Golf Terms
An Informative List of Golf Terms
If you've ever watched golf on television and wondered what some of the golf terms mean, this article will help you out. Golf has a language all its own, and after you read this article, you'll be able to speak a little of it.
“Ace” can mean a great player, but more often it refers to what occurs when a player on a par-3 hole gets a hole in one.
Another of the common golf terms is the “approach shot”. This is used to describe the drive or chip in which you aim to get your ball onto the green.
The “back nine” refers to the last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course.
“Backswing” is the first part of a golf swing – this part of the swing ends as your golf club stops its movement above your head as you prepare for the downswing.
“Ball marker” is one of the more common golf terms you may hear. This refers to any flat, small object that is used to mark the place where your ball landed on the green.
Some golfers use a grip in which all ten of their fingers remain on the grip of the club. This is called the “baseball grip”.
“Birdie” is one of the most common of the golf terms you have probably heard. This occurs when you putt or chip your ball into the hole in one less stroke than “par” for the hole.
A “drive” is the first shot that each player makes from the tee, on each hole of a golf course.
“Grooves” is one of the lesser-heard golf terms. It refers to the etched lines on the club face. They are designed to assist you in putting backspin on the ball.
The “follow through” is the phase of your golf swing in which you have already made contact with the ball. The follow-through is the last move your body and club make after you hit the ball.
One of the more interesting of golf terms is the “gimme”. This occurs when your ball is so close to the hole, that the other players don't require you to hit it in the hole.
A “handicap” is a way of adjusting the scoring plan so that golfers of differing skills can compete together without the best players always winning the game.
The “lip out” occurs when your ball rolls right up to the edge of the hole and then rolls back away instead of rolling into the hole.
An “open stance” occurs when your body alignment is pointing towards the target's left when you set up, if you are a right-handed golfer.
Hopefully these golf terms will make it more interesting for you to watch or play golf and follow what is going on.