pro golfer or just a fan who goes to the course once in a while, you’ll want to know different golf terms and what they mean. One of the golf terms that are quite confusing to many golfers is hole-in-one. You’ve probably heard people talk about a hole-in-one in golf or seen…

If you’ve been golfing for a while, you have heard pro golfers talk about golf divots. It’s one of the concepts that golfers often pursue. Perhaps, its popularity is birthed from the fact that it can help golfers know the state of their swings. If you’re hearing it for the first time, we’ll discuss how…

The glossary of terms in golf is pretty expansive, with some terms being essential to the game and others being fairly uncommon. The golf mulligan lies somewhere in between, as they’re not used in official games but can be used in casual rounds. What is a golf mulligan? A mulligan is a term used to…

If you listen to pro golfers talk, you’ll often hear them talking about how desirable draw shots are. The consistency and ease of control that this shot offers make it one of the most popular among golfers looking to control their slice. However, you’ll need some practice to learn how to hit a draw in…

Let’s face it, many amateurs and even pro golfers struggle with the slice at different points in their careers. However, we all know that a few tweaks can help you turn what has become a golfer’s nightmare into a strong, power fade. Apart from its popularity among many top golfers, there are many other incentives…

Every golf enthusiast knows several explanations for why today’s top golfers are hitting the ball further than before. For some, it’s the modern technologies that have been introduced to the game. Others believe that it’s the superior levels of fitness that today’s golfers are trained to have. Whatever your school of thought, you know that…

When starting with golf, you’ll notice several strange, idiosyncratic terms and rules. Some of these terms can leave you even more confused than you are. One of such oddities that you’ll see in golf is referencing birds in names of styles and scores. That’s why you’ll hear terms like eagle, birdie, and even albatross. Well,…

As someone who’s just begun to pick interest in golf, you’ll often hear the terms “handicap” and “handicap index.” Many golf followers fall into the trap of using both words interchangeably, but they are technically different, especially when you look at how they are awarded. If you are keen on knowing the difference between the…

As someone who’s just started taking their golfing rounds seriously, you’ll often hear people talk about golf handicap and their relevance. A golf handicap is so crucial in golfing competitions that it determines how and where you play competitive golf.  So what is a golf handicap? A golf handicap is a numerical value representing a…

We are all pretty familiar with professional sporting events. In normal circumstances, a professional sporting event features professional sports players. What if I told you this isn’t always the case? In golf, there is actually something called a “Pro-Am”. So, what is a Pro-Am in golf? A golf Pro-Am is when both professional golfers and…

Whether you’re new to the game of golf or have been golfing for decades, you might ask yourself this prying question: why do we always say ‘fore’? What’s the meaning behind it? Well, believe it or not, the term ‘fore’ in golf has a pretty rich history that dates back to the Middle Ages… Why…

Whether you are an amateur golfer or you’ve been playing golf for some time, a slice is one of the most frustrating mistakes that keep coming up. Unfortunately, most amateur golfers do not know that this mistake can be fixed. No wonder you’ll often hear people ask what a slice is in golf. So, what…

Whether you are a golf enthusiast or you’ve just started developing an interest in the game, there are certain related words and phrases that you’ll often hear during the game. One of such phrases that always come up is a shotgun start in golf. Unfortunately, many people do not know what the phrase stands for…

What is a golf scramble? The popularity of golf means that we see people come up with different formats of golf every day. But one golf format that has gained fame across different regions is the golf scramble format. If you do not know what a golf scramble is, here’s a detailed explanation to help….

“The tournament will be a 4-man shamble, shotgun start at 1:00 PM.” What is a golf shamble? Is it a misspelling of a golf “scramble”?! For those regular golfers who frequently play various tournaments, that may be a very clear cut description. If you only find yourself playing a few rounds of golf annually, along…

Let me guess…you’re here, trying to settle a bet on what is a golf course slope rating. Amirite? You think a golf slope rating measures how fast a green is. …and the person you’re betting thinks a slope rating is anything else. So, what is a golf course slope rating? A golf course slope rating…

Many golfers are unaware of an important golf metric known as course rating.  Course ratings have been around for over 100 years and appear on every golf scorecard. But what is a golf course rating? In simple terms, a course rating can tell you if your home course is actually as brutal as you think. It could…

What is a golf hook and how do you fix it? There are many terms for different shots in golf–slice, hook, cut, fade, draw, top, fan, blade, fat, thin–the list goes on. Among the most common “misses” in golf are the “hook” and the “slice.” Both of these terms are general descriptions of shots that…

What is a Nassau in golf? As you get up to the first tee with your weekend golf group, one of your buddies says, “Want to make this interesting?”. The conversation then continues with various grumblings, complex mathematical calculations, haggling on over inflated handicaps, and the overall fairness of the proposed terms. Then, someone cuts…

When it comes to golfing lingo, terms aren’t always as easy as they may sound. You really have to take the literal approach out of the equation for most terms. The same is true for the knockdown shot. It’s not a volleyball spike, and it certainly has nothing to do with kickboxing takedowns. So what…

There are some funny words used to describe golf terms. You might have wondered where some words came from or what they mean. Golfers have their own language! One golf term that you might have heard a golf pro on TV use is the word birdie. What does it mean? Where did this golf term…

When you think of a round of golf, you probably think about the typical 18-hole golf course right? Did you know there are different types of golf courses with different numbers of holes? So, what is a Par 3 golf course? A par 3 course is a golf course that consists of only par 3…

When you start learning more about golf, one of the most exciting things is discovering the different terms used in the sport. Knowing them can make you feel like a true insider. But if you erroneously use them in the wrong place, you might come off as a pretender. One of the most common mistakes…

What is a fairway in golf? Imagine a simple black and white set of lines that comes into play in a recreational golf game. These lines mark where a player can stand on a course of any length, from a short 9-hole course, to a long 18-hole championship course… So, what is a fairway in…

There are a plethora of terms used in golf. If you’re new to golf and hear a term such as “eagle,” you might be scratching your head. What is an eagle in golf, and is it something you should strive for? What is an eagle in golf? An eagle in golf is a score that…

If you are a casual golf fan or even just a casual sports observer you’ve probably heard of the term “golf major”. What is a golf major, anyway? I mean…you can tell from the title that a golf major is something important in the sport, and an event that fans ranging from the professional golfer…

If you’ve ever been golfing (or even just seen golf on TV) you’ve no doubt heard someone shout “Oh no! He’s in the bunker!” Even casual golfers know that being in the bunker is never a good thing, but still wonder “know what is a golf bunker?”. What are golf sand traps that give even…

What is a golf pro? Golf courses in the United States are filled with people who think they are a pro. Many think they can teach you how to play golf and are willing to share their knowledge. Unfortunately, many of these people are nothing more than golf hacks. We created this article to help…

What is a golf caddy, anyway? We see them walking along behind a golfer, carrying a bag full of golf clubs, but who are caddies and what exactly do they do besides trail behind with a golf bag? So, what is a golf caddy? A golf caddy is an assistant who carries the golf bag…