Golf is a historical sport with roots in Europe that has gained widespread popularity across the world. It has levels of play ranging from local amateur leagues to professional tours such as the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, and the LIV Golf Tour. In the simplest terms, the objective of golf is to hit a ball into a hole in as few hits, or strokes, as possible. There are 18 total holes on a golf course, each of which has its own par rating that indicates how many strokes it should take to make the ball in the hole. To accomplish this goal, there are a variety of golf clubs designed to hit the ball a certain distance so a player can strategically strike the ball no matter how far away the hole is.

Golf is a famously difficult sport to master, and the number of rules and amount of golf lingo can make it difficult to understand. Whether you’ve clocked years on the links or are just starting to learn the ropes, our glossary will teach you the golfing terms you need to know to fully understand the game.

Golf Vocabulary: A-E

1-Wood: Another term for a driver.

Above the Hole: When the ball is on top of a slope on the putting green above the cup. This is an especially difficult position to putt from.

Address: The position in which a golfer stands before starting their swing. While at address, players take into consideration how wide their stance is, how they hold the club, and the position of the ball.

Addressing the Ball: When a golfer steps up to the ball and sets up for their swing.

Albatross: When a golfer completes a hole in three fewer shots than par. This achievement is extremely rare, requiring both skill and luck. Also known as a double eagle.

Angle of Attack: The angle at which the clubhead strikes the ball during a swing.

Approach: A shot meant to land the ball on the green.

Attend the Flag/Tending The Flag: When a caddie holds the flagstick and removes it from the hole while the golfer putts. This ensures the flagstick won’t stop a ball from going in.

Attest: When an official confirms and certifies a scorecard, typically by signing it.

Backswing: The part of a golf swing where the golfer brings the club up and behind their body to wind up for the downswing.

Ball Marker: Any small object used to mark the position of a ball on the putting green. A marker must be used if a player is going to pick up their ball before hitting.

Below the Hole: When the ball is at the bottom of a slope on the putting green beneath the hole. This is a relatively easy position to putt from.

Birdie: When a golfer completes a hole one stroke under par. A good golf score.

Bladed Shot: A shot in which the clubhead strikes the ball too high, impacting it only with the bottom edge of the club. This results in a low, fast shot that usually goes far past the intended target.

Bogey: When a golfer scores one stroke over par.

Bunker: An area on the golf course filled with sand or another surface that’s difficult to get the ball out of.

Caddie: An individual, usually employed by a golf club or a player, who carries a golfer's bag and helps with things such as club choice and yardages.

Chip: A short shot taken near the green.

Chunk: A swing that hits the ground far behind the ball, digging up a chunk of grass or dirt with the club. This results in a short, weak shot.

Club: A specially-designed stick with a metal head at the end used to hit the golf ball. Golf clubs come with a variety of heads designed for different shots.

Condor: When a golfer completes a hole in four shots under par. This is exceedingly rare, and can only happen by making a hole in one on a par 5 hole or scoring a two on a par 6 hole.

Cup: Another term for the hole.

Cut: When a ball flies straight, but curves slightly away from the player’s position. Also known as a fade.

Double Eagle: Another term for an albatross.

Distance: A measure of how far a ball hit with a given golf club will generally travel.

Divot: A mark left on the ground by the club after a shot.

Dormie: An outdated term referring to a situation where a golfer leads by the same number of strokes as there are holes remaining in the match.

Double Bogey: When a golfer scores two strokes over par. An unfavorable score.

Draw: When a ball flies straight, but curves slightly toward the player’s position.

Drive: A long-distance tee shot made with a driver, meant to bring the ball as close to the hole as possible.

Driver: A golf club designed to hit the ball further than any other, used for tee shots on long holes. This is the longest type of club and has the biggest head. Also known as the 1-wood.

Eagle: When a golfer completes a hole in two shots under par. This is an impressive score.

Elevated Green: A putting green on terrain elevated above the fairway.

Flagstick: A flag placed in the hole to mark its position and make it visible from long distances.

Golf Terminology: F-J

Fade: Another term for a cut.

Fairway: A short-mowed grassy area between the tee box and the putting green. This is the area players should aim for when hitting from the tee box.

Fairway Wood: A club used for long shots from the fairway or rough, or from the tee box on short par 4 holes. Numbered from 2-wood to 11-wood, fairway woods have large heads and long shafts like drivers, but don’t shoot as far, and play more like long irons.

