Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
110 terms
- Address PositionBeginnerAddress position is the complete setup posture a golfer takes just before starting the swing. This means grip, stance, alignment, ball position, posture, and weight distribution all combined into one starting frame.
- AlignmentBeginnerAlignment is the direction the body and clubface are aimed at address. Poor alignment is one of the most common causes of off-target shots even with a good swing.
- Approach ShotBeginnerAn approach shot is any shot hit toward the green with the intent of reaching or setting up the putting surface, most commonly the second shot on a par 4 or the second or third shot on a par 5.
- BackswingBeginnerThe backswing is the movement of the club from address to the top position. Its purpose is to create the width, shoulder turn, and wrist hinge needed to generate power on the way down.
- Ball PositionBeginnerBall position is where the ball sits in your stance — from the front foot for a driver to the center for short irons. It directly controls the low point and attack angle.
- Ball Position — DriverBeginnerDriver ball position sits forward in the stance, typically off the lead heel or slightly inside it. As a result, the club meets the ball on the upswing after the low point of the swing arc has already passed.
- Ball Position — IronsBeginnerIron ball position moves progressively back in the stance as the clubs get shorter. This comes from just forward of center with long irons to closer to center with short irons and wedges. This means supporting the slightly descending strike irons require.
- Banana SliceBeginnerA banana slice is the exaggerated, wide left-to-right curve. This means usually starting near or left of target and bending hard right. This means most associated with beginner and high-handicap golfers.
- Beginner Slice FixBeginnerFor most beginners, a slice comes from an open clubface relative to an out-to-in swing path. The fastest fix is usually strengthening the grip and feeling the club swing more from inside the target line, not swinging "harder" or "straighter."
- Best Ball vs Scramble FormatBeginnerIn best ball, each teammate plays their own ball throughout the hole and the team counts the lowest individual score. In a scramble, everyone tees off and the team picks the best shot, then all players hit their next shot from that same spot.
- Birdie and Eagle ExplainedBeginnerA birdie is a score of one stroke under par on a hole. An eagle is two strokes under par. This means both are notable, celebrated results that most golfers, even good ones, make only occasionally.
- Blade PutterBeginnerA blade putter has a slim, classic head shape with less perimeter weighting than a mallet, and is more often toe-hang balanced. This means a design that suits golfers with a natural arcing stroke and a preference for feel and feedback.
- Bogey GolfBeginner"Bogey golf" describes shooting roughly one over par on every hole. This means around 90 for an 18-hole, par-72 course. This means a common and respectable benchmark for a solidly developing recreational golfer.
- Breaking 100BeginnerBreaking 100 means finishing an 18-hole round in fewer than 100 total strokes. This means usually the first major scoring milestone a new golfer aims for. It depends far more on avoiding disaster holes than on hitting great shots.
- Breaking 90BeginnerBreaking 90 means finishing 18 holes in fewer than 90 strokes, the milestone that typically separates a developing golfer from a genuinely competent one. It usually requires a reliable short game more than a longer drive.
- Bump-and-RunBeginnerA bump-and-run is a low chip that uses the fringe and green to deliver the ball. This means bumped onto the surface just past the fringe and allowed to run to the hole like a putt.
- Camera Angle GuidanceBeginnerCamera angle guidance is instruction on where to place the camera before filming a swing for analysis. This means typically down-the-line and face-on. Because the wrong angle can hide or distort exactly the information the analysis needs.
- Carry DistanceBeginnerCarry distance is how far the ball travels through the air before it first lands — distinct from total distance, which includes roll.
- Chili-DipBeginnerA chili-dip is the most extreme version of a chunked chip. This means the club digs. As a result, far behind the ball on a very short finesse shot that the ball barely moves at all, sometimes traveling just a few inches.
- Chip-and-RunBeginnerA chip-and-run is a low, bouncing chip that gets on the putting surface quickly and rolls toward the hole. This means the safest short-game choice when there is room between the ball and the green edge.
- ChippingBeginnerChipping is a short shot played from just off the green. This means a small swing that gets the ball rolling on the green quickly. This uses the putting surface to carry it to the hole.
- Chipping StanceBeginnerA good chipping stance narrows the feet, leans the shaft and weight slightly toward the target, and plays the ball back of center. This means a setup built for crisp, ball-first contact rather than the full-swing posture used for longer shots.
- ChunkBeginnerA chunk (fat shot) is when the club strikes the ground before the ball. This means too early a low point. This means sending a short, low shot that often loses most of its distance.
- Chunked ChipBeginnerA chunked chip is a fat contact on a short finesse shot near the green. This applies where the club strikes the ground well before the ball, absorbing speed and leaving the shot sharply short of the target.
- Closed StanceBeginnerA closed stance aligns the feet, hips, and shoulders right of the target line (for a right-hander), a setup sometimes used deliberately to hit a draw but more often an unintentional cause of a push or hook.
- Club SelectionBeginnerClub selection is choosing the right club for each shot based on real carry distance, lie, wind, elevation, and hazard placement. This means one of the highest-impact decisions in scoring.
- Common Beginner Swing FaultsBeginnerThe handful of misses nearly every beginner experiences. This means topped shots, chunked shots, slices, and shanks. This means almost all trace back to a small set of setup and contact issues rather than dozens of unrelated problems.
- 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. This uses that course's slope rating.
- Curve Ball FlightBeginnerA curve ball flight is any shot that bends noticeably left or right in the air, produced whenever the clubface angle and swing path differ enough at impact to tilt the ball's spin axis away from horizontal.
- Data Overload (Too Many Metrics)BeginnerData overload happens when a golfer is shown. As a result, many numbers from a launch monitor or video analysis at once that no single one gets acted on. This means more information without clear prioritization can leave a golfer more confused, not less.
- Double Bogey and Blow-Up HolesBeginnerA double bogey is two strokes over par on a hole. A "blow-up hole" is the more casual term for any hole that goes much worse than that, and learning to limit blow-up holes is usually the single biggest lever a beginner has for lowering their score.
- Double-HitBeginnerA double-hit occurs when the clubhead contacts the ball a second time during the same swing, most common on slow, decelerating chips and pitches near the green, and counts as an extra stroke under the rules.
- Down-the-Line ViewBeginnerThe down-the-line view films the swing from directly behind the golfer along the target line. It is the best angle for reading swing plane, club path, and delivery position.
- DrawBeginnerA draw is a controlled shot that curves gently from right to left for a right-handed golfer (the opposite for a lefty). It is produced by a clubface slightly closed to the swing path but still open to the target line.
- Face-On ViewBeginnerThe face-on view films the swing from directly in front of the golfer. It is the best angle for reading hip and shoulder rotation, weight transfer, spine tilt, and early extension.
- FadeBeginnerA fade is a small, controllable left-to-right bend for a right-hander. This means the tame, repeatable cousin of a slice. The shape many pro players play as their stock ball.
- Fairway WoodBeginnerA fairway wood is a lower-lofted, larger-headed club (commonly a 3-, 5-, or 7-wood) designed to be hit off the turf as well as a tee, covering long-distance shots between the driver and hybrids or long irons.
- Fairways HitBeginnerFairways hit tracks driving accuracy. This means the percentage of tee shots on par 4s and par 5s that finish in the fairway. This means a key input into greens in regulation, since a fairway lie makes hitting the green with the approach shot meaningfully easier.
- Follow-ThroughBeginnerThe follow-through is the path the club takes after impact — swinging up and around to a balanced finish. It is not just cosmetic: a full, free finish confirms the swing was not decelerated through the ball.
- Game-Improvement IronsBeginnerGame-improvement irons use a wide sole, thick top line, and hollow or heavily perimeter-weighted construction to maximize forgiveness and launch. This means the recommended category for the large majority of recreational golfers.
- Gap WedgeBeginnerThe gap wedge, typically 50° to 52° of loft, fills the yardage hole between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. This means some manufacturers market the identical club as an "approach wedge" or "A-wedge."
- Gimme PuttBeginnerA "gimme" is a short putt that playing partners agree is close enough to the hole that it can be counted as made without actually being holed. This means a casual convention rather than an official rule, and formally allowed only in match play through a genuine concession.
- Golf Ball DimplesBeginnerDimples are the small indentations covering a golf ball's surface that reduce aerodynamic drag and manage lift, letting the ball fly farther and more predictably than a smooth ball would.
- Golf Swing BasicsBeginnerGolf swing basics are the handful of fundamentals. This means grip, stance, posture. A simple takeaway. This means that everything else in the swing is built on, and getting these right before adding complexity prevents most early bad habits.
- Greens in Regulation (GIR)BeginnerGreens in Regulation (GIR) counts how often a golfer reaches the putting surface in "regulation". This means two strokes fewer than par (par minus 2). This means and is the single most commonly used measure of overall ball-striking quality.
- GripBeginnerThe grip is how your hands hold the club. It is the only contact you have with the club, so it controls the clubface more than any other fundamental.
- Grip PressureBeginnerGrip pressure is how tightly the hands hold the club. Most instructors recommend a light-to-moderate pressure — enough to hold the club securely, loose enough to allow wrist hinge and a free release.
- Handicap IndexBeginnerA Handicap Index is the World Handicap System (WHS) measure of a golfer's demonstrated playing ability on a neutral course. A lower index means a better player.
- Hip HingeBeginnerThe hip hinge is bending forward from the hip joints (not the waist) to establish the correct spine angle at address. It is the foundation of athletic posture in golf.
- HookBeginnerA hook bends hard from right to left for a right-handed golfer, almost always further than intended. This is. This is because the face is pointing well left of wherever the head was travelling.
- Hybrid ClubBeginnerA hybrid blends a fairway wood's wider sole and higher launch with an iron's shorter length and more upright lie. This makes long-distance shots easier to hit high and land softly than a comparable long iron.
- Interlocking GripBeginnerThe interlocking grip links the lead hand's index finger with the trail hand's pinky finger, weaving the two hands together. This means a popular choice for players with smaller or weaker hands, including many tour pro players.
- Knee FlexBeginnerKnee flex at address is the slight bend in the knees that creates an athletic, ready posture. This means enough to feel springy and stable, not. As a result, much that it restricts hip rotation.
- Lost BallBeginnerA ball is officially lost if it isn't found within three minutes of the group beginning to search for it. This means once that window closes, the golfer must take stroke-and-distance relief, replaying the shot from its original spot plus a one-stroke penalty.
- Mallet PutterBeginnerA mallet putter uses a larger, often geometric head shape with weight pushed to the perimeter for high forgiveness and, frequently, a face-balanced design suited to a straighter-back-and-through stroke.
- Match Play vs Stroke PlayBeginnerStroke play scores every shot across the whole round for a cumulative total. Match play scores hole by hole, awarding each hole to whoever takes fewer strokes on it. As a result, a single bad hole only costs one point, not a pile of extra strokes.
- MulliganBeginnerA mulligan is an informal "do-over". This means hitting a second ball after a poor shot without counting the first one. This means that has no basis in the actual rules of golf and is purely a casual, friendly-round convention.
- Narrow StanceBeginnerA narrow stance places the feet closer together than shoulder width, trading some stability for more freedom of hip rotation. This means typically used on shorter shots like chips, pitches, and short irons.
- Net Score vs Gross ScoreBeginnerGross score is the actual number of strokes taken. Net score subtracts a player's course handicap from that total, letting golfers of different skill levels compete on a fair, adjusted basis.
- Neutral GripBeginnerA neutral grip has the lead hand rotated. As a result, 2–2.5 knuckles are visible at address and the trail hand's palm faces the target. This means the "middle" grip position that squares the face without extra hand manipulation.
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