Golf isn\u2019t just a tough game to play but it also has a number of weird terms that the average person wouldn\u2019t understand. If you\u2019re playing the game you should probably know the majority of these so that\u2019s why I created this list of golf terms and definitions. It\u2019ll be tough to list every single golf term out there but I\u2019ll do my best and continue adding more in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hole In One <\/strong>\u2013 This is what you call it when you hit your ball in the hole on the very first shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Birdie <\/strong>\u2013 This is what you call it when you finish a hole 1 under par. If you get 2 on a par 3, 3 on a par 4, or 4 on a par 5 then that\u2019s a birdie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eagle <\/strong>\u2013 This is when you get 2 under par on a hole. If you get 2 on a par 4 or 3 on a par 5 then that\u2019s an eagle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double Eagle <\/strong>\u2013 This is when you get 3 under par on a hole. If you get 2 on a par 5 then that\u2019s a double eagle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Par <\/strong>\u2013 If you shoot a 3 on a par 3, 4 on a par 4, or 5 on a par 5 then that\u2019s a par.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bogey <\/strong>\u2013 If you get 1 over par on a hole then that\u2019s a bogey. A 4 on a par 3, 5 on a par 4, or 6 on a par 5 are all bogeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double Bogey <\/strong>\u2013 If you shoot 2 over par on a hole then that\u2019s a double bogey. A 5 on a par 3, 6 on a par 4, or 7 on a par 5 are all bogeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slice <\/strong>\u2013 This is the most common mishit for golfers. A slice is when you hit the ball and the shape is extremely left to right (for right-handed golfers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hook <\/strong>\u2013 This is the opposite of a slice. A hook is when you hit the ball and the shape is extremely right to left (for right-handed golfers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Push <\/strong>\u2013 This is another shot shape in golf where you hit the ball directly right (for right-handed golfers) and almost looks like you\u2019re pushing it away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pull <\/strong>\u2013 This is the opposite of a push and is when you hit the ball directly left (for right-handed golfers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Topping The Ball <\/strong>\u2013 This is when you make contact with the top of the ball (or bottom of your club) which will give you a very low shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hitting The Ball Fat <\/strong>\u2013 This is one of the more common mishits for golfers and happens when you hit the ground before you make contact with the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ace <\/strong>\u2013 This is another name for a hole in one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Address The Ball <\/strong>\u2013 This is when you put your club on the ground directly behind or ahead of the golf ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Albatross <\/strong>\u2013 This is another name for a double eagle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Approach Shot<\/strong> \u2013 This is a shot on a par 4 or 5 when you\u2019re planning on hitting the green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Block<\/strong> \u2013 This is another name for a push. When a right-handed golfer hits the ball directly right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bunker<\/strong> \u2013 The areas on the golf course that has sand are called bunkers. They\u2019re also called sand traps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chip Shot<\/strong> \u2013 A shot in golf where you hit the ball in the air for a second or two, it lands on the ground, and then it rolls ahead to the flag. Normally it\u2019s when you\u2019re close to the green and you don\u2019t have any obstacles. The ball will roll further than it flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chunk<\/strong> \u2013 This is the same as hitting the ball fat (when you hit the ground before the ball).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Divot<\/strong> \u2013 When you hit the ground and remove some of the grass or when your ball lands on the green and leaves a dent. Both of those are divots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dogleg<\/strong> \u2013 This is when the hole you\u2019re on turns left or right. If it\u2019s a dogleg right then the hole will turn right at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double Cross<\/strong> \u2013 This is a mishit in golf and happens when you plan to draw or fade the ball but you do the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Draw<\/strong> \u2013 This is a shot in golf when you hit the ball from right to left (for right-handed golfers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Duck Hook<\/strong> \u2013 This is a mishit in golf where you hit a low hook that doesn\u2019t travel very far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fade<\/strong> \u2013 This is the opposite of a draw. It\u2019s when a right-handed golfer hits the ball from left to right. It can also be called a cut shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fairway<\/strong> \u2013 This is the nicely groomed area between the green and the tee box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fairway In Regulation<\/strong> \u2013 When you hit your tee shot and land in the fairway, you\u2019ve just hit the fairway in regulation. If you hit