Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
57 terms
- 3D Swing AnalysisAdvanced3D swing analysis reconstructs the golf swing in three-dimensional space from motion capture or multi-camera video, letting angles like hip rotation or spine tilt be measured directly instead of estimated from a flat, single-angle image.
- Aim PointAdvancedAim point green reading uses the feet to feel slope percentage underfoot, then converts that number into a finger-count aim spot near the hole. This means a systematic, feel-based alternative to purely visual break reading.
- Attack AngleAdvancedAttack angle is the vertical direction the clubhead is moving at impact. Negative means hitting down on the ball; positive means hitting up.
- BlockingAdvancedBlocking is when the arms and club fail to fully release through impact. This means the face is held open and the ball flies straight right (for a right-hander) with no draw curve.
- Bowed WristAdvancedA bowed wrist at the top of the backswing means the lead wrist flexes toward the palm (like a bow), closing the clubface and storing power for a powerful, face-controlled delivery.
- Center of Gravity (Club)AdvancedA clubhead's center of gravity is the balance point manufacturers shift low and back to raise launch and reduce spin, or forward and low to promote a lower, more penetrating trajectory. This means a key design lever behind driver and iron performance.
- 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).
- Cold ShankAdvancedA cold shank is a shank that appears without warning in an otherwise solid ball-striking session, caused by contact on the hosel rather than the face. This sends the ball sharply right at a steep angle.
- Compensation PatternAdvancedA compensation pattern is a movement the body adds, usually unconsciously, to offset an earlier fault and still make contact with the ball. This means it often becomes a habit in its own right, layered on top of the original problem.
- Cupped WristAdvancedA cupped wrist at the top of the backswing means the lead wrist bends backward (away from the palm), opening the clubface and commonly contributing to slices or weak fades.
- D-PlaneAdvancedThe D-Plane is the modern model explaining that a ball's initial direction is determined mostly by face angle (not path). At the same time, path relative to face determines the curve. This means replacing the older, oversimplified "path starts it, face curves it" idea.
- Deliberate PracticeAdvancedDeliberate practice is structured, focused improvement work with specific targets, immediate feedback, and repeated challenge at the edge of current ability. This means distinct from casual hitting or playing rounds.
- Delivery PositionAdvancedDelivery position describes where the club shaft and clubface point relative to the body and target line in the final moments before impact. This means the checkpoint coaches and video analysis use to predict where a shot is headed before it is actually struck.
- DispersionAdvancedDispersion is how spread out your shots are, plotted as a pattern. A tight dispersion means repeatable contact; a wide one signals uneven results in face, path, or strike.
- Doppler Radar TrackingAdvancedDoppler radar tracking measures a golf shot by bouncing radio waves off the ball and club in flight and reading the frequency shift, calculating speed, spin, and trajectory from actual flight data rather than a single frozen frame.
- Duck HookAdvancedA duck hook is a low, hard, sudden left-diving shot caused by a closed clubface relative to a steep, out-to-in or excessively in-to-out path at impact, often with an active release and a flip of the hands.
- Dynamic LoftAdvancedDynamic loft is the actual loft presented by the face at impact — not the loft stamped on the club. It is the main driver of how high the ball launches.
- Early ExtensionAdvancedEarly extension is thrusting the hips toward the ball during the downswing. This causes the golfer to stand up out of posture and forces compensations at impact.
- Face AngleAdvancedFace angle is where the clubface points at impact, relative to the target line, in degrees. It determines roughly 75–85% of the ball's starting direction.
- Flop ShotAdvancedA flop shot is a very high, soft-landing chip or pitch played with a wide-open lob wedge that stops quickly. This means used when there is little green between the ball and the hole.
- Good MissAdvancedA good miss is the preferred side to miss on a given shot. This means the direction or location where an error results in the easiest recovery or least damage.
- Handle DragAdvancedHandle drag is the trail hand pulling the grip end of the club down and forward through the downswing. As a result, the handle leads the clubhead into impact, the mechanism that creates forward shaft lean and compression.
- High Cut ShotAdvancedA high cut shot is a deliberately high-launching left-to-right shot that lands softly with minimal roll. This is useful for stopping the ball quickly on firm greens or navigating around trouble on the left side of a hole.
- High-Spin MissAdvancedA high-spin miss is a shot with excessive backspin that climbs too steeply, loses forward momentum, and falls short of its expected distance. This means most commonly from a high-face driver strike or a steep angle of attack.
- Hip ClearanceAdvancedHip clearance is the rotation of the lead hip out of the way through impact. This creates room for the arms and club to swing freely past the body.
- Hip–Shoulder SeparationAdvancedHip–shoulder separation is the angular gap between the hips and shoulders at the start of the downswing. A larger, well-timed gap stretches the core and releases into club speed.
- Horizontal Gear EffectAdvancedHorizontal gear effect is the sidespin added when the ball is struck toward the heel or toe of the face, curving the ball opposite the direction of the miss. This means toe strikes tend to draw, heel strikes tend to fade.
- LagAdvancedLag is the acute angle between the lead arm and the shaft in the downswing. This means the loaded position that releases into club speed at impact when timed correctly.
- Lateral ShiftAdvancedA lateral shift is the small move of the hips toward the target at the start of the downswing. It moves the low point forward and sets up the lead-side post, working with hip rotation rather than replacing it.
- Lie AngleAdvancedLie angle is the angle between the shaft and the ground when the club is soled correctly. A lie angle that is too upright pulls shots left; too flat and they drift right (for a right-hander).
- Low Draw ShotAdvancedA low draw shot is a deliberately low-launching, right-to-left curving shot that runs out by a lot on landing. This is useful for navigating under obstacles on the right side of a hole or maximizing roll on firm fairways.
- Low-Spin MissAdvancedA low-spin miss is a shot with sharply reduced backspin, usually from a thin or low-face strike, that flies with an unstable, hard to predict, "knuckling" trajectory rather than the expected controlled flight.
- Moment of Inertia (MOI)AdvancedMoment of inertia (MOI) measures a clubhead's resistance to twisting on off-center hits. This means a higher MOI keeps the face more stable at impact. This is why perimeter-weighted, forgiving clubs reliably retain more ball speed on mishits.
- Players IronsAdvancedPlayers irons use a compact head, thin top line, and modest perimeter weighting to prioritize shot-shaping control and feedback over maximum forgiveness. This means best suited to golfers whose contact is already reliably near the center of the face.
- Plumb BobbingAdvancedPlumb bobbing is dangling the putter vertically from the fingers, closing one eye. Using the shaft as a plumb line against the hole to estimate which way a putt breaks. This means a once-popular technique now considered less reliable than modern methods.
- Pose EstimationAdvancedPose estimation is the computer-vision technique of identifying a person's body position, joint by joint, from an ordinary 2D video frame. This means the core technology behind markerless swing analysis apps.
- Practice TransferAdvancedPractice transfer is how well improvements made on the range carry over to performance on the course. High transfer practice is variable and game-like; low transfer is repetitive and blocked.
- Pull-HookAdvancedThe pull-hook is golf's biggest miss: gone left immediately, then bending further left still, with two errors compounding rather than cancelling.
- Reverse Spine AngleAdvancedA reverse spine angle is excessive backward spine tilt toward the target at the top of the backswing. This places the upper body in a position that is difficult to unwind safely and reliably on the downswing.
- Scratch GolferAdvancedA scratch golfer is one with a Handicap Index of 0.0. This means someone who, on an average day, is expected to shoot right around the course rating, a benchmark reached by only a small fraction of golfers.
- ShallowingAdvancedShallowing is when the club shaft flattens (becomes more horizontal) in the early downswing. This allows it to approach the ball from inside the target line for a powerful, in-to-out delivery.
- Shank PatternAdvancedA shank pattern is a recurring, structural tendency to strike the ball off the hosel, distinct from an isolated cold shank, usually traced to a consistent setup or swing-path cause.
- Single-Digit HandicapAdvancedA single-digit handicap. This means a Handicap Index between 0.0 and 9.9. This means identifies a genuinely accomplished amateur golfer, typically representing well under 10% of golfers who track an official handicap.
- Skeletal TrackingAdvancedSkeletal tracking is software that identifies a person's joints and limbs from a video image and connects them into a simplified stick-figure model. This means the technical foundation that lets a single smartphone video estimate body positions throughout a swing.
- Smothered HookAdvancedA smothered hook is a low, hooded shot that never gets airborne, caused by an excessively closed clubface at impact combined with a delofted, shut position through the strike.
- Snap HookAdvancedA snap hook is a sudden, sharp left curve that appears late but violently in the ball flight. This typically from a clubface that closes rapidly relative to path in the last moments before impact.
- Stinger ShotAdvancedA stinger is a deliberately low, boring, low-spin shot. This means usually hit with a driver or long iron off the tee. This means that stays under wind and rolls out extra yards on landing, made famous by tour players in windy major championships.
- Strokes GainedAdvancedStrokes gained measures how many strokes a player gains or loses relative to a benchmark (tour average or peer group) on each category of shots. This means off the tee, approach, around the green, and putting.
- Swing SequencingAdvancedSwing sequencing is the order and timing in which body segments. This means hips, torso, arms, then club. This means accelerate and peak in speed during the downswing. It is the biomechanical signature that separates efficient power transfer from a swing that looks fast but isn't.
- Swing WeightAdvancedSwing weight is a measurement of how heavy a club feels during the swing based on where its weight is distributed. It is expressed on a letter-number scale (commonly C9 to D5) rather than the club's total weight in grams.
- The SlotAdvanced"The slot" is the ideal delivery channel for the club in the downswing. This means an inside, shallowed path between the target line and the shoulder plane that allows an efficient, in-to-out strike.
- Toe-Down ImpactAdvancedToe-down impact is the natural drooping of the clubhead's toe due to shaft dynamics and gravity during the downswing. This shifts the effective strike location toward the toe if not accounted for at setup.
- Trail Elbow CollapseAdvancedTrail elbow collapse is the trail elbow over-folding and losing structure in the downswing. This causes the club to lose width and speed and often forcing a compensating early release or chicken wing.
- TransitionAdvancedThe transition is the moment the swing changes direction from backswing to downswing. How the body initiates this moment determines sequencing, lag, and the resulting club path.
- Two-Way MissAdvancedA two-way miss is when a player misses both left and right — sometimes hooking, sometimes pushing — because face and path are compensating each other inconsistently.
- Vertical Gear EffectAdvancedVertical gear effect is the change in spin rate and launch angle caused by contact above or below the clubface's center of gravity. This means high strikes add backspin and launch, low strikes reduce spin and can flatten trajectory.
- Wedge GrindAdvancedWedge grind refers to how the sole of a wedge is shaped and relieved beyond its basic loft and bounce number. This fine-tunes how the club interacts with the turf for specific playing conditions and shot styles.
See these terms in your own swing
SwingVantage analyzes your swing against these benchmarks — free to start.
Analyze My Golf Swing Free