Golf Dictionary, Terms and Definitions.
This golf dictionary will help you better understand the amazing game of golf. You can search your desired term to get its definition. Enjoy!
Term | Definition |
---|---|
address, setup | Steps that the golfer must take to be well positioned in relation to the ball before swinging the club. See the Fundamentals on Youtube |
approach shot | Short game shot to send the ball on the green. See How to Approach a Green on Youtube |
apron (fringe, collar) | Contour of the green slightly mowed higher than the green. |
backspin | Effect that moves the ball back when it lands. |
backswing | The backswing is the first move in the golf swing and is the opposite of the descent and forward swing (or ascent). |
ball marker | Flat object used to indicate the location of your ball on the green. |
ball retriever | Tool to recover your ball in a water hazard. See also "shag bag". |
ball spin | Rotation of the ball producing a backward, lateral or forward effect. |
ball trajectory | Trajectory of the ball in the air of variable height with or without curve. |
bent grass | Grass used for fairways and greens. |
birdie | Hole played a shot under par. |
bogey | Hole played a shot over par. |
bounce | Bulge under the sole of the wedges which forms an angle between the leading edge and the sole. |
bunker, sand trap | Sand hazard below ground around greens and on fairways. See How to get out of a bunker on Youtube |
bunker rake | Used to level the sand in a bunker. Always rake a bunker after visiting it. |
caddie | Person who carries the golfer's bag and clubs and who offers advice. |
cart | Small electric or gasoline car usually for two golfers and their equipment. See the article on the benefits of walking while golfing. |
chip shot | Small low shot usually performed with an iron so that the ball drops on the green and rolls to the hole. |
club | Consists of the head, shaft and grip used to hit the ball, for example: putter, irons, hybrids, fairway metals and driver. See the article on purchasing a golf set |
club head | Part of the club that makes contact with the ball. |
clubhouse | Building located on a golf course and offering various services to golfers. |
consistency | Skill allowing the golfer to produce predictable impacts and trajectories, one after the other. See the article on keeping your eye on the ball for consistency |
cup | Plastic receptacle inserted into a hole to preserve its shape. |
cut | In a golf tournament, ranking determining which competitors will be part of the final rounds. |
divot | Chunk of grass torn off by the clubhead at impact. |
dogleg hole | Hole whose fairway includes a turn. |
double bogey | Hole played two shots over par. |
double eagle | Hole played three shots under par. |
downhill shot | Shot played on a slope that goes down to the target. |
downswing | Part of the forward swing following the backswing but preceding the follow-through and finish. |
down-the-line view | View facing the target and the trailing side of the golfer, behind the flight of the ball. |
draw | Ball trajectory curving slightly to the left for a right-handed player, but to the right for a left-handed player. |
driver | The longest and most powerful wood of any golf set (numbered 1). Watch the tee shot on Youtube |
driving range | Piece of land to practice golf techniques, distance control and trajectories. |
drop | Putting the ball back into play by dropping it on the ground from knee height. |
drop zone | Drop area to put the ball back into play, often after a penalty. |
eagle | Hole played two shots under par. |
explosion shot | Shot played in a bunker with the clubhead passing under the ball without touching it. See How to get out of a bunker on Youtube |
face on view | View facing the golfer, perpendicular to the ball flight. |
fade | Ball trajectory curving slightly to the right for a right handed golfer, but to the left for a left handed golfer. |
fairway | Mowed part of a hole excluding the tee off, green, rough (tall grass) and hazards. |
fairway shot | Shot made from the fairway of a golf hole. |
finish position | End of a golf swing when the golfer standstills, after the backswing, downswing and follow-through. See the importance of a still finish for balance and consistency in golf. |
flagstick | Stick of the flag removed from the hole before putting the ball into the hole. |
follow-through | Ascending swing of the club after hitting the ball. |
Fore! | Scream used when an erratic ball threatens to hit someone. |
foursome | Group of four players. |
frontal water hazard | Body of water behind which the golfer can take relief of the desired length with a penalty stroke. |
full swing | Full power swing or almost in the long game. |
gap wedge | 11-iron. Intermediate club between the sand wedge and the pitching wedge. |
golf bag | Bag containing clubs and accessories: balls, tees, gloves, towel, etc. |
golf course | Set of holes of a golf club, often 9 or 18 holes, sometimes 12. See the article Choosing your golf course |
golf glove | Glove to improve the grip on the club. |
golf hole | Consists of the tee off, the fairway, the hazards, the rough and the green. |
golf shoe | Shoe adapted for playing golf. |
golf stroke | Each of the shots totaling the score. |
grass bunker | Long grass depression in the fairway and on the outskirts of a green. |
green | Very short grass area where the hole is located. |
green fee | Cost of a round of golf required of non-club members. |
green repair tool | Small two-prong tool for repairing holes formed by landing balls on greens. Repairing ball marks on the green is part of golf etiquette. See How to Fix a Golf Ball Mark on Youtube |
grip | 1 - Upper part of the shaft covered with a material to make it easier to grip the club. See my post on How to grip the golf club. 2 - Positioning of the hands on the club. See How to Grip the Golf Club on Youtube |