Follow Through: The end of a golf swing, in which the golfer continues the club's motion beyond the point of contact with the ball.

Fore: A word shouted to alert other players or bystanders before a shot to indicate a ball is heading their way and may hit them. Historians debate the origins of the term.

Fringe/Apron: The intermediate area between the putting green and the fairway, with slightly shorter grass than the fairway and slightly taller grass than the green.

Gimme Putt: An easy putt that’s close to the hole. Often, the competing player will concede the stroke because they know the putt will be made.

Golf Cart: A small vehicle, typically provided by the golf club, used by players to navigate a course.

Green: The area directly surrounding the hole, with very short-trimmed grass. Also known as the putting green.

Green Fee: The price for playing a round of golf at a public or private course.

Green in Regulation: When a golfer lands the ball on the green within the anticipated number of strokes.

Half Swing: When a player purposely swings at half strength, typically by shortening their backswing.

Handicap: A numerical measurement of a golfer's ability to shoot within the expected par of a course. A higher handicap indicates a golfer with less skill. For example, a +14 handicap means the golfer takes 14 strokes over par to complete a course on average.

Hazard: An obstacle on a golf course that makes the hole harder to complete. Hazards include bunkers, ponds, creeks, heavily wooded areas, and especially tall and thick grass or weeds.

Hole: The small cup into which golfers try to hit the ball.

Hole in One: When a golfer hits the ball directly from the tee box into the hole with a single stroke.

Hook: A shot that curves dramatically in the direction of the golfer’s back. This is usually due to a mishit, but it’s occasionally used deliberately.

Hosel: The part of the golf club where the clubhead and shaft connect.

Hosel Shank: When a player hits the ball with the club’s hosel, resulting in a wild shot that goes in an unintended direction.

Hybrid: A type of club with features partway between a fairway wood and an iron. It’s designed to hit almost as far as a wood, but with more accuracy and height like an iron.

In the Leather: A putt that’s close enough to the hole that it can be considered conceded, or counted as a successful hole. In the leather refers to the grip of the club—if the stroke is "inside the leather," or the length of the grip is when the shot is conceded.

Iron: A type of club with a thin clubhead and a shorter shaft than a fairway wood, used for a variety of moderate-distance shots that need good height. Irons are numbered from 1 to 9, with lower-numbered irons offering more distance but less loft than the higher-numbered ones.

Iron Shot: A golf shot made with an iron club. These shots typically go higher but less far than a shot made with a driver, wood, or hybrid.

Golf Words: K-O

Knickers: Short pants worn by golfers that extend just below the knee, historically worn by golfers in the mid-1900s.

Lie: The manner in which the ball is positioned after a prior shot, as in, “She’s got a good lie on the fairway for her next shot.”

Links: A type of golf course with sandy soil and a firm playing surface, located near an ocean. True links courses are mostly found in Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Line: The path of a shot or putt, as in, “You hit your drive on a great line,” or, “Find the right line for your putt.”

Lip Out: When a golf ball rolls over the edge of the cup without going in. This often changes the direction the ball is rolling.

Loft: A measurement of the angle of a clubhead. A club with more loft will tend to hit higher shots.

Lost Ball: A golf ball that can’t be found after being hit. This happens when a ball ends up in water or thick foliage. In the event of a lost ball, the player continues with a new ball from a spot determined by the circumstance.

Marker: An official tasked with keeping track of players’ strokes throughout a tournament.

Match Play: A style of competitive golf in which the winner is determined by the number of holes won throughout the round. In match play, a golfer wins a hole by completing it in fewer strokes than their opponent.

Majors: The four most prestigious tournaments in professional golf. The majors include the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open Championship, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

Mishit: A bad shot that goes off-target.

Mulligan: A second chance to hit a shot, allowed only in informal play. The result of the mulligan shot must be used.

Net Score: A golfer's total score minus their handicap designation.

Over Par: When a golfer takes more strokes to complete a hole or round than the designated par.

Golf Terms: P-T

Par: The expected number of strokes that a golfer should take to complete a hole or a round.

Penalty Stroke: An extra stroke that’s added to a golfer's total score as a penalty for breaking a rule.

Pivot: The way a golfer’s feet and body rotate during a properly-executed swing.

