Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
144 terms
- Adjustable Driver HoselIntermediateAn adjustable driver hosel lets a golfer change the loft (typically ±1° to ±2°) and sometimes the lie angle or face angle at the connection between shaft and head, without buying a new club.
- Analysis Confidence LevelIntermediateAnalysis confidence level is a stated measure of how reliable a video-derived swing observation is, based on factors like camera angle, lighting, and frame rate. This means a safeguard against presenting a rough estimate as a certain fact.
- Analysis ParalysisIntermediateAnalysis paralysis is trying to consciously monitor too many mechanical details during a swing at once. This interferes with the largely automatic motion a well-practiced swing is supposed to be.
- Arm SwingIntermediateThe arm swing is the movement of the arms across and around the body during the golf swing. This must coordinate with body rotation to produce a consistent, powerful arc.
- Ascending BlowIntermediateAn ascending blow is contact made. At the same time, the clubhead is still moving upward relative to the ground, the intended angle of attack for a driver teed up, and generally undesired for iron shots struck off the turf.
- Backswing-to-Downswing RatioIntermediateBackswing-to-downswing ratio is the precise, frame-counted timing measurement of a swing's two halves, used by video analysis tools to track a golfer's tempo objectively across sessions rather than by feel.
- Ball CompressionIntermediateBall compression is how much the golf ball deforms against the clubface at the moment of impact, with more effective compression (from clean, centered, descending contact) producing more efficient energy transfer and a more penetrating flight.
- Ball Flight LawsIntermediateThe ball flight laws are the set of physical variables at impact. This means face angle, swing path, angle of attack, strike location, dynamic loft, and clubhead speed. This means that together determine every trait of a shot's flight.
- Ball SpeedIntermediateBall speed is how fast the ball leaves the clubface, measured in miles per hour. It is the single biggest driver of carry distance.
- Ball-First ContactIntermediateBall-first contact means the club strikes the ball before it reaches the ground, the fundamental requirement for a clean, compressed iron or wedge shot.
- BallooningIntermediateBallooning is when a shot. This means typically a driver. This means climbs steeply into the air and stalls, losing distance. This is because of excessive spin rate and too-high launch angle.
- Baseline SwingIntermediateA baseline swing is a recorded reference swing captured before starting work on a specific change, used as the fixed comparison point every later retest is measured against.
- Bellied WedgeIntermediateA bellied wedge is contact made with the leading edge striking the ball around its middle rather than the sole and face engaging lower. This produces a low, running shot that is less severe than a full skull but still an unwanted mis-hit.
- Blade vs. Cavity BackIntermediateBlades (muscle backs) concentrate mass behind the sweet spot for feel and workability. Cavity backs move mass to the perimeter for a larger sweet spot and higher forgiveness on mishits.
- Bladed IronIntermediateA bladed iron is a severe thin strike where the leading edge, not the face, contacts the ball. This produces a low, hard, running shot with essentially no spin or control. This means the full-swing counterpart to a skulled chip.
- Block PracticeIntermediateBlock practice is repeating the same shot with the same club to the same target over and over. This builds a new motor pattern quickly but transfers less reliably to the varied conditions of an actual round.
- Blocked PushIntermediateA blocked push is a straight shot that starts and stays right of target with almost no curve. It is caused by a clubface that matches an in-to-out path but the whole delivery is aimed too far right.
- Bounce (Wedge)IntermediateBounce is the downward angle built into a wedge's sole, measured in degrees, that helps the club glide through sand or turf instead of digging in. This means higher bounce suits soft conditions and steep swings, lower bounce suits firm turf and shallow swings.
- Breaking 80IntermediateBreaking 80 means finishing 18 holes in fewer than 80 strokes, a milestone typically associated with a single-digit handicap and generally requiring consistent ball-striking across every part of the game rather than one standout skill.
- 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-Based Launch MonitorIntermediateA camera-based launch monitor uses high-speed cameras and image processing to capture club and ball data from the fraction of a second around impact, rather than tracking the ball's full flight through the air.
- CastingIntermediateCasting is releasing the wrist angles too early in the downswing. This means like a fisherman throwing a line. This means which destroys lag, reduces speed, and adds loft at impact.
- Casting from the TopIntermediateCasting from the top is when the wrists unload immediately at the start of the downswing. This comes from the very top of the backswing. This means before the lower body has had a chance to lead.
- Chicken WingIntermediateA chicken wing is the lead elbow bending and pointing away from the body through and after impact, instead of extending, usually a compensation for an out-to-in path or a blocked, stuck downswing.
- Claw Grip (Putting)IntermediateThe claw grip separates the trail hand from the lead hand on the putter, holding the handle more like a pencil against the palm than wrapped around it. This means a popular fix for excess trail-hand wrist action and the putting yips.
- Club FittingIntermediateClub fitting is a launch-monitor-based process that matches shaft, length, lie angle, loft, and head design to an individual golfer's swing, rather than relying on stock, off-the-rack specifications built for an average golfer.
- Club LengthIntermediateClub length is fitted to a golfer's height, arm length, and posture at address. This means a mismatched length changes lie angle at impact and forces compensations that can undermine consistency more than most golfers realize.
- 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.
- ConnectionIntermediateConnection is keeping the arms and body moving together during the swing. As a result, the arms never get ahead of or behind the body's rotation, maintaining a consistent arc and face delivery.
- Course ManagementIntermediateCourse management is the decision-making strategy for where to aim. This club to use, and how to play each hole to minimize risk and score effectively relative to your skills.
