GOLF GUIDE
Getting Around The Course
Front Nine: Holes 1 through 9 on a golf course.
Back Nine: the last nine holes of an 18 hole golf course. Playing the back nine Is referred to as
“heading in.”
Break: The curve of a putted ball as it rolls across the green.
Dogleg: A hole where the fairway is straight for some distance and then bends to the left or right.
These holes are named this because they resemble the shape of a dog’s leg.
Fairway: The area of the course between the tee and the green that is well-maintained allowing a
good lie for the ball.
Green: The area of specially prepared grass around the hole, where putts are played.
Terms Used During a Game of Golf
Address: The position from which you hit a shot, with your feet in place and the club-head behind the
ball. This is called addressing or setting up to the ball.
Clone: Budget brand golf clubs that look similar to and emulate the characteristics of, more
expensive clubs without breaching any patents.
Fore: A warning shout give when there is a chance that the ball may hit other players or spectators.
Frenchie: The act of hitting a ball that ricochets off a tree back onto the fairway.
Goldie Bounce: When the ball strikes a tree deep in the rough and bounce out onto the fairway.
Hacker: People who demonstrate very little or no golf-etiquette.
Sandbagger: A golfer that carries a higher official handicap than his skills indicate. Sandbaggers
usually artificially inflate their handicaps with the intent of winning bets on the course.
Zinger: A ball hit high and hard.
Calling The Shots
Air Shot: A shot where the player addresses the ball, swings and completely misses the golf ball, also
known as a whiff. Note: An air shot is counted as a stroke.
Approach Shot: A shot intended to land the ball on the green.
Blind: A shot that does not allow the golfer to see where the ball will land, such as onto an elevated
green from below.
Chip: A short shot that is intended to travel through the air over a very short distance and roll the
remainder of the hole.
Drive: The first shot of each hole, made from an area called the tee box.
Duff: A horrible shot. Usually a shot where very little or no contact is made between the club-face
and golf-ball; also known as a dub, flub, or shank.
Putt: A shot played on the green, usually with a putter.
Keeping Score of Your Score
Par: The standard score for a hole (defined by its length) or a course (sum of all the holes’ pars).
Birdie: A hole played in one stroke under par.
Eagle: A hole played in two strokes under par.
Double Eagle: A hole played three strokes under par, also called albatross.
Bogey: A hole played one stroke over par.
Double Bogey: A hole played two strokes over par.
Handicap: A number assigned to each player based on his ability and used to adjust each player’s
score to provide equality among the players. A number based on the slope of the course subtracted
from the player’s gross score that gives the player a net score of par or better half-the-time.
Mulligan: A replay of the shot without counting the shot as a stroke and without assessing any
penalties that might apply; also a shot a whiskey followed by beer.
Club-ing