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Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
517 terms
- Open StanceBeginnerAn open stance aligns the feet, hips, and shoulders left of the target line (for a right-hander). It is commonly used to hit a fade, or to help clear the hips through short-game and bunker shots.
- Order of Play and the HonorBeginnerOn the first tee, the order is set by the draw or by agreement, such as a coin toss. After that, the player with the lowest score on the last hole tees off first; this is called having the honor. Once everyone has teed off, the ball farthest from the hole is played first.
- Out of BoundsBeginnerOut of bounds (OB) is past the course boundary, usually marked by white stakes. A ball hit there is replayed from the original spot with a one-stroke penalty.
- Out-to-InIntermediateOut-to-in means the clubhead cuts left across the target line at impact (for a right-hander). This over-the-top delivery is behind fades, pulls, and slices.
- Over the TopIntermediateOver the top means the downswing starts by throwing the club outside the backswing plane. This produces an out-to-in path that causes pulls, pull-slices, and loss of distance.
- Over-DrawIntermediateAn over-draw is a normally controlled draw that curves more than intended, risking trouble on the left. Usually the face-to-path gap has grown past its normal amount.
- Over-FadeIntermediateAn over-fade is a normally controlled fade that curves more than intended, crossing into slice territory. Usually the face-to-path gap has grown past its normal amount.
- Overlapping Grip (Vardon Grip)BeginnerThe overlapping (Vardon) grip rests the trail pinky between the lead hand's index and middle fingers. The pinky does not interlock or wrap fully around the handle.
- Overspeed Training (Speed Sticks)IntermediateOverspeed training means swinging light sticks or clubs faster than you can swing your driver, along with heavier ones. Most programs use a few short sets several times a week to teach the body to move faster. Results vary from player to player. Warm up first, build up gradually and stop if anything hurts.
- OverswingIntermediateOverswinging means the backswing goes too far, usually past parallel, with the body losing its structure to get there. Signs include the lead arm folding, the grip loosening and the trail elbow flying. Stopping the backswing when the shoulders finish turning usually fixes it.
- Par-3 and Par-5 StrategyIntermediateOn a par 3, pick the club that reaches the middle of the green rather than the flag, and aim away from short-sided misses. On a par 5, plan backward from your favorite wedge distance and keep the ball in play. Three solid shots usually beat forcing a long second.
- Parts of a Golf Club (Clubhead Anatomy)BeginnerA golf club has three main parts: the grip, the shaft and the head. On the head, the face strikes the ball and the leading edge is its bottom front edge. The sole sits on the ground and the hosel connects the head to the shaft.
- Parts of a Golf Course (Tee Box, Fairway, Rough, Fringe and Green)BeginnerA golf hole runs from the teeing area, or tee box, to the putting green, where the hole or cup sits. The fairway is the closely mown strip between them. The rough is the longer grass around it, and the fringe or apron is the short collar around the green.
- Penalty Area (Water Hazard)BeginnerA penalty area, often a pond or stream, is marked by yellow or red stakes or lines. Relief costs one penalty stroke and is more forgiving than out of bounds.
- Personal Swing SignatureIntermediateA personal swing signature is a golfer's stable tempo, plane, and sequencing pattern. It separates a truly "different" swing from a temporarily flawed one.
- Pin HighBeginnerPin high means your ball finished the same distance as the flag, level with it, even if it is off to the left or right. Your distance was right, so any miss was only in direction. Golfers also call it hole high.
- PitchingIntermediatePitching is a mid-range short-game shot, usually from 30–100 yards, that carries the ball most of the way to the target. It uses a descending blow and controlled spin.
- Players IronsAdvancedPlayers irons use compact heads and thin top lines to favor shot-shaping control over maximum forgiveness. They suit golfers with reliably centered contact.
- Playing Golf in Cold WeatherIntermediateIn cold weather the ball flies shorter, so take more club than your summer yardages and expect fewer yards from every shot. Wear thin layers you can swing in, warm up properly before you start and keep your hands warm between shots. Swing smoothly instead of harder, and judge each landing area, because soft ground stops the ball sooner.