- Course Rating vs Slope RatingIntermediateCourse rating estimates the score a scratch golfer would shoot on a course. At the same time, slope rating measures how much harder that same course plays for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch golfer. This means 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. As a result, the lead hand sits below the trail hand on the handle. This means a common fix for golfers whose trail hand dominates and breaks down the lead wrist through impact.
- DecelerationIntermediateDeceleration is when the club slows down through the impact zone instead of accelerating past the ball. This means a common cause of mishits on chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
- Deep DivotIntermediateA deep divot is an unusually thick chunk of turf taken on an iron shot. This indicates a steep angle of attack or a low point positioned too far behind the ball, both of which cost distance and consistency.
- Descending BlowIntermediateA descending blow is contact made. At the same time, the club is still moving downward relative to the ground, the standard, correct angle of attack for iron and wedge shots struck off the turf.
- Distance ControlIntermediateDistance control is calibrating how far the ball travels. This means in putting by swing length and tempo, in the short game by carry distance. This means. As a result, the ball ends up close to its target.
- 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.
- Draw BiasIntermediateA draw bias is a golfer's repeatable tendency to curve shots right-to-left (for a right-hander), whether by natural swing pattern. A related detail is a deliberate stock shot, or equipment setup, as opposed to a golfer who tends to fade or hit it straight.
- Driver LoftIntermediateDriver loft is the angle stamped on the club face — typically 8–12° for tour players, higher for moderate swing speeds. The correct loft maximizes carry by delivering the optimal launch-spin combination.
- Drop ProcedureIntermediateThe modern drop procedure requires releasing the ball from knee height, straight down, within the defined relief area. This means a simpler process than the older shoulder-height drop. But one still commonly done incorrectly.
- Early ReleaseIntermediateAn early release is when the wrists unhinge and the forearms fire before the hands reach the hitting zone, costing lag, speed, and compression.
- Explosion ShotIntermediateAn explosion shot (also called a splash shot) is a standard greenside bunker shot named for the visible spray of sand the club displaces as it slides underneath the ball, lifting it out without direct clubface contact.
- 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 golfer's repeatable tendency to curve shots left-to-right (for a right-hander). This many better players prefer for its consistency and control even though it typically sacrifices some distance compared to a draw.
- Fairway Bunker TechniqueIntermediateFairway bunker technique prioritizes clean ball-first contact over distance. This uses a slightly narrower stance, a more level swing, and often one club more than a comparable fairway shot to make up for choked-down grip and reduced swing speed.
- Falling Forward Through ImpactIntermediateFalling forward through impact is an overcorrected weight shift where momentum carries the golfer's body noticeably past a balanced finish, toward or beyond the target, rather than finishing in control.
- Feel vs RealIntermediate"Feel vs real" describes the frequent gap between what a golfer senses their body is doing during a swing and what a camera actually shows it doing. This means a mismatch that is completely normal and is exactly why video review is. As a result, valuable.
- Flared DivotIntermediateA flared divot is wider or more angled at its start than at its end. This indicates the clubhead was rotating (opening or closing) through the strike rather than moving cleanly along a single path.
- FlipIntermediateA flip is when the hands flick or scoop under the ball at impact rather than the shaft leaning forward. This means it adds loft, kills compression, and is a defensive reaction to poor sequencing.
- Flying ElbowIntermediateA flying elbow is the trail elbow lifting up and away from the body during the backswing, disconnecting the arms from the torso's rotation and often producing an overly steep, arms-dominant swing.
- Forward PressIntermediateA forward press is a small movement of the hands or right knee toward the target just before the takeaway. This means a trigger to start the swing in motion with consistent timing.
- Frame Rate (Video Capture)IntermediateFrame rate is how many individual images per second a video captures. It directly determines how precisely fast-moving moments of a golf swing. This means especially impact. This means can be measured from that footage.
- Free ReliefIntermediateFree relief means moving the ball to a better spot with no penalty stroke added. This means available for situations like an immovable obstruction, ground under repair, or an embedded ball, distinguishing it from penalty relief options like unplayable lie or a penalty area.
- Gear EffectIntermediateGear effect is the extra spin and directional change produced when the ball is struck away from the clubface's center of gravity. This causes the clubhead to twist slightly at impact like two meshing gears.
- Golf Ball Compression RatingIntermediateCompression rating describes how much a golf ball deforms at impact. This means lower-compression balls suit slower swing speeds and feel softer. At the same time, higher-compression balls suit faster swing speeds and feel firmer, though modern ball design has narrowed the practical difference.
- Green ReadingIntermediateGreen reading is assessing the slope, grain, and speed of a putting surface to predict how much and which way the ball will curve from its starting line to the hole.
- Greenside Bunker TechniqueIntermediateGreenside bunker technique opens the stance and clubface, aims a few inches behind the ball, and swings through the sand rather than at the ball. This means the club never actually contacts the ball directly on a properly played bunker shot.
- Grip SizeIntermediateGrip size. This means undersize, standard, midsize, or oversize. This means is fit to hand size and can also be used to quiet an overactive release. This means a slightly larger grip tends to reduce excess hand action through impact.
- GroovesIntermediateGrooves are the channel-like lines on the clubface that channel away water and debris, grip the ball surface, and generate spin. This means especially critical for wedge shots from rough and wet conditions.
- Ground-First ContactIntermediateGround-first contact means the club strikes the turf before reaching the ball. A related detail is the general full-swing version of a fat or chunked shot, caused by the swing's low point arriving too early.
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