There is quite a history behind the golfing terms bogey, par, birdie, eagle and albatross. Bogey and par were central to the development of handicapping, pioneered by the LGU. The modern meaning of three of the terms - bogey, birdie and eagle - comes from their use in USA.
Full Answer
What are some common golf terms?
Why are the golf terms essential to know?
- PAR: NUMBER OF STROKES A GOLFER NEED TO COMPLETE AN INDIVIDUAL HOLE. ...
- ALBATROSS: MOST GOLFERS WILL NEVER HAVE THE FORTUNE TO MAKE. ...
- TEE BOX: TEEING AREA OR TEEING GROUND. ...
- GREEN: HOLDS THE HOLE. ...
- EAGLE: A SCORE OF TWO STROKES UNDER PAR ON A HOLE. ...
- BIRDIE: A SCORE OF ONE STROKE UNDER PAR AT A HOLE. ...
- FORE: WATCH OUT OR HEADS UP. ...
- FAIRWAY: CLOSELY MOWN AREA. ...
What words are used in golf?
The Course
- Fairway: A long stretch involving a neatly maintained grass which runs between the green and the tee box.
- Rough: The taller grass that borders the fairway.
- Green:
- Hazard: Anything on a golf course that is designed to be hazardous to one’s score.
- Bunker: A concave area containing sand or the like, considered a hazard.
- Beach: Slang term for a sand bunker.
What are all the golf terms?
- Double eagle: On a par-4, means you finished the hole in 1 stroke — a hole-in-one (very, very rare on par-4 holes)
- Eagle: You finished the hole in 2 strokes
- Birdie: You finished the hole in 3 strokes
- Par: You finished the hole in 4 strokes
- Bogey: You finished the hole in 5 strokes
- Double bogey: You finished the hole in 6 strokes
What are the terms in golf?
Golf Terms Explained
- Albatross: A score given for a hole that has been completed three strokes under par (the term par is explained below) and is sometimes known as a ‘double eagle’.
- Birdie: A hole played one stroke better than the expected standard (one under par).
- Bogey: A hole played one stroke over par. ...
- Drive: Usually a long tee shot played with a wood or driver.
See more
What is the term used in golf?
Golf Terms and Definitions. Ace - A hole in one. Address - the final position taken by a golfer just before the swing. Adjusted Gross Score - Your score after you apply your handicap stroke allowance. Alternate Shot - Another twist of stoke play.
What are different golf terms?
Golf Scoring Terms Cheat Sheet Any forward club swing that's intended to hit the golf ball. Par. The number of strokes an expert player is expected to make for a given hole or a group of holes (usually 9 or 18). Birdie.
What are the golf shots called?
If a player completes a hole in one shot less than par, they have made a birdie. Two shots under par is an eagle and three shots under par is an albatross. One shot over par is a bogey, two shots over par is a double bogey and three shots over par is a triple bogey.
What is the first shot in golf called?
The first stroke, usually a pitch, a bunker shot or a chip, gets the ball 'up' onto the green, and the subsequent putt gets the ball 'down' into the hole. A variation is called “up and in”.
Why is the word for used in golf?
Golfers yell fore to alert other golfers that they may be in danger of getting struck by their ball. You should always yell fore if you're unsure where your ball will land, and it is at risk of hitting a golfer. The term fore likely originated from the term forecaddie, although the exact history is unknown.
What is a swing in golf called?
The golf swing is the action by which players hit the ball in the sport of golf. The golf swing is a complex motion involving the whole body; the technicalities of the swing are known as golf stroke mechanics.
What is hitting the ball in golf called?
Ace: Hitting the ball into the hole in one swing of the club. Afraid of The Dark: When the putted ball refuses to fall into the hole.
Why is it called a bite in golf?
Bite: If a ball has lots of backspin it is said to “bite” because it stays close to where it landed or may spin back toward the player. If a ball appears to be going past the hole a player may shout “pray” or a more humorous way can be to shout, “grow teeth!”. Bogey: A score of one over par. Bracket:
What is a stick in golf?
A stroke made above the equator of the ball which is mis-hit, resulting in a line-drive trajectory. Sticks: The plural “sticks” means golf clubs not to be confused with flagstick. Stroke play: A golf format in which the objective is to finish the game using the fewest total shots.
What is the best game of golf?
A golfer’s best game which is executed on a regular basis. Hitting the ball into the hole in one swing of the club. When the putted ball refuses to fall into the hole. A golf shot which travels a considerably longer distance than planned.
What is a cabbage in golf?
Cabbage (aka Spinach): If you hit the ball into inescapable thick rough. Can: Refers to the “Cup” on the Green. Carpet: Term which refers to the “Green”. Casual water: A build-up of water on the golf course after heavy rain that is not part of a water hazard. The player can move the ball without penalty.
What does "double eagle" mean in golf?
Albatross (aka Double Eagle): This means a score of three strokes under Par, which as you can imagine is very rare. All square: Tied score in match play. Army Golf: Like a marching rhythm: Left-right-left, in the game of golf it means hitting the ball out of bounds to the left then to the right the next time.
What is Mickey Mouse golf?
Mickey Mouse course: Refers to a course with many short holes and bad maintenance. Mulligan: Referring to a second shot from the Tee, after a bad first shot. Match play: A golf format where the goal is to win individual holes rather than tallying the total of all the strokes.
What is a golf club?
Golf club (i) An implement used by a player to hit a golf ball. A player is allowed to carry up to fourteen (14) clubs during a round of golf. (ii) An organized group of golfers, usually owning or managing a golf course. (iii) The entirety of a golf facility, including course, club-house, pro-shop, practice areas etc.
What is a dimple in golf?
Dimples, by reducing drag, allow a golf ball to stay in the air for a longer flight than would be possible with a smooth ball. Divot (i) The chunk of grass and earth displaced during a stroke. (ii) The indentation on the green caused by the ball on an approach shot; more properly called a pitch mark or ball mark.
What is a bogey in golf?
Bogey A hole played one stroke over par. Break The tendency of a putted ball to roll left or right of a straight line. This deviation may be a result of a number of factors or combination of factors including uneven surface, grain of the grass, how firmly the putt is struck or, in extreme circumstances, wind.
How many tees are there on a golf course?
Most courses have at least three sets of tees, some have more than twice that many. The areas where tee markers are placed are called “tee boxes”. Tips The championship tees on a golf course are known as “the tips”. At Silverstone, the tips would be our set of silver tees.
What does curved shape mean in golf?
The curved shape of the flight of the ball is a result of sideways spin. For that reason “slice” does not refer to a putt which “breaks”. Slope Rating Slope Rating is a number, from 55 to 155, used to determine the level of difficulty of a golf course for a bogey golfer. An “average” course has a slope rating of 113.
How many clubs can a golfer carry?
A player is allowed to carry up to fourteen (14) clubs during a round of golf. (ii) An organized group of golfers, usually owning or managing a golf course. (iii) The entirety of a golf facility, including course, club-house, pro-shop, practice areas etc. Clubhead The part of a club that used to strike the ball.
What is the back nine called?
Playing the back nine is called “heading in”. Backswing The backward part of the swing starting from the ground and going back behind the head. Ball-marker A token or a small coin used to spot the ball’s position on the green prior to lifting it. Ball-washer A device found on many tee boxes for cleaning golf balls.
What is a local rule in golf?
Local Rule – Specific rule or rules that are not mainstream and only for that particular golf course. Long – A term for a golfer who hits the ball far (Dustin Johnson). Long Game – Refers to hitting long irons, woods, hybrids, and driver. Lob Wedge – A type of wedge that is usually in the 60 to 64-degree range.
What is an ace in golf?
Ace – Otherwise known as a hole in one an ace is when the ball finds the hole from the tee in a single stoke. It is the dream of many golfers.
What is a baseball grip?
Baseball Grip – A type of grip that resembles a baseball bat grip. Others might call it a 10-finger grip. Below the Hole – A term that refers to a putt where the hole is at a higher elevation than the ball. Big Dog – A Driver. Bite – A term used by golfers for a golf ball to stop rolling.
Why is backspin important in golf?
It is important for distance and accuracy. Backspin – Spin is very important in most aspects golf and you will often come across the term when comparing clubs or in golfing instructions. Simply put, more backspin will give you a high ball with a fair amount of control.
What is the back nine of a golf course?
Back Nine – This refers to the last 9 holes of a typical 18 hole course, also known as heading in. Backswing – As the term suggests, this is simply the action taking when swinging back before striking the golf ball. It is important for distance and accuracy.
What is a fat shot in golf?
The specifics and colors can vary from course to course. Fat – A fat shot is when the club strikes the ground before the ball.
What is a big dog in golf?
Big Dog – A Driver. Bite – A term used by golfers for a golf ball to stop rolling. Bladed Shot – A chip shot from just off the green purposely hit with the bottom of the club. Played often from when the ball rests against the collar of the green. Runs like a putt.
What is casting in golf?
Casting: An uncocking of the wrists prematurely on the downswing, resulting in a loss of power and control. Also known as "hitting from the top.". (Smith had a tendency to swing at and not through the ball, which caused him to cast the club from the top of the swing).
What is the motion of the club that takes the club away from the ball?
Backswing: The motion that involves the club and every element of the body in taking the club away from the ball and setting it in position at the top of the backswing from which the club can be delivered to the ball at impact. (John Daly has an unusually long backswing that causes the club to go past parallel at the top of the swing).
What is the force that pulls the clubhead outward and downward?
Centrifugal Force: The action in a rotating body that tends to move mass away from the center. It is the force you feel in the downswing that pulls the clubhead outward and downward, extending the arms and encouraging to take a circular path. (Tiger Woods' swing creates powerful centrifugal force.
What is the axis of a golf swing?
Axis: Generally refers to a straight line (the spine) that the upper body rotates around in the course of the golf swing. (One reason for her consistent ballstriking is that her axis remains in a constant position throughout the swing). B. Backswing: The motion that involves the club and every element of the body in taking the club away from ...
What is the backspin of a golf ball?
Backspin: The rotational movement or spin of the ball produced by contact with the clubface. The greater the backspin, the higher the ball will fly and the more it will spin, and therefore stop or even spin backwards on impact with the turf.
What is the definition of compression in golf?
Compression: A measure of the relative hardness of a golf ball ranging from 100 (hardest) to 80 (softest). (Like most powerful players, he preferred a 100-compression ball). Connection: A description of a swing in which all the various body parts work harmoniously to produce a solid, fluid motion.
What is COAM in golf?
Conservation of Angular Momentum (COAM): A law of physics that allows the player to produce large amounts of kinetic energy. As the body shiftsits weight and turns towards the target in the forward swing, the mass (arms and club) is pulled away from the center into an extended position by centrifugal force.
What does "putt" mean in golf?
The word “putt” is based on a Scottish word that means “shove” or “push,” describing the different style of shot golfers use while on the green. 7. Birdie, Eagle, and Albatross. Birdie, eagle, and albatross are all terms used when a golfer completes a hole in fewer shots than par.
What is rough in golf?
Rough. As mentioned earlier, the rough on a golf course is the longer grass that surrounds the fairway. Hitting a shot into the rough usually results in a tougher next shot for a golfer since the long grass can slow down the speed of the clubhead or make it difficult to connect directly with the ball.
What is par in golf?
1. Par. Par is a standard number of shots in which golfers are expected to finish a hole. For example, if par on a hole is 4, it suggests a golfer should typically complete the hole in 4 shots.
How far can you tee your ball up?
They are allowed to tee their ball up as far as two club-lengths behind the tee markers. Hitting the first shot from outside of the tee box results in a penalty. 3.
What bird is 2 under par?
Smith also said that 2 under par would be known as an “eagle, ” one of the most elegant creatures in the bird kingdom. And although the exact origin of the use of “albatross” for 3 under par on one hole is unknown, naming such a difficult feat after one of the rarest birds in the world seems quite fitting. 8. Bogey.
Where is the tee box?
Tee Box. A tee box is located at the start of every golf hole , marking the only time on a hole that golfers are permitted to use a tee (a wood or plastic peg that holds the ball off the ground) when hitting a shot.
Why is the grass cut short in golf?
Each hole on a golf course ends with a green, where the flag and cup are located. The grass on greens is cut exceptionally short in order to make a golfer’s final shots more difficult while also enabling them to be more precise and accurate.
What is a golf course called?
Course: A place to play golf is called a golf club or golf course, either with 9 or 18 holes. Cross-handed (putting grip): Usually right handed players have right hand below left hand. Some golfers such as Jordan Spieth putt with the left hand below the right.
What is match play in golf?
Match play: Where golfers or teams play against other golfers or teams hole-by-hole. You play against another player and if you make a 4 and he makes a 5, you win the hole. The aim is to win the majority of the 18 holes. There is no count of all the strokes at the end. You count strokes only on each hole to see who wins it.
What is a distance marker in golf?
Distance markers: Stakes on the side of the fairway or plates embedded in the fairway marking 100, 150, 200 and sometimes 250 yard marks from the green. Dogleg : A type of golf hole which starts off straight but then the fairway turns left or right toward the green.
What is a bump and run shot?
Bump and run : A pitch or chip shot that is played lower with the aim to bump the ball into the air and let it run or roll for most of the journey to the hole. It can be performed from the fairway or green-side. Bunker : An hollow filled with sand.
What is the back nine on a golf course?
Back nine: Holes 10-18 on an 18 hole course. The opposite and complement to the front nine. Backspin: When you hit a ball, the grooves create a spin on the ball that rotates backward and is responsible for stopping the ball on the green or fairway and often can roll backwards. Alternatives: zip, rip, bite.
What is a sandbagger in golf?
Sandbagger: A golfer who manipulates his handicap to be higher than his skill level suggests. Guys do this to win more prizes in competitions. You might see a guy playing off a 9 handicap but shoots 75 or 76 very often on competition days but 84 or 85 during social games. Often are not popular with other competitors. In golf, it truly is ‘you’re only cheating yourself’.
What is a rangefinder?
The Range: The driving range where you can hit golf balls. Rangefinder: A laser device to measure distances to and from things on the course. Usually to find the distance to carry hazards or distance to the pin. There are numerous budget rangefinders for beginners to start using to really improve fast.
What are the three terms used in golf?
There is quite a history behind the golfing terms bogey, par, birdie, eagle and albatross. Bogey and par were central to the development of handicapping, pioneered by the LGU. The modern meaning of three of the terms - bogey, birdie and eagle - comes from their use in USA. Bogey Par Birdie Eagle Albatross.
What is the meaning of the eagle in golf?
Eagle. "Eagle", a score of two under par for a given hole, was clearly the extension of the theme of birds for good scores from a " birdie " . It would be natural for American golfers to think of the eagle, which is their national symbol and the term seems to have developed only shortly after the 'birdie'.
What is par in golf?
Par is derived from the stock exchange term that a stock may be above or below its normal or 'par' figure. In 1870, Mr AH Doleman, a golf writer, asked the golf professionals David Strath and James Anderson, what score would win 'The Belt', then the winning trophy for 'The Open', at Prestwick, where it was first held annually from 1861 to 1870. Strath and Anderson said that perfect play should produce a score of 49 for Prestwick's twelve holes. Mr Doleman called this 'par' for Prestwick and subsequently Young Tom Morris won with a score of two strokes 'over par' for the three rounds of 36 holes.
What is the term for three under par?
Albatross is the term for three under par and is a continuation of the birdie and eagle theme, but is in fact a British term. Ab Smith said his group used the phrase 'double eagle' for three under ( see Birdie above ), which is still the term most Americans and the name for their Double Eagle Club (membership by invitation only).
What does "birdie" mean in golf?
Birdie. "Birdie", meaning a score of one stroke under Par, comes from the early 20th century American slang term "bird", meaning anything excellent. The September 1911 edition of Maclean Magazine described a golf shot as - '"bird" straight down the course, about two hundred and fifteen yards.'.
When were bogey competitions introduced?
This allowed the introduction of bogey competitions, which we would call handicap competitions or stablefords. On 2nd January 1892, The Field reported that 'a novelty was introduced in the shape of a bogey tournament for a prize. ... Fourteen couples started but the bogey defeated them all.'.
When did golf clubs start assigning scratch scores?
By 1914, British golf magazines were agitating for a ratings system similar to the US. However the Great War 1914-18 intervened and it was not until 1925 that a Golf Unions' Joint Advisory Committee of the British Isles was formed to assign Standard Scratch Scores (SSS), to golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland.
What is golf slang?
Golf slang is a colorful part of the game, and golf slang terms can be universally used or be specific to a very small region. Small groups of golfers might even develop their own terms, unique to their rounds.
What is the golf club called when you cheat?
Hand Wedge: The "club" a golfer uses when he cheats by picking up the golf ball and tossing it into a better spot. Sometimes called a "hand mashie.". Hangman: A score of 9 on a hole. Because the numeral "9" looks like a person hanging from a noose in the children's fill-in-the-blanks game called Hangman. Sort of.
What is a back door putt?
Back-door putt: A putt that catches the edge of the hole, spins around to the back of the hole, and falls into the cup off that back edge of the hole. Barkie: A bet won by a golf who makes par on a hole after his golf ball hit a tree. Also called a "woody" or "woodie" (and sometimes spelled "barky").
What is a golf cart jockey?
Cart Jockey: A golf course employee who greets golfers before the round, offers them help getting their bags onto the golf cart, and/or gives them a lift from the parking lot to the pro shop . After the round, the cart jockey usually greets the golfers again as they leave the 18th green, offers to give their clubs a wipe-down, ...
What is a sunblock golfer?
Sunblock: A golfer who spends a lot of time in bunkers (a k a, at the beach). Sunday Ball: Same as a "lunch ball" - another term for a mulligan (do-over). Tiger Tees: The teeing grounds used in professional tournaments, or the rearmost tees at any golf course. U.S.G.A .:
What is a golf shot with a lot of spin?
Pole Dancer: When your shot into the green hits the flagstick, it's a pole dancer. Popeye: A shot with lots of "spinnage" (lots of spin). Rainmaker: A golf shot with a very high trajectory. Usually applied to pop-ups, skyballs or other mis-hits, but can be applied to a shot played intentionally.
What does "off the deck" mean in golf?
Off the Deck: A stroke played this way means the golf ball is sitting on the ground, as opposed to a tee. This phrase is typically used when talking about hitting one's driver off the fairway — "hitting driver off the deck.".
What are the names of old golf clubs?
Names of Old Golf Clubs. Golf clubs have changed quite a bit over the long history of the sport. There used to be clubs with names like mashie and niblick and jigger and spoon.
How many different types of golf clubs are there?
There are several different types of golf clubs in a typical golfer's bag. In fact, today, there are five categories of clubs: woods (including the driver), irons, hybrids, wedges and putters.
What is wedge golf?
The wedges are the highest-lofted golf clubs. They are used for shorter approach shots into greens, for chips and pitches around greens, and for playing out of sand bunkers.
What is putter used for?
Putters are used for, well, putting . They are the clubs golfers use on the putting greens, for the last strokes played on a golf hole - for knocking the ball into the hole. There are more varieties of putters on the market than any other club. That may be because choosing a putter is a very personal process.
What is a wood golf club?
The category of golf clubs called "woods" includes the driver and the fairway woods. (They are called woods even though their clubheads are no longer made of wood.) The woods are the clubs with the largest heads (typically hollow, extending a few inches from side-to-side and a few inches from front to back, with rounded lines) ...
How long is a mallet putter?
Lengths: Standard-length putters, often referred to as "conventional putters," range from around 32 to 36 inches long, from one end to the other.
What is the difference between a heel toe and a mallet putter?
Heel-toe putters have the same general shape as blades , but with extra weight at the heel and toe to add perimeter weighting, and with other design tricks to help make the clubs more "forgiving" on mishits. Mallet putters have large clubheads that maximize that forgiveness of poor contact.