Playing Through: When a group of golfers passes another group playing in front of them, typically because the passing group is playing faster than the group ahead of them. This can be considered rude if the passing group doesn’t talk to the slower group before playing through.

Provisional Ball: A “just in case” ball hit by a golfer when they aren’t sure if their first ball is out of bounds or in play. If the first ball is found, it must be played, but if the first ball is lost, the provisional ball is played and a stroke is added.

Pull: A type of mishit where the ball goes in the direction the player’s back is facing.

Push: A type of mishit where the ball goes in the direction the player’s chest is facing.

Putt: A weak, careful shot made only on the green, the fringe, or the surrounding fairway that causes the ball to roll on the ground. This is the only shot that doesn’t lift the ball into the air.

Putter: A flat-faced club used for putting. Designed for minimum distance and maximum control.

Putting Green: Another term for the green.

Quarter Shot: When a player swings with only a quarter of their strength by shortening their backswing.

Recovery Shot: A shot taken to get the ball out of a disadvantageous position, such as a hazard or the rough.

Round: An entire game of golf, comprising all 18 holes in a course.

Rough: The longer, thicker grass and/or weeds directly outside of the fairway. Typically more difficult to hit out of than the fairway.

Scramble: A type of competitive golf in which teams of players select the best shot to play from after each player on their team hits. For example, if one team member hits their ball out of bounds and the other team member hits their ball on the green, both will hit their next shot from the second player's position on the green.

Scratch Golfer: A golfer with a handicap of zero, meaning they can shoot par or better on average.

Shot: When a player hits the ball with the club.

Slice: A shot that curves sharply sideways in the direction the player is facing. This is usually due to a mishit, but it can be used strategically in unusual situations.

Slope/Slope Rating: A golf course difficulty measurement for non-scratch, or bogey average, golfers compared to the normal course rating, which is the difficulty rating for scratch golfers. The higher the slope rating, the more difficult the golf course is for non-scratch golfers.

Stroke: When a player swings at the ball with the club with the intent of hitting it. Also used as the primary golf scoring measurement.

Stroke Play: A style of competitive golf in which the winner is determined by the total number of strokes made over the course of an entire round.

Tee: A small stand on which the golf ball is placed. This can be used on the tee box for the first shot.

Tee Box: The starting area of each golf hole where a golfer takes their first shot.

Tee Off: The first swing that starts a round of golf.

Tee Time: The time when a round of golf starts.

Tee Shot: A shot from the tee box. Typically a drive except on very small courses.

Triple Bogey: The name for a golf score that’s three over par. A very poor score.

Whiff: When a golfer swings at the ball and misses entirely. This still counts as a stroke.

Golfing Terms: U-Z

Under Par: A score on an individual hole or an entire course that’s lower than the predetermined par.

Wedge: A group of club types with very high loft, but little distance. Golfers use wedges for shots that need to go high, but not far.

Golf Slang

Ace: A hole in one.

Airmail: When a golfer hits their shot over the green, often resulting in a difficult recovery shot.

Air Shot: A whiff.

Bandit: Also known as a sandbagger, this is a golfer who purposely plays poorly to maintain a high average handicap score, which they use to win competitions through an artificially good net score. This is a form of cheating, and is extremely disrespectful to the game and other players.

Bite: When a shot lands on the green and stops quickly or rolls slightly backward due to backspin on the ball.

Cabbage: Slang for the rough.

Chili Dip: A chunked shot that specifically takes place on a chip shot.

Foot Wedge: When a player illegally uses their foot to move the ball in a better position for their next shot.

Foozle: A mishit.

Fried Egg: A ball that’s partially buried in sand or soft ground, named for its fried egg-like appearance. This is an especially difficult lie to hit the next shot.

Hack: A poor swing resulting from bad form, named for the awkward hacking motion this creates.

Hacker: A poor golfer with bad form.

Road Hole: A nickname for the 17th hole on the historical St. Andrews Old Course in Scotland. This hole offers very little room for error and is known for being one of the hardest par 4s in golf.

Sandbagger: Another term for a bandit.

Sand Trap: An unofficial term for a bunker.

Shank: A poor golf shot where the ball either doesn’t travel far or goes in an unintended direction.

Snowman: An exceptionally poor score of eight on a single hole.

Yips: When a player consistently uses too much wrist power while putting, as in, “He had the yips.”

Zinger: A great shot, especially a long, straight drive.