Golf words · Beginner

The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.

B · Beginner · 52 words · Step 1 of 2

Basic setup terms

Course

The whole area of play inside the boundary edge set by the Committee. It is made up of five defined areas: the general area, the teeing area, penalty areas, bunkers and the putting green. A course usually has 18 holes, sometimes nine.

Hole

The finishing point on the putting green: a cup 4¼ inches (108 mm) across and at least 4 inches (101.6 mm) deep. The word also means one whole part of the course, from its teeing area to its putting green.

See also: Course, Putting green, Teeing area

Tee

The small peg used to lift the ball off the ground for the first shot on a hole. It may be no longer than 4 inches (101.6 mm). The place it is used from is the teeing area.

Also called: tee box
See also: Hole, Teeing area

Fairway

The mowed, well-kept strip of grass between the tee and the green, the ideal path for shots.

Rough

The longer, less maintained grass bordering the fairway, harder to hit accurately from.

Putting green

The area of the hole being played that is specially prepared for putting, or that the Committee defines as the putting green. It contains the hole.

Also called: green
See also: Hole, Committee

Bunker

A specially prepared area of sand, often a hollow from which turf was removed. The sand is a defined area of the course with its own rules; a bunker is not a hazard in the current rules.

Also called: sand trap
See also: Course

Clubhouse

The building at a golf course used for check-in, changing, equipment and meeting.

Flagstick

The movable pole, with a flag, that the Committee puts in the hole to show where it is.

Also called: pin
See also: Hole, Committee

Committee

The person or group in charge of the competition or the course. It sets boundaries, local rules and the marking of penalty areas.

Referee

An official named by the Committee to decide questions of fact and apply the Rules.

Scoring terms

Par

The expected number of strokes a skilled golfer should need to complete a hole (or the whole course).

Stroke

The forward movement of the club made to strike the ball. A swing does not count as a stroke if the player decides during the downswing not to hit the ball and stops the clubhead, or strikes the ball accidentally in a practice swing. A score is strokes made plus any penalty strokes.

Birdie

Finishing a hole 1 stroke under par, a good result.

See also: Hole

Eagle

Finishing a hole 2 strokes under par, an excellent result.

See also: Hole

Bogey

Finishing a hole 1 stroke over par.

See also: Hole

Double bogey

Finishing a hole 2 strokes over par.

See also: Hole

The ruleWhat is a birdie in golf?

Hole-in-one

Hitting the ball into the hole with just a single stroke, a rare, celebrated achievement.

Also called: ace
See also: Hole

Handicap

A number representing a golfer's skill level, used to adjust scores so players of different abilities can compete fairly.

Stroke play

A form of play in which each player or side competes against all the others. The score for a round is the total strokes taken, including penalty strokes, and the player with the fewest total strokes wins.

The ruleHow do you win at golf?

Match play

A form of play in which a player or side plays directly against an opponent. A hole is won by completing it in fewer strokes, and the match is won when a side leads by more holes than remain to be played.

Ball-marker

A small object, such as a coin or a tee, placed to mark the spot of a ball that is lifted.

Marker

In stroke play, the person responsible for entering a player's score on the scorecard and certifying it. It may be another player, but not a partner.

Scorecard

The document where a player's score for each hole is entered in stroke play. Both the marker and the player certify it.

Honour

The right to play first from the teeing area.

Four-ball

A format for two sides of two partners, in which each player plays their own ball and a side's score on a hole is the lower of the two.

See also: Hole

Foursomes

A format for two sides of two partners, in which the partners play one ball, taking turns to hit it.

Also called: alternate shot

Clubs and equipment

Driver

The club used for long-distance shots, usually off the tee.

Iron

A category of clubs used for a wide range of shots, from long approach shots to shorter, more controlled ones.

Wedge

A specialized short-distance club designed for high, controlled shots, especially near the green or out of bunkers.

Putter

The club used specifically on the green for rolling the ball into the hole.

Golf bag

The bag a golfer carries or carts their clubs in. A player may have no more than 14 clubs during a round.

Playing terms

Swing

The full motion a golfer makes to hit the ball.

Drive

The first shot on a hole, typically hit with a driver, aimed for maximum distance.

Approach shot

A shot aimed at landing the ball on the green, typically played from the fairway.

Putt

A gentle, controlled stroke used on the green to roll the ball into the hole.

Chip

A short, low shot played near the green, meant to get the ball rolling toward the hole quickly.

Pitch shot

A short, high shot that lands softly with little roll, often used to clear an obstacle near the green.

Slice

Common mishits where the ball curves unintentionally to the right (slice, for right-handed golfers) or left (hook).

Also called: hook

Fore!

A shouted warning golfers yell if their shot might hit another player or bystander.

Course and tournament terms

Round

Up to 18 holes played in the order set by the Committee.

Tournament

A multi-day competition. The most prestigious are the majors: for men, the Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship; for women, the Chevron Championship, the US Women's Open, the Women's PGA Championship, the Evian Championship and the Women's Open.

Also called: major

Cut

In multi-day tournaments, a scoring threshold after the first rounds, players who don't score well enough don't continue ("miss the cut").

Leaderboard

The ranking showing all players' current scores during a tournament.

Caddie

Someone who helps a player during a round, for example by carrying, transporting or handling the clubs. A player's caddie, and a partner, are the only people a player may ask for advice.

Course and rules terms

Penalty area

An area from which a player may take relief with a one-stroke penalty if the ball comes to rest there. Any body of water on the course is one, and the Committee can mark other areas. Yellow penalty areas give two relief options and red penalty areas a third, lateral option. It replaced the old term "hazard".

Also called: water hazard (old term)
See also: Course, Committee, Relief

General area

All of the course except the other four defined areas: the teeing area, penalty areas, bunkers and the putting green of the hole being played. The fairway and the rough are both in it.

See also: Course, Hole, Fairway, Rough, Putting green

Teeing area

The rectangle, two club-lengths deep, between two tee-markers that a player must play from to start a hole.

See also: Hole

Penalty stroke

A stroke added to a player's score under a Rule. A score is made up of strokes taken plus penalty strokes.

General penalty

The usual penalty for a breach of the Rules: loss of the hole in match play, two penalty strokes in stroke play.

Lost ball

A ball that is not found within three minutes of the player or their caddie starting to search. A player cannot make a ball lost just by declaring it lost.

Relief

Playing a ball from another place when the Rules allow it, usually by dropping it in a relief area. Relief can be free, for example from an abnormal course condition, or can cost a penalty stroke.

I · Intermediate · 28 wordsNext: Intermediate words