the ball in the rough (off the fairway) and then hit the ball to the fairway, you didn\u2019t hit the fairway in regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flop Shot<\/strong> \u2013 When you use your wedge and hit a really high shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fore<\/strong> \u2013 This is what you yell if your golf ball is going way left or right and is close to hitting someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gap Wedge<\/strong> \u2013 This is an iron that normally has a loft of 52 degrees. It\u2019s also called an approach wedge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gimmie<\/strong> \u2013 When your ball is super close to the hole you can ask for a gimmie. This means you don\u2019t have to putt the ball because your playing partner is confident you\u2019ll make it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Green<\/strong> \u2013 This is the area around the hole where you use your putter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Green In Regulation<\/strong> \u2013 On a par 3, you\u2019ll get green in regulation if you land the ball on the green with your first shot. You\u2019ll get a GIR on a par 4 if you land on the green in 2 shots. You\u2019ll get one on a par 5 if you land on the green in 3 shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hole High<\/strong> \u2013 When you hit the ball and it ends up the same distance as the hole. It\u2019s not short and it\u2019s not long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hole Out<\/strong> \u2013 When you hit the ball in the hole from off the green. It could be from the fairway, the bunker, or just off the edge of the green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lip Out<\/strong> \u2013 When you putt the ball and it hits the rim of the hole and stays out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lob Wedge<\/strong> \u2013 This is the most lofted club you can get and is normally around 60 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Loft<\/strong> \u2013 Each of your clubs will have a different loft. Less loft will give you more distance while more loft will give you higher shots. If your driver says 10.5 then that means there are 10.5 degrees of loft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long Game<\/strong> \u2013 Your long game is when you hit your driver, woods, hybrids, or 3-5 irons. If you can hit these clubs really well then your long game is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Dubl\u00e9<\/strong> \u2013 When you get a double bogey you can also call it a Michael Dubl\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mulligan<\/strong> \u2013 If you tee off and have a bad shot you can take a mulligan and redo your shot. If you take a mulligan you won\u2019t lose a stroke. It\u2019s not allowed in tournament play but if you\u2019re playing with friends you can set how many mulligans you\u2019ll get each round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over The Top<\/strong> \u2013 A common swing fault for a lot of golfers where they use too much upper body and don\u2019t swing their club on the right path. The result will be a slice for right-handed golfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pin<\/strong> \u2013 This is the name for the flagstick on the green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pitch Shot<\/strong> \u2013 This is similar to a chip shot but the ball will fly further than it rolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rough<\/strong> \u2013 This is the area beside the fairway where the grass is longer. It\u2019s a lot harder to hit out of and the grass can be a few inches tall or it can be a few feet tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sand Wedge<\/strong> \u2013 This is a wedge that\u2019s most commonly used out of the sand and is normally 56 degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shank<\/strong> \u2013 This is when you hit the ball with the innermost part of your clubface. It normally causes the ball to go straight right (for a right-handed golfer).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short Game<\/strong> \u2013 This is the opposite of your long game. Your short game is when you use your putter, wedges, or 8\/9 iron. It\u2019s considered the most important part of your game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Snowman<\/strong> \u2013 Quite simply, when you get an 8 on a hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stroke<\/strong> \u2013 A stroke is simply a shot. If you take 5 shots to finish a hole then you\u2019ve added 5 strokes to your score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tee Shot\/Tee Off<\/strong> \u2013 This is when you hit your first shot on each hole at the red, white, or blue markers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tee Time<\/strong> \u2013 This is the time you start your round of golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tips<\/strong> \u2013 When you tee off, you\u2019ll have 3 or 4 options to pick from. Normally there are red, white, and blue markers (sometimes black). The markers that are the furthest back are called the tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Up And Down<\/strong> \u2013 This is when you miss the green in regulation and chip or pitch the ball and then putt the ball in the hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yips<\/strong> \u2013 When you\u2019re putting the ball and you get nervous and shaky it\u2019s called getting the yips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Like this article? Feel free to give it a share!<\/p>\n\n\n\nAdditional Golf Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n