- Playing Golf in the RainIntermediateTo play well in the rain, keep your grips, gloves and hands dry. Take an extra club so you can hit a lower, controlled shot. On wet fairways the ball barely rolls, so plan to carry it to the target. Make a slightly shorter, balanced swing so your feet don't slip, and putt a little firmer on slow, wet greens.
- Playing Handicap and Handicap Allowances (Why 95%)IntermediateYou get 95% in individual stroke play because that is the World Handicap System's recommended allowance for net events with medium fields. It is meant to give every player a similar chance of finishing in the top 10% when playing well. Your Playing Handicap is your Course Handicap times the allowance for the format.
- Playing in the WindIntermediateInto the wind, take more club and swing smoothly to keep the ball lower with normal spin. A headwind costs more distance than an equal tailwind adds. Downwind, expect the ball to fly farther and stop less, and in a crosswind aim off and let the wind bring the ball back.
- Playing to Pin Positions (Front, Back and Tucked Pins)IntermediateFor a back-left pin, take enough club to reach the middle of the green, then aim at the center or slightly left of it. Going long usually leaves a hard chip back down the slope. For any tucked pin, aim at the safe part of the green and let the putter do the rest.
- Playing Worse on the Back NineIntermediateMany golfers play worse on the back nine because they get tired, hungry or thirsty, and their focus fades. Pressure from adding up the score also builds late. Eat a snack and drink at the turn, keep your routine on every shot, and build fitness so you have energy for 18 holes.
- Plays-Like DistanceIntermediatePlays-like distance is how far a shot effectively plays once elevation, wind and conditions are counted, not just the measured yardage. A target above you plays longer and one below you plays shorter. Learn your own adjustments in practice rounds, since slope readings are not allowed in a round played under the Rules.
- Plumb BobbingAdvancedPlumb bobbing hangs the putter straight down, one eye closed, to judge which way a putt breaks. It is now considered less reliable than modern methods.
- Plus HandicapAdvancedA plus handicap means you are better than a scratch golfer. Your Handicap Index calculates below zero, so it is written with a plus sign, such as +2. Instead of getting strokes, you give strokes back to the course, starting at the hole with stroke index 18.
- Popped-Up DriveBeginnerA popped-up drive launches unusually high and short with excessive backspin. It comes from contact above center plus added dynamic loft at impact, and it is a milder, broader relative of the skied drive.
- Pose EstimationAdvancedPose estimation identifies a person's body position, joint by joint, from a 2D video frame. It is the computer-vision technique behind markerless swing apps.
- Post-Shot Routine (Letting Go of a Bad Shot)IntermediateStop one bad shot ruining your round with a short post-shot routine. React briefly, note one thing to do differently, then use a cue to let it go, such as putting the club back in the bag. Then play the next shot safely so one mistake doesn't become two.
- Posting Up on the Lead LegAdvancedYes, in most full swings the lead leg straightens through impact. It stays flexed early in the downswing, then pushes up and back as the hips turn. This posting move helps the hips clear and adds speed.
- PostureBeginnerGolf posture is the spine angle at address, bending forward from the hips with a straight back. It lets the arms hang freely and the body rotate athletically.
- Power LeakIntermediateA power leak is any fault that lets backswing energy escape before it reaches the clubhead. Early release, reverse pivot, and early extension are examples.
- Practice SwingBeginnerA practice swing is a rehearsal swing taken without a ball. It is used to feel tempo, rhythm, or a specific position before actually hitting a shot.
- Practice TransferAdvancedPractice transfer is how well range improvements carry over to the course. Varied, game-like practice transfers well; repetitive, blocked practice transfers poorly.
- Pre-Round WarmupBeginnerA pre-round warmup prepares the body and calibrates feel, building from mobility to full swings, chipping, and putting. It is not for swing changes.
- Pre-Shot RoutineBeginnerA pre-shot routine is the fixed set of steps a golfer repeats before every shot: read, visualize, aim, waggle, commit. Its goal is focus and consistency under pressure.
- Preferred Lies (Winter Rules, Lift Clean and Place)BeginnerPreferred lies, often called winter rules or lift, clean and place, is a Local Rule for wet or damaged courses. When your ball lies on closely mown grass in the general area, you may lift and clean it once. Then place it within the distance the committee sets, such as one club-length or a scorecard length, no nearer the hole.
- Preparing for Your First Golf TournamentBeginnerPrepare for your first tournament by learning the format, reading the local rules and playing a practice round if you can. On the day, arrive early, warm up and stick to your normal routine. Keep score carefully and ask the committee when unsure of a rule.
- Pressure Plate (Training Aid)IntermediateA pressure plate is a training aid that measures how weight shifts across the feet during the swing. It shows pressure sequencing that is otherwise invisible.
- Pressure PracticeIntermediatePressure practice adds real stakes to practice: a score to beat, a bet, or a single attempt. It rehearses performing under the nerves a course creates.
- Pressure ShiftProPressure shift is the movement of the center of pressure under the feet, from trail to lead, during the swing. Elite players shift it earlier and more decisively than amateurs.
- Process Goals and One Shot at a TimeIntermediateTo stop thinking about score, give your mind a job you control on every shot. Set process goals, such as finishing your routine, picking a small target and making a committed swing. Judge each shot by those goals, not by the total, and don't add up your score during the round.
- Progress Tracking (Swing)BeginnerProgress tracking records and reviews swing metrics over time, not just one before-and-after. It shows if a change is holding, improving, or drifting back.
- Provisional BallBeginnerA provisional ball is a backup shot played immediately when the original might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds. It saves the group from having to walk all the way back to the tee if the first ball genuinely can't be found.
- Proximity to the HoleIntermediateProximity to the hole is the average distance your approach shots finish from the flag. A good number depends on how far you hit from. Arccos reports that a 10-handicapper's approaches from 125 to 149 yards finish about 62 feet from the pin on average.
- PullIntermediateA pull is struck cleanly and flies straight, but it leaves on the wrong line. For a right-hander, it heads left of your aim with nothing bending it back.
- Pull-FadeIntermediateA pull-fade leaves left of the flag and bends back to the right. It mirrors the push-draw, and it is the working shape a great many club golfers actually own.
- Pull-HookAdvancedThe pull-hook is golf's biggest miss: gone left immediately, then bending further left still, with two errors compounding rather than cancelling.
- Punch ShotIntermediateA punch shot is a low, controlled recovery shot, usually from trouble like overhanging branches or wind. A shortened swing and back ball position keep it well under normal height.
- PushIntermediateA push flies dead straight and finishes right of where you aimed, for a right-hander. Nothing curves — the head was simply traveling rightward through impact with the face pointing the same way.
- Push-DrawIntermediateA push-draw sets off right of the flag and turns gently back toward it, finishing near the middle of the fairway. It is the shape most right-handers are chasing.
- Push-SliceIntermediateA push-slice is the double-right miss. It leaves right of the flag and keeps bending right. As a result, the two errors add together rather than offsetting each other.
- Putt Skid and Forward RollIntermediateYour putt skids because the ball leaves the face sliding instead of rolling. Every putt skids a little, but too much skid or a hop comes from the wrong loft at impact. Hitting down with too much shaft lean or flipping the hands both cause it. Strike the ball at the bottom of the stroke with the shaft near vertical.
- Putter FittingIntermediatePutter fitting matches a putter's length, lie angle, loft, and balance style to a golfer's actual stroke path, using putting-specific measuring tools.
- Putter LengthIntermediatePutter length is fit to a golfer's height, arm length, and preferred posture. Most standard putters run 33 to 35 inches, but a mismatched length forces a compensating posture that changes lie angle and face position at address.
- PuttingBeginnerPutting is rolling the ball along the ground toward the hole using a flat-faced club (putter). A round of 90 with 36 putts spends 40% of its strokes on the green, so putting adds up fast.
- Putting FundamentalsBeginnerSet up with your eyes over or just inside the ball, the ball a little forward of center and a light grip. Rock your shoulders to move the putter back and through with quiet wrists. Aim the face first, then focus most of your practice on speed.
- Putting Green EtiquetteBeginnerNo, don't walk on another player's putting line. Step over it or walk around it, since footprints can knock their putt off line. Also keep your shadow off their line, stand still and quiet out of their view, and repair your ball marks.
- Putting Green Speed (Stimpmeter)IntermediateGreen speed is measured with a Stimpmeter and expressed in feet, commonly 8 to 13. It is how far a ball released from a standard ramp rolls on a level part of the green. Faster greens amplify break and demand a lighter stroke.
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