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Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
517 terms
- Bunker Rules (Touching the Sand)BeginnerIn a bunker you must not touch the sand with your club right in front of or behind the ball. You also must not touch it in a practice swing, in your backswing, or on purpose to test it. The penalty is two strokes in stroke play or loss of the hole in match play.
- Bunker ShotIntermediateA bunker shot is any stroke played from a sand hazard. The two families play nothing alike: greenside, where the club never touches the ball, and fairway, where clean ball-first contact is the whole objective.
- Camera Angle GuidanceBeginnerCamera angle guidance shows where to film a swing from, usually down-the-line and face-on. The wrong angle can hide or distort what the analysis needs.
- Camera-Based Launch MonitorIntermediateA camera-based launch monitor uses high-speed cameras to capture club and ball data in the split second around impact. It does not track the full flight.
- Carry DistanceBeginnerCarry distance is how far the ball travels through the air before it first lands. It is different from total distance, which includes roll.
- Carry-to-Roll RatioIntermediateThe carry-to-roll ratio is how far a chip flies compared with how far it rolls. On a flat, medium-speed green, a common guide is about 1 to 2 for a pitching wedge, 1 to 3 for a 9-iron and 1 to 4 for an 8-iron. Pick a landing spot, then choose the club whose roll covers the rest of the distance.
- Cart Path Relief (Immovable Obstructions)BeginnerAn artificially surfaced cart path is an immovable obstruction, so relief from it is free. You get it when your ball is on the path or the path affects your stance or swing. Drop within one club-length of the nearest point of complete relief, no nearer the hole. You can't choose the side of the path, and the drop must give complete relief.
- CastingIntermediateCasting is releasing the wrist angles too early in the downswing, like a fisherman throwing a line. It destroys lag, cuts speed, and adds loft at impact.
- Casting from the TopIntermediateCasting from the top is when the wrists unload right at the start of the downswing. It happens at the very top, before the lower body has had a chance to lead.
- Center of Gravity (Club)AdvancedA club's center of gravity is its balance point. Placing it low and back raises launch and cuts spin. Low and forward gives a lower, more penetrating flight.
- Chicken WingIntermediateA chicken wing is the lead elbow folding outward through and after impact instead of extending. It usually compensates for an out-to-in path or a blocked, stuck downswing.
- Chili-DipBeginnerA chili-dip is the most extreme version of a chunked chip, on a very short finesse shot. The club digs in so far behind the ball that the ball barely moves at all, sometimes just a few inches.
- Chip vs PitchBeginnerA chip flies low, spends more time rolling than flying and uses a short stroke with little wrist hinge. A pitch flies higher, carries most of the way and uses a longer swing with wrist hinge. Chip when you have green to work with, and pitch when you must carry rough, a bunker or a slope.
- Chip-and-RunBeginnerA chip-and-run is a low, bouncing chip that gets on the green fast and rolls toward the hole. It is the safest choice when there is room between the ball and the green edge.
- ChippingBeginnerChipping is a short shot played from just off the green. A small swing gets the ball rolling on the green quickly so it can run to the hole.
- Chipping From a Tight LieIntermediateFrom a tight or bare lie, the safest play is usually to use less loft and roll the ball. A hybrid or 8-iron chipped like a long putt often works well. Play the ball in the middle of your stance, grip down, stand a little closer and lean the shaft toward the target. Make a small swing at your normal tempo that brushes the ground, rather than scooping with a lofted wedge.
- Chipping From Greenside RoughIntermediateFrom thick rough near the green, use a lofted wedge, open the face slightly and play the ball in the middle of your stance. Make a steeper swing with more wrist hinge and keep accelerating through the grass. Expect the ball to come out with little spin and roll more than a chip from the fringe.
- Chipping PracticeBeginnerPractice chipping by picking a landing spot and hitting it, not by hitting many balls at one flag. Change the lie, the distance and the club as you go, learn how far each club rolls after landing, and finish with an up-and-down game that keeps score. If contact is still fat or thin, fix the technique first.
- Chipping StanceBeginnerA good chipping stance narrows the feet, leans the shaft and weight slightly toward the target, and plays the ball back of center. It is built for crisp, ball-first contact, unlike the full-swing posture used for longer shots.
