Glossary of Golf Terminology

19th Hole – a term that jokingly refers to the clubhouse.

Albatross – three strokes under par.

Ball Hawking – looking for balls in out of bounds areas of the course.

Ball Mark – the “dent’ that the ball makes, when hit onto the green.

Birdie – one stroke under par.

Bogey – one stroke over par.

Bunker – an area on a hole filled with sand, also known as a sand-trap.

Chunk – taking a large piece of grass out of the ground when hitting the ball. The ball will usually not travel far at all.

Divot – the chunk of grass taken out of the ground when hitting the ball.

Double, Triple, etc. Bogey – two, three, etc. strokes over par.

Drive the Green – to hit the ball onto the green from the tee on a par 4 or 5.

Driver – the club usually used off the tee to achieve maximum distance.

Eagle – two strokes under par
Fairway – the short grass between the tee box and the green.

Fringe – the slightly longer grass that surrounds the green.

Green – the surface in which players putt. It contains the hole.

Hacker – used to refer to a bad golfer.

Handicap (index) – the individual golfer’s average number of strokes over par per round, calculated by a computer system.

Handicap (of a hole) – the difficulty level of a hole, relative to other holes on the course. A 1 handicap is the most difficult hole, while an 18 handicap is the easiest hole.

Hook – when a right handed player’s ball has a trajectory that curves sharply to the left.

Irons – the clubs used in hitting intermediate distances.

Par – the number of strokes in which hole is expected to be completed.

Pull – when a right handed player hits the ball considerably left of the target, in a straight trajectory, although they were aimed at the target.

Push – when a right handed player hits the ball considerably right of the target, in a straight trajectory, although they were aimed at the target.

Putter – the club used to hit the ball into the hole on the green.

Rough – the longer grass that surrounds the fairway and green.

Slice – when a right handed player’s ball has a trajectory that curves sharply to the right.

Spikes – the “cleats” on the bottom of golf shoes.

Stroke – each time the ball is hit; a player is given one stroke.

Tee Box – where a golfer hits their first shot on each hole.

The Turn – “making the turn” is when golfers go from hole number nine to hole number ten. Many golfers stop at the clubhouse at the turn, for refreshments.

Wedge – the clubs used to hit the ball onto the green from a relatively short distance. (usually around 100 yards or less).