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Golf Glossary
Learn the language of Golf — answer-first definitions with real examples, beginner to pro.
234 terms
- Across the LineIntermediateThe club is across the line when, at the top of the backswing, the shaft points right of the target for a right-handed golfer (left of it for a left-hander). It often comes with a long backswing or a flying trail elbow. Many coaches link it to an inside-out path with blocks and hooks, though some players shallow the club and play well from it.
- Adjustable Driver HoselIntermediateAn adjustable driver hosel sits where the shaft meets the head. It lets a golfer change loft (usually ±1° to ±2°), and sometimes lie or face angle, without a new club.
- Alternative to Stroke and Distance (Local Rule E-5)IntermediateModel Local Rule E-5 gives an extra option for a lost or out-of-bounds ball where a committee has adopted it. For two penalty strokes, drop in a zone between where the ball was lost or went out and the fairway, no nearer the hole. Without the Local Rule, stroke and distance applies.
- Analysis Confidence LevelIntermediateAnalysis confidence level is a stated measure of how reliable a video-derived swing observation is. It keeps a rough estimate from passing as a certain fact.
- Analysis ParalysisIntermediateAnalysis paralysis is consciously monitoring too many mechanical details mid-swing. It interferes with the largely automatic motion of a well-practiced swing.
- Apex (Peak Height)IntermediateApex, or peak height, is the highest point of the ball's flight, measured from the height it was launched. On TrackMan's PGA Tour averages, most clubs from driver to wedge peak at about 25 to 29 meters (roughly 27 to 32 yards). Slower swings peak lower, and the right height for you depends on your ball speed.
- 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 while the clubhead is moving upward. It is the goal with a teed-up driver but usually unwanted for iron shots off the turf.
- Asking for Advice (The Advice Rule)IntermediateNo, in a competition you must not ask a playing partner what club they hit. Under Rule 10.2a you may ask only your caddie, or your partner in a team format. Asking or giving advice brings the general penalty: two strokes in stroke play or loss of the hole in match play.
- Backswing-to-Downswing RatioIntermediateBackswing-to-downswing ratio is the frame-counted timing of a swing's two halves. Video tools use it to track tempo objectively across sessions, not by feel.
- Ball Above or Below Your Feet (Sidehill Lie)IntermediateWith the ball above your feet, grip down the club, stand a little taller and aim right, since the ball tends to curve left. With the ball below your feet, flex your knees more, keep your weight toward your heels and aim left, since it tends to curve right. These directions are for right-handers, and left-handers reverse them.
- Ball Against the CollarIntermediateWhen your ball rests against the collar of longer grass, try a bellied-wedge putt. Hold a sand wedge like a putter, raise it slightly and strike the ball's equator with the leading edge. The club skims through the grass and the ball rolls like a putt.
- Ball CompressionIntermediateBall compression is how much the ball squashes against the clubface at impact. Clean, centered, descending strikes compress it well for a more penetrating flight.
- Ball Flight LawsIntermediateThe ball flight laws are the impact variables that decide how a shot flies. They are face angle, swing path, attack angle, strike location, dynamic loft, and clubhead speed.
- Ball in a DivotIntermediateTo hit a ball sitting in a divot, play it slightly back in your stance with your hands a little forward. Make a steeper, shorter swing that hits down on the ball before the ground. Expect a lower shot with less spin and more roll, so allow for it. A divot hole is not ground under repair under the Rules, so you play it as it lies unless a local rule says otherwise.
- 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 Under the Bunker LipIntermediateWhen your ball sits right under a bunker lip, first decide whether any shot can clear the lip. If one can, open the face of your most lofted wedge, set your shoulders along the slope and swing hard into the sand behind the ball. If not, play out sideways or backward.
- Ball-First ContactIntermediateBall-first contact means the club strikes the ball before it reaches the ground. It is the fundamental requirement for a clean, compressed iron or wedge shot.
- BallooningIntermediateBallooning is when a shot, usually with a driver, climbs steeply and stalls. Too much spin and too high a launch angle cost it distance.
- Baseline SwingIntermediateA baseline swing is a reference swing recorded before you start work on a specific change. It is the fixed point every later retest is measured against.
- Bellied WedgeIntermediateA bellied wedge is a strike where the leading edge hits the ball around its middle. The shot comes out low and running: milder than a full skull, but still a mis-hit.
- Blade vs. Cavity BackIntermediateBlades (muscle backs) put mass behind the sweet spot for feel and workability. Cavity backs move mass to the perimeter for a bigger sweet spot and more forgiveness.
- Bladed IronIntermediateA bladed iron is a severe thin strike where the leading edge, not the face, hits the ball. It comes off low, hard, and running, with almost no spin or control.
- Block PracticeIntermediateBlock practice repeats the same shot with the same club to the same target. It builds new motor patterns fast but transfers less reliably to real rounds.
- Blocked PushIntermediateA blocked push is a straight shot that starts and stays right of target, with almost no curve. The clubface matches an in-to-out path, but the whole delivery is aimed too far right.
- Body Stall (Stalling Through Impact)IntermediateWhen your body stalls, your hips and chest stop rotating before or during impact. The arms and hands then take over and whip the club past the body. It often causes flips, hooks and blocks. Keep turning through the ball until your chest faces the target.
- Bounce (Wedge)IntermediateBounce is the downward angle built into a wedge's sole that helps it glide through sand or turf instead of digging in. Higher bounce suits soft conditions and steep swings, while lower bounce suits firm turf and shallow swings.
- Breaking 80IntermediateBreaking 80 means finishing 18 holes in fewer than 80 strokes. The milestone is usually associated with a single-digit handicap.
- 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 to capture club and ball data in the split second around impact. It does not track the full flight.
- Carry-to-Roll RatioIntermediateThe carry-to-roll ratio is how far a chip flies compared with how far it rolls. On a flat, medium-speed green, a common guide is about 1 to 2 for a pitching wedge, 1 to 3 for a 9-iron and 1 to 4 for an 8-iron. Pick a landing spot, then choose the club whose roll covers the rest of the distance.
- CastingIntermediateCasting is releasing the wrist angles too early in the downswing, like a fisherman throwing a line. It destroys lag, cuts speed, and adds loft at impact.
- Casting from the TopIntermediateCasting from the top is when the wrists unload right at the start of the downswing. It happens at the very top, before the lower body has had a chance to lead.
- Chicken WingIntermediateA chicken wing is the lead elbow folding outward through and after impact instead of extending. It usually compensates for an out-to-in path or a blocked, stuck downswing.
- Chipping From a Tight LieIntermediateFrom a tight or bare lie, the safest play is usually to use less loft and roll the ball. A hybrid or 8-iron chipped like a long putt often works well. Play the ball in the middle of your stance, grip down, stand a little closer and lean the shaft toward the target. Make a small swing at your normal tempo that brushes the ground, rather than scooping with a lofted wedge.
- Chipping From Greenside RoughIntermediateFrom thick rough near the green, use a lofted wedge, open the face slightly and play the ball in the middle of your stance. Make a steeper swing with more wrist hinge and keep accