Of all the hazards, fear is the worst." -- Sam Snead --
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GOLF GLOSSARY
Making the turn - From the point where you have finished the 9th hole through the time you have teed off on the 10th, including the time you are in the clubhouse securing snacks, you are "making the turn".
Mashie - An obsolete term used for a golf club similar to a 4 or 5-iron
Match Play - A match that is scored on a hole by hole basis. The winner of the hole (player with the fewest strokes) is given one(1) point for the hole, not the number of strokes taken to complete the hole
Members Bounce - A fortunate bounce that improves the position of a players ball. I've heard two explanations for this phenomenon: 1) Members know the course so well that they can play their shots to exploit the terrain. 2) Members have paid so much for their yearly membership that the course is obliged to give them additional benefits. Personally I believe the latter.
Military golf - when your first shot goes left and your second right. Just like marching off to war... "left,right...left,right,left"
Mulligan - Allowing a player to have another shot off the tee without penalty. Not something allowed in tournament play but some friendly games will determine a number of "mulligans" per round before the round begins. My guess is somebody, way back when, named Mulligan, liked to take another shot if he was dissatisfied with the first. Probably a high ranking land owner playing with his subordinates, so no one argued with him.
Niblick - An obsolete term used for a golf club similar to a 9-iron or pitching wedge
Open - An Open tournament is one that allows both amateur and professional golfers to compete.
Over cooked - A draw or fade that curves more than intended. Also, the hot dogs in the clubhouse around 7:00 in the evening.
PGA - Professional Golfers Association
"These guys are good"
Par - The number of strokes considered necessary to complete a hole or course in expert play
Penalty - Means many things to golfers but the worst is, it adds strokes to yours score.
Pin - Another term used to describe the flag stick.
Pin high - Not so much referring to elevation as distance. When your ball is at a right angle from the flag stick you are considered to be "pin high". Yes, you could be 100 yards from the hole and still be "pin high".
Pin Placement - Some courses have a daily pin placement which is noted at the clubhouse and by a numbered grid map of the green. The grid area number that coincides with the posted pin placement number is the general area where the hole will be located for that day.
Pitch - A high trajectory shot to the green usually from a very short distance.
Play Through - When a player(s) invites the player(s) behind them to play ahead of them. If a group is playing slowly it is good etiquette to allow the players behind them to "play through".
Plugged - When your ball becomes embedded in the ground. During the rainy seasons a golf ball can be so severely plugged that it changes from a "plugged ball" to a "lost ball".
Putt - The shortest shots in a round of golf that causes the biggest headaches. The only shot that is never intended to leave the ground.
Putt out - When a player finishes the hole even though they may not be away. A player will ask to putt out when they are very close to the hole and very unlikely to miss.
Rain maker - A ball that is hit very high but not very far. The joke is, the ball has gone so far up into the stratosphere it created atmospheric disturbances that could result in rain.
Ranger - The overseer of play on a golf course. Monitors the pace of play and player conduct.
Rough - This area has the longest grass on the golf course. It is usually positioned on the perimeter of the entire hole. At times it can be in the middle of a fairway, this is referred to as a "Grass Bunker"
A Round - The completion of 18 holes of golf. Called a round because golf courses are usually laid out to start and end at the clubhouse, therefore completing a full circle
Sand Trap - A Planned obstacle that is filled with sand. This obstacle is usually depressed as compared to the ground around it, and can also leave the player depressed after being in it
Scratch Golfer - A player who's handicap is 0
Slice - see fade
Slope - A rather complicated formula but basically it determines how difficult the course is to play. The higher the "Slope Rating" the harder the course.
Spoon - An obsolete term used for a golf club similar to a 3-wood. They were designed with concave faces resembling spoons.
Sticks - A slang term for Golf Clubs
Stroke - Each time a golf club makes contact with a golf ball, whether intentional or accidental, constitutes one stroke. A penalty will give you a stroke and you don't even get to hit the ball.
Stroke Play - A match where the score is calculated by how many strokes are taken by a player to complete the match.
Stymie (stymied) - In the "Old Days" of golf, players did not mark their balls on the putting surface. If your opponents ball was in your path you were considered "stymied". You either had to play the shot around or over your opponents ball, without hitting it. This practice was abolished in 1951. styme is a Scottish word used to describe people who are partially blind.
Takeaway - The motion of the club and body at the beginning of the backswing
Tee - The small object that a golf ball rests on raising it higher off the ground. Usually made of wood and should only be used on the tee box
Tee Box - The designated area at the beginning of every hole where all players begin play of that hole. The tee box is usually raised slightly from the surrounding area
Tee Time - an appointment made with the golf club, for a specific time and day, that a player(s) may begin playing golf on their golf course
Tempo - One of the key parts of a quality swing. The rhythm that a player swings the golf club.
Texas Wedge - What a putter is called when you use it to make a shot from off the green or out of a sand trap. Said to be so named because of the windy conditions in Texas and the need to keep the ball low or that the ground in Texas is so firm you can putt from off the green easily.
USGA - United States Golf Association. The governing body of competitive golf for the United States.
Waggle - Movement made by a player during address. These movements are usually to relax the player or sometimes to align their shot. Sometimes they are quite funny. I played with a gentleman who's waggle looked like a dog after she'd just left the pond.
Whiff - Totally missing the ball when attempting to hit it. Also known as "creating a breeze"
Worm burner - A tee shot hit very low and hard, barely skipping across the top of the ground. Any worms in the path of this shot could suffer wind burn or possible decapitation.
Yipps - A sudden case of the nerves, usually when putting. The yipps will cause you to push, pull, top or miss-hit your putt in an ugly and inaccurate way.
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