- Chipping With a Hybrid or Fairway WoodBeginnerYes, you can chip with a hybrid or fairway wood. It works best from tight lies or the fringe when the ball can roll most of the way. Grip down, stand close and use a firm putting stroke. The wide sole glides over the grass instead of digging.
- Chipping YipsIntermediateTo fix the chipping yips, take the hands out of the stroke. Use a putting-style chip or a hinge-and-hold chip, and focus on a landing spot rather than the ball. Rebuild with easy chips, then add pressure slowly. If the twitch persists, work with a coach.
- Choking Under Pressure in GolfIntermediateChoking is when pressure pushes your play below its normal level. It often happens when you start consciously controlling a move that is normally automatic, or when worry crowds out your focus. Keep your routine and tempo, focus on the target rather than your body and practice with consequences so pressure feels familiar.
- Choosing a Golf BallBeginnerChoose a golf ball mainly for how it performs on short shots, then check that it suits your driver and swing speed. Multi-layer urethane balls spin more on wedges and cost more, and two-piece ionomer balls are tougher, spin less and cost less. Lower-compression balls feel softer, and some golfers with slower swings prefer them.
- ChunkBeginnerA chunk (fat shot) is when the swing bottoms out too early and the club hits the ground before the ball. The short, low shot often loses most of its distance.
- Chunked ChipBeginnerA chunked chip is fat contact on a short finesse shot near the green. The club hits the ground well before the ball, loses speed, and leaves the shot far short of the target.
- Claw Grip (Putting)IntermediateIn the claw grip, the trail hand holds the putter handle like a pencil against the palm instead of wrapping around it. Separating the hands this way is a popular fix for excess trail-hand wrist action and the putting yips.
- Closed StanceBeginnerA closed stance aligns the feet, hips, and shoulders right of the target line (for a right-hander). It is sometimes used deliberately to hit a draw, but is more often an unintentional cause of a push or hook.
- Club FittingIntermediateClub fitting uses a launch monitor to match shaft, length, lie angle, loft, and head design to a golfer's swing. Stock clubs are built for an average golfer.
- Club LengthIntermediateClub length is fitted to a golfer's height, arm length, and posture at address. A mismatched length changes lie angle at impact and forces compensations that can undermine consistency more than most golfers realize.
- Club PathAdvancedClub path is the horizontal direction the clubhead is moving through impact, relative to the target line, in degrees. Positive is in-to-out (a draw bias); negative is out-to-in (a fade or slice bias).
- Club SelectionBeginnerClub selection is picking the right club for each shot from real carry distance, lie, wind, elevation, and hazard placement. It is one of the biggest scoring decisions.
- Club SpeedIntermediateClub speed is how fast the clubhead is moving just before impact, in mph. It sets the ceiling for ball speed and distance — but only if contact is clean.
- Cold ShankAdvancedA cold shank is a shank that appears without warning in an otherwise solid ball-striking session. The ball hits the hosel instead of the face and shoots sharply right at a steep angle.
- Common Beginner Swing FaultsBeginnerNearly every beginner hits topped shots, chunked shots, slices, and shanks. These misses almost all trace back to a small set of setup and contact issues.
- Compensation PatternAdvancedA compensation pattern is a move the body adds, usually unconsciously, to offset an earlier fault and still make contact. It often becomes a habit of its own.
- Confidence on the Golf CourseBeginnerConfidence on the course comes from things you control. A routine you repeat on every shot, a target and club you commit to, and practice that rehearses the shots you will face. Judge yourself on whether you made a committed swing, not on where one ball finished, and it lasts longer than a hot streak.
- ConnectionIntermediateConnection means the arms and body move together, so the arms never get ahead of or behind the body's rotation. It keeps the arc and face delivery consistent.
- Counterbalanced PutterIntermediateA counterbalanced putter adds weight near the grip end, usually with a longer shaft and a heavy, oversized grip that extends above your hands. The extra weight up top offsets the heavy head, which can steady the stroke. You hold it at normal height, with the extra length above your hands.
