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guidesGolf glossary: 90 terms explained in plain English
Birdie, slope, up and down, fade, mulligan, divot, tee time. The whole golf vocabulary organised by topic, with what each term actually means and when it is used.
Golf glossary
Golf has a vocabulary of its own, half English and half nineteenth-century Scots, which makes your first conversations on a course quietly bewildering.
Here it all is, organised by topic rather than alphabetically, so you can read it straight through and take away the whole picture.
Scores on a hole
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Par | The reference score for the hole. There are par 3s, 4s and 5s |
| Birdie | One under par |
| Eagle | Two under par |
| Albatross | Three under par. Very rare |
| Hole in one | Holing your tee shot |
| Bogey | One over par |
| Double bogey | Two over |
| Triple bogey | Three over |
| Gross | Your actual strokes |
| Net | Your strokes minus your handicap |
"Net birdie" or "net par" applies the result to your handicap-adjusted par, not the hole's par. It is the basis of Stableford: how to read a golf scorecard.
Areas of the course
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tee | Where you start each hole |
| Fairway | The short grass between tee and green |
| Rough | The longer grass either side of the fairway |
| Green | The very short surface where the hole is |
| Fringe / apron | The ring of slightly longer grass around the green |
| Bunker | A hollow filled with sand |
| Penalty area | Water or other areas marked with red or yellow stakes |
| Out of bounds (OB) | Off the course, marked with white stakes |
| Dogleg | A hole that turns left or right |
| Putting green | The practice green |
| Driving range | The practice facility for full shots |
The clubs
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Driver | The longest club. For tee shots |
| Wood | Large-headed clubs for long shots. 3-wood, 5-wood... |
| Hybrid | A wood-iron cross. Replaces long irons |
| Iron | 3 through 9. The bulk of the bag |
| Wedge | High-loft irons: pitching, gap, sand, lob |
| Putter | The green club |
| Loft | The angle of the clubface |
| Lie angle | The angle between the shaft and the ground |
| Flex | How much the shaft bends. L, A, R, S, X |
| Bounce | The curve on a wedge sole that stops it digging in |
| Grip | The handle |
| Grooves | The lines on the face. They generate spin |
The practical detail is in which golf clubs you actually need to start.
The shots
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Drive | The tee shot with a driver |
| Approach | The shot into the green |
| Chip | A short shot that flies little and rolls a lot |
| Pitch | A short shot that flies high and rolls little |
| Putt | A stroke on the green |
| Lag putt | A long putt aimed at leaving it close, not holing it |
| Punch / knock-down | A low-flying shot, useful in wind |
| Flop | A very high, short shot over an obstacle |
| Up and down | Saving par in two shots from off the green |
| Green in regulation (GIR) | Reaching the green in par minus two |
Ball flights and misses
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Draw | A gentle, controlled curve to the left (right-handers) |
| Fade | A gentle, controlled curve to the right |
| Hook | A sharp, uncontrolled curve to the left |
| Slice | A sharp, uncontrolled curve to the right |
| Pull | A ball that starts straight but left |
| Push | A ball that starts straight but right |
| Thin / topped | Striking the top of the ball. It scuttles along |
| Fat | Hitting the ground before the ball |
| Divot | The piece of turf the club takes |
| Shank | A strike off the hosel. The ball shoots right at almost a right angle |
The most searched of all has its own article: how to fix a slice in golf.
Handicap and competition
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Handicap index | Your official, single number |
| Playing handicap | The strokes you receive at a specific course and tee |
| Slope | How much harder a course is for an amateur than a scratch player. 113 is average |
| Course rating | The score a scratch player would shoot there |
| Stroke index | The 1-18 order in which handicap strokes are allocated |
| Scratch | A zero-handicap player |
| Stableford | A points format. 36 is playing to your handicap |
| Stroke play | Competition by total strokes |
| Match play | Competition by holes won |
| Scramble | Team format: you play the best ball |
| Fourball | Pairs, each their own ball, the better score counts |
| Foursomes | Pairs, one ball, alternate shots |
| Greensomes | Both tee off, best drive chosen, then alternate |
| Score outside competition | A casual round that still counts for handicap |
The formats are developed in golf formats explained.
Rules
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Drop | Releasing the ball from knee height to put it in play |
| Relief area | The area you may drop into |
| Free relief | Dropping with no penalty (path, sprinkler, temporary water) |
| Stroke and distance | A 1-stroke penalty plus returning to the previous spot |
| Provisional | A second ball played in case the first is lost |
| Unplayable | A voluntary declaration. 1 stroke and three options |
| Loose impediment | A stone, leaf or fallen branch that may be removed |
| Marker | The player who records your card |
| Nearest point of relief | The closest point free of interference |
The full procedure is in how to take a drop in golf.
Etiquette and pace
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Fore | The shout warning that a ball is heading towards someone |
| Honour | Who tees off first |
| Ready golf | Whoever is ready plays, not whoever is furthest away |
| Letting through | Allowing the group behind to pass |
| Pitchmark | The dent a ball leaves landing on a green |
| Pitchmark repairer | The tool that fixes it |
| Raking | Smoothing the bunker sand on your way out |
| Marking your ball | Noting its position on the green before lifting it |
Everyday words on the course
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Tee time | Your booked starting slot |
| Green fee | The price of a round as a non-member |
| Reciprocity | Preferential conditions agreed with a course |
| Buggy | A two-seat electric cart |
| Trolley | A cart to carry the bag, manual or electric |
| Caddie | Someone who carries your bag and advises |
| Round | A 9 or 18-hole circuit |
| Mulligan | Replaying a shot without counting it. Not in the rules: a social custom |
| Gimme | A short putt conceded by your partners. Also not a thing in stroke play |
| Nineteenth hole | The clubhouse bar |
Five terms almost everyone uses wrongly
(01) A hole's "handicap". The 1-18 column on the card does not indicate absolute difficulty: it indicates the order of stroke allocation.
(02) Chip and pitch. Not synonyms. A chip flies little and runs; a pitch flies high and stops.
(03) Slice and fade. A fade is controlled and intended; a slice is not. The difference is degree.
(04) "Ladies' tees". Tees are distances, not categories. Women, seniors and any beginner use them.
(05) Mulligan. Not a rule, a courtesy among friends. In any competition it does not exist.
Frequently asked questions
What is a birdie in golf? Finishing a hole one stroke under par.
What does "fore" mean? The universal warning that a ball is heading towards someone. You shout it loudly.
What is a green fee? What you pay to play a round at a course where you are not a member.
What is the difference between gross and net? Gross is your actual strokes; net is gross minus your handicap.
What is a course's slope? How much harder that course plays for an amateur than for a scratch player. The standard average is 113.
What is a mulligan? Replaying a shot without counting it. It is not in the rules: it is a custom among friends.
What is an "up and down"? Saving par in two shots from off the green: one to get close and one putt.
With this vocabulary you can follow any conversation on a golf course without getting lost. The rest you learn by playing.
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