ground the club, to | Putting the head of the club on the ground. Allowed except in a hazard. |
half swing | In a half-swing, the lower arm on each side of the swing is horizontal. |
handicap, stroke index | Average additional shots of an amateur compared to par for 18 holes. |
head cover | Accessory to protect club heads against breakage caused by transport or being knocked against each other in a cart. |
hook | Ball trajectory curving sharply to the left for a right-handed golfer, but to the right for a left-handed golfer. |
impact | When the head of the club hits the ball. |
iron | Club with metal head and whose shaft is shorter than that of a wood of the same number. |
lateral water hazard | Lateral body of water at the side of which a golfer can take relief of the length of club with a penalty stroke. |
leading edge | The front edge of the bottom of the clubface. |
lie | Characteristics of the surface on which the ball lies, including its hardness and moisture content. They can be good or bad. |
lob wedge | 13-iron. Club usually with a 60 degree loft between the "extra-lob-wedge (64) and the sand wedge (56). |
loft | Angle of the face of the clubs, which has a direct bearing on the launch angle of the ball. |
long game | Golf shots where the full swing is used. |
marshall | Person responsible for enforcing the etiquette, and more particularly the time of play. |
match play | The best score of two players or competing twosomes on a hole wins the hole. The player or twosome who wins the most holes wins the round. |
out of bounds | Ground delimited by white stakes which it is forbidden to recover his ball from. Loss of distance and a penalty stroke ensue. |
par | Theoretical score of 3 to 5 normally played by a scratch player (zero handicap golfer) on a given hole. |
penalty stroke | Number of strokes determined by the golf rules that the player must add to his score in case of foul. |
pitch | Unlike the chip, high shot to land the ball on the green with little roll, sometimes to fly over a hazard. See Chipping or Pitching? on Youtube |
pitch-and-run shot | Kind of chip or pitch using the ground to slow the ball down before it lands on the green. |
pitching wedge | 10-iron. Intermediate iron between the 9-iron and the gap wedge. |
pitchmark repair tool | Fork-shaped tool for repairing ball marks on the greens. See How to Fix a Golf Ball Mark on Youtube |
playing time | The duration of a round of golf. See the article 'Don't Push!' on ways to speed up your round of golf (Ready Golf). |
posture | Position of the body to take before swinging for optimal result. See Golf Posture on Youtube |
practice mat | Individual training mat. |
practice green | Green to practice putting. Nearby the first tee off or on a driving range. |
pro shop | Shop run by the professional golfer assigned to a golf course. The pro shop sells, rents and repairs golf accessories and collects green fees. |
provisionnal ball | Extra ball played before looking for a seemingly lost ball. |
pull cart | Trolley to carry your golf bag on a golf course. |
putt | Shot made using the putter to roll the ball into the hole from the green or nearby. |
rating | Average number of shots played by professionals on a given course. |
rough | Parts of a course where the mowing of the grass is longer and, therefore, complicates the task of the golfer. |
sand trap, bunker | Sand hazard below ground around greens and on fairways. |
sand wedge | 12-iron. Club used in greenside bunkers, but also around the greens. |
scorecard | Small card with the details of a golf course, the par for each hole, and a space to record the number of strokes played on every hole. |
scratch golfer | Golfer whose handicap is zero. |
set of clubs | The golfer is entitled to 14 clubs at the most. |
shag bag | Tools with tube and pocket to pick up around 100 balls. |
shaft | Flexible cylindrical rod attached to the clubhead and ending with the grip. |
shank | Erratic shot hit on the hosel of the club (where the shaft meets the clubhead). |
short game | Golf shots where the full swing is not used: putt, chip, pitch, etc. |
shotgun start | In tournaments, starting formula where all teams start at the same time, but on the hole that is assigned to each one. |
slice | Ball trajectory curving sharply to the right for a right-handed golfer, but to the left for a left-handed golfer. See the article How to Correct a Golf Slice |
Slope rating | Average shots (55 to 155) played by amateurs with a handicap of 90 to 92 on a given course. |
stance | Width between the golfer's feet at address. Watch the video on Stability in YouTube |
starter | Person responsible for enforcing the departure time of the teams. |
stroke play | Formula where the winner is the player completing the course with the lowest score. |
swing | Movement that consists of having the club describe a circular arc when performing a golf shot. |
takeaway | Very beginning of a golf swing. |
tee | Plastic or wooden peg used to elevate the ball on a tee off. |
tee marker | Indicator on the tee-off to determine where to hit the ball from. Two club lengths behind the tee marker are allowed. |
tee off, tee off area | Starting area of each hole. |
tee shot | First shot on each hole. |
threesome | Group of three players. |
top spin | Effect that moves the ball forward when it lands. |
Twosome | Group of two players |
uphill shot | Shot played on a slope that goes up to the target. |
waste bunker | Bunker left in its natural state, with tall grass or sand. |
water hazard | Any body of water. |
wedge grooves | Indentations made into the clubface. |
woods | Club with a metal head (formerly made of wood) and whose shaft is longer than that of an iron of the same number. |
X-wedge, extra lob wedge | 14-iron, usually 64 degrees. Used for short flop shots. |
Sources of Presto Golf Dictionary: Glossary of Golf in Wikipedia, PGA Dictionary.