- Course Handicap vs Handicap IndexBeginnerHandicap Index is a portable number representing a golfer's general ability, calculated from past scores. Course handicap converts that same index into the actual number of strokes they receive on a specific course and tee, using that course's slope rating.
- Course ManagementIntermediateCourse management is your strategy for where to aim, which club to hit, and how to play each hole. The goal is to limit risk and score well for your skill level.
- Course Rating vs Slope RatingIntermediateCourse rating estimates the score a scratch golfer would shoot on a course. Slope rating measures how much harder that same course plays for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch golfer. Together they adjust a handicap for the specific course being played.
- Cross-Handed Grip (Putting)IntermediateA cross-handed (left-hand-low) putting grip reverses the standard hand order, so the lead hand sits below the trail hand. It is a common fix when the trail hand dominates and breaks down the lead wrist through impact.
- Cupped WristAdvancedA cupped wrist is a lead wrist bent backward (away from the palm) at the top of the backswing. It opens the clubface and often contributes to slices or weak fades.
- Curve Ball FlightBeginnerA curve ball flight is any shot that bends noticeably left or right in the air. It happens when clubface angle and swing path differ enough at impact to tilt the ball's spin axis away from horizontal.
- Curving the Ball Around a TreeAdvancedTo hook the ball around a tree as a right-hander, aim your body well right of the tree and point the clubface just right of it, where you want the ball to start. Swing along your body line. The face is closed to that path, so the ball curves left. For a slice, reverse it.
- D-PlaneAdvancedThe D-Plane model shows that face angle (not path) mostly sets the starting direction, while path relative to face sets the curve. It replaced the older, oversimplified "path starts it, face curves it" idea.
- Data Overload (Too Many Metrics)BeginnerData overload is seeing so many swing numbers at once that none gets acted on. Without clear priorities, more data can leave a golfer more confused, not less.
- DecelerationIntermediateDeceleration is when the club slows down through impact instead of accelerating past the ball. It commonly causes mishits on chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
- Deep DivotIntermediateA deep divot is an unusually thick chunk of turf taken on an iron shot. It indicates a steep angle of attack or a low point too far behind the ball, and both cost distance and consistency.
- Deliberate PracticeAdvancedDeliberate practice is focused work with specific targets, immediate feedback, and repeated challenge at the edge of your ability. It is not casual hitting or playing rounds.
- Delivery PositionAdvancedDelivery position is where the shaft and clubface point, relative to the body and target line, just before impact. It helps predict where a shot is headed.
- Descending BlowIntermediateA descending blow is contact made while the club is still moving downward relative to the ground. It is the standard, correct angle of attack for iron and wedge shots struck off the turf.
- DispersionAdvancedDispersion is how spread out your shots are, plotted as a pattern. A tight dispersion means repeatable contact; a wide one signals inconsistency in face, path, or strike.
- Distance ControlIntermediateDistance control is adjusting how far the ball travels so it finishes near the target. In putting that means swing length and tempo; in the short game, carry distance.
- Distance From the Ball at AddressBeginnerStand far enough from the ball that your arms hang naturally from your shoulders after you bend from the hips. Your hands should sit roughly below your shoulders, not reaching out or jammed in. Many coaches use about a hand's width between the grip end and your thighs as a quick check.
- DivotIntermediateA divot is the strip of turf taken after impact with an iron. Its location and direction reveal your low point and club path — a free, visible feedback tool.
- Dogleg (Golf Hole)BeginnerA dogleg is a golf hole that bends to the left or right partway along the fairway, like a dog's hind leg. A dogleg left turns left and a dogleg right turns right. The bend usually comes around where tee shots land.
- Dominant Eye and PuttingIntermediateYour dominant eye can affect how you see the line when putting. Most people rely on one eye more for aim, so the line can look different depending on where that eye sits. Find your dominant eye, then check your aim with a mirror or alignment line instead of trusting the view alone.
- Doppler Radar TrackingAdvancedDoppler radar tracking bounces radio waves off the moving ball and club. The frequency shift gives speed, spin, and trajectory from actual flight data.
- DormieIntermediateDormie means you lead a match by exactly as many holes as are left to play, such as 2 up with 2 to play. You cannot lose the match in regulation. Your opponent must win every remaining hole just to tie it.
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