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Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
234 terms
- Drop ProcedureIntermediateThe modern drop releases the ball from knee height, straight down, into the relief area. It is simpler than the old shoulder-height drop but often done wrong.
- Early ReleaseIntermediateAn early release is when the wrists unhinge and the forearms fire before the hands reach the hitting zone. It costs lag, speed, and compression.
- Explosion ShotIntermediateAn explosion or splash shot is a standard greenside bunker shot. The club slides under the ball in a spray of sand, lifting the ball out without touching it.
- Extension Through Impact (Golf)IntermediateExtension in golf means both arms reach full length just after impact, with the club swinging out toward the target instead of folding in. To get more, keep your chest turning through the ball and let the club's speed pull your arms straight. Don't steer it with your hands.
- Face-Balanced PutterIntermediateA face-balanced head is weighted so that, resting the shaft across a finger, the face points at the sky rather than rolling over. The design resists twisting through a straight-back-and-through motion, and it is most often found in mallets.
- Fade BiasIntermediateA fade bias is a repeatable tendency to curve shots left to right (for a right-hander). Many better players prefer it for consistency and control, at some cost in distance.
- Fairway Bunker TechniqueIntermediateFairway bunker technique puts clean, ball-first contact ahead of distance. It uses a slightly narrower stance, a more level swing, and often one extra club.
- Falling Forward Through ImpactIntermediateFalling forward through impact is an overcorrected weight shift. Momentum carries the golfer's body noticeably past a balanced finish, toward or beyond the target, instead of finishing in control.
- Feel vs RealIntermediate"Feel vs real" is the frequent gap between what golfers feel and what a camera shows. The mismatch is normal, and it is why video review is so valuable.
- First Move Down (Starting the Downswing)IntermediateIn most good swings, the lower body starts the downswing. Pressure moves into the lead foot and the hips shift slightly toward the target while the upper body finishes the backswing. Then the hips and chest turn, and the arms and club follow.
- Flared DivotIntermediateA flared divot is wider or more angled at its start than at its end. It indicates the clubhead was rotating (opening or closing) through the strike rather than moving cleanly along a single path.
- Flat Lead Wrist at ImpactIntermediateA flat lead wrist at impact means the back of your lead hand lines up with your forearm, with no cup. To get there, keep your hands ahead of the clubhead and keep your body turning through the ball. Don't flip the club with your hands.
- FlipIntermediateA flip is a flick or scoop of the hands at impact, instead of forward shaft lean. It adds loft, kills compression, and is a defensive reaction to poor sequencing.
- Flyer LieIntermediateA flyer lie is one where grass gets trapped between the clubface and the ball at impact, cutting backspin. The ball comes off with less spin, flies or rolls farther than normal and is hard to stop on the green. Expect it when the ball sits up in light rough, and allow for extra distance.
- Flying ElbowIntermediateA flying elbow is the trail elbow lifting up and away from the body during the backswing. It disconnects the arms from the torso's rotation and often produces an overly steep, arms-dominant swing.
- Forged vs Cast IronsIntermediateForged irons are not automatically better. Forged heads are shaped from a solid billet of steel, while cast heads are made by pouring molten metal into a mold. Many players say forged irons feel softer. Casting costs less and makes forgiving cavity backs easy to build.
- Forward PressIntermediateA forward press is a small move of the hands or right knee toward the target just before the takeaway. It triggers the swing with consistent timing.
- Foursomes (Alternate Shot)IntermediateFoursomes, also called alternate shot, is a format where two partners play one ball and take turns hitting it. They also take turns teeing off, so one partner hits the first tee shot and the other hits the next hole's tee shot. It can be played as match play or stroke play.
- Frame Rate (Video Capture)IntermediateFrame rate is how many images per second a video captures. It directly determines how precisely fast moments of a swing, especially impact, can be measured.
- Free ReliefIntermediateFree relief is moving the ball to a better spot without a penalty. It covers cases like an immovable obstruction, ground under repair, or an embedded ball.
- Fried Egg Lie (Plugged Bunker Shot)IntermediateA fried egg is a ball plugged in its own crater in the sand. To dig under it, the usual method is a square or only slightly open face, with your weight leaning toward the target. Make a steep, digging swing into the sand just behind the ball with a short finish. The ball comes out low with little spin and rolls a long way, so aim for the fat part of the green.
- Gear EffectIntermediateGear effect is the extra spin and directional change from a strike away from the clubface's center of gravity. The clubhead twists slightly at impact, like two meshing gears.
- Golf Ball Compression RatingIntermediateCompression rating is how much a ball deforms at impact. Low-compression balls feel softer for slower swings, high-compression balls firmer for faster ones.
- Golf Plateaus (Why You're Not Getting Better)IntermediateYou may not be getting better because your practice doesn't match where you lose shots. Many golfers hit balls at the range while most of their extra strokes come from short shots, putts and big misses. Find your biggest leak, work on one change at a time and measure whether it improves.
- Grain (Putting Greens)IntermediateGrain is the direction the grass blades lean on a putting green. Putts rolling with the grain run faster and putts into it run slower, and grain can nudge the ball sideways too. It matters most on Bermuda grass greens and much less on bentgrass, where the blades grow nearly straight up.
- Green ReadingIntermediateGreen reading is judging a green's slope, grain, and speed. The goal is to predict how much, and which way, a putt will curve from its starting line.
- Greenside Bunker TechniqueIntermediateGreenside bunker technique uses an open stance and face. The club enters the sand a few inches behind the ball and never touches the ball on a good shot.
- Grip SizeIntermediateGrip size is fit to hand size, from undersize to oversize. A slightly larger grip can also quiet an overactive release by reducing hand action through impact.
- GroovesIntermediateGrooves are lines on the clubface that channel away water and debris and grip the ball to create spin. They matter most on wedge shots from rough and in wet conditions.
- Ground-First ContactIntermediateGround-first contact means the club hits the turf before the ball. It is the full-swing version of a fat or chunked shot, caused by the low point arriving too early.
- Handsy SwingIntermediateA handsy swing is one where the hands and wrists control the club instead of the body's turn. It makes the face and low point hard to repeat, so shots hook, block or hit fat and thin. Let your chest and hips power the swing, with the arms along for the ride.
- Hanging BackIntermediateHanging back is not shifting enough weight to the lead side by impact. The body's weight stays mostly on the trail foot at the moment of the strike.
- Heel StrikeIntermediateA heel strike is contact made closer to the shaft than the center of the clubface. It produces horizontal gear effect that pushes the ball right and reduces ball speed.
- Hinge and Hold (Short Game)IntermediateHinge and hold is a short-game technique. You hinge your wrists early in the backswing, then hold that angle through impact so the clubhead never passes your hands. The body turn moves the club, and the finish stays short, with the shaft still leaning forward.
- Hip and Thoracic Mobility for GolfIntermediateGolf needs your hips to rotate and your upper back, the thoracic spine, to turn and extend. When either is stiff, the lower back often makes up the difference. Simple drills such as 90/90 hip switches, open-book rotations and half-kneeling hip flexor stretches help many golfers turn more freely.
- Hip TurnIntermediateHip turn is the rotation of the pelvis around the spine during the golf swing. In the backswing it resists the shoulder coil; in the downswing it leads the kinetic chain to generate speed.
- Hitting a High Shot Over TreesIntermediateTo hit the ball higher over a tree, take more loft, move the ball slightly forward in your stance and tilt your spine a little away from the target. Make a full swing to a high finish. First check that the loft can clear the tree from your lie.
- Hitting Fairway Woods Off the GroundIntermediateTo hit a fairway wood off the ground, play the ball just inside your lead heel, a little back from your driver position. Make a wide, shallow swing that brushes the grass level or slightly downward. Don't try to lift the ball, because the loft gets it airborne.
- Hitting It FartherIntermediateMost golfers gain distance fastest by hitting the center of the face and getting the right launch and spin for their speed, before chasing more speed. To add swing speed, many coaches combine speed training, strength and mobility work with a fuller turn and better sequencing. Build any speed work up gradually.
- Hitting Long IronsIntermediateTo hit a 4-iron or another long iron, play the ball a little ahead of center and make your normal, smooth swing. Sweep the ball with a shallow strike and let the loft launch it. Don't try to lift it or swing harder.
- Hitting Off Pine StrawIntermediateTo hit off pine straw, keep your stance steady and pick the ball off cleanly. Hover the club instead of pressing it down, because the needles can shift and move the ball. Grip down, play the ball slightly back and make a smooth three-quarter swing.
- Hitting Out of the RoughIntermediateTo hit out of the rough, first judge the lie, and play a ball that sits up much like a fairway shot. If it sits down in thick grass, take a more lofted club, play it slightly back and grip a little firmer. Swing more steeply so less grass gets trapped between the club and ball at impact.
- How to Check Your Lie AngleIntermediateCheck your lie angle by hitting balls off a lie board with tape on the club's sole, then reading where the mark lands. A mark near the toe means the club is too flat for your swing. A mark near the heel means it is too upright. A centered mark means the club suits you.
- How to Create LagIntermediateLag comes from soft wrists and a downswing that starts from the ground up, not from holding an angle with force. Keep your grip pressure light, let the lower body start the downswing and let the club trail your hands. The angle then releases on its own through impact.
- How to Hit a DrawIntermediateTo hit a draw, swing the club on a path to the right of your target with the face closed to that path. The face should still point slightly right of target at impact. Aim your body a little right, aim the face nearer the target and swing along your body line.
- Impact PositionIntermediateImpact position is the body and club configuration at the moment the clubface meets the ball. It is the one swing frame that most determines ball flight.
- In-to-OutIntermediateIn-to-out describes a clubhead travelling rightward across the target line as it meets the ball, for a right-hander. It is the delivery direction underneath draws, hooks and pushes.
- Iron Contact PointIntermediateIron contact point is the specific spot on the clubface where the ball is struck. It determines ball speed, spin consistency, and the direction of any gear-effect curve, independent of swing path and face angle.
- Is My Driver Legal? (Conforming Clubs)IntermediateYour driver is legal if it conforms to the Equipment Rules, and an unaltered driver from a major brand is normally designed to. Under Rule 4.1a, a stroke with a non-conforming club means disqualification. Normal wear does not make a club non-conforming.
- Kick Point (Shaft Bend Point)IntermediateKick point, or bend point, is the area of a golf shaft that bends the most during the swing. A low kick point near the clubhead tends to launch the ball a little higher. A high kick point near the grip tends to launch it lower.
- Knock-Down ShotIntermediateA knock-down shot is an approach kept lower and more controlled than normal, usually with more club and a three-quarter swing. It fights wind or sharpens distance control.
- Lag PuttingIntermediateLag putting is the deliberate strategy of putting distance control ahead of making a long putt. The aim is a short, stress-free second putt rather than an aggressive attack on the hole.
- Laid Off at the TopIntermediateThe club is laid off when, at the top of the backswing, the shaft points left of the target for a right-handed golfer (right of it for a left-hander). It is the opposite of across the line. Many coaches link a strongly laid-off top to a steep, out-to-in downswing, but many good players swing from a slightly laid-off position.
- Landing Angle (Descent Angle)IntermediateLanding angle is the angle at which the ball comes down relative to the horizon. A steeper angle means less bounce and roll. TrackMan recommends more than 45 degrees for approach shots, and its PGA Tour averages are about 50 degrees for a 7-iron and 38 degrees for the driver.
- Launch AngleIntermediateLaunch angle is the vertical angle, in degrees above horizontal, at which the ball leaves the face. Together with spin it determines how high and far the ball flies.
- Launch Angle Benchmarks (Tour and Handicap Averages)IntermediateTrackMan's published averages put driver launch at 10.4° on the PGA Tour and 12.6° on the LPGA Tour. Male amateurs average 11.2° to 12.6° with the driver, and female amateurs 12.0° to 13.6°, depending on handicap. With a 6-iron, the PGA Tour averages 14.0° and the LPGA Tour 16.7°. Your own best number depends on your speed and spin, so get fitted rather than copy a tour figure.
- Launch Direction (Horizontal Launch)IntermediateLaunch direction is the horizontal angle the ball starts on, compared with the target line, measured right after it leaves the face. It tells you where the ball started, left or right. It comes mostly from where the clubface points at impact, plus a smaller effect from club path.
- Launch MonitorIntermediateA launch monitor uses radar or camera sensors to measure ball and clubhead data at impact. It quantifies a shot instead of relying on how it looked.
- Laying Up (Going for the Green vs Laying Up)IntermediateLay up when going for the green brings big trouble into play and you rarely reach it from that distance. Hit to your favorite full-wedge distance on the safe side of the fairway instead. Go for it when a miss still leaves an easy recovery or the reward clearly outweighs the risk.
- Lead Arm BendIntermediateLead arm bend is too much folding of the lead elbow in the backswing. It shortens the swing's radius and reduces the width and stored power of a fully extended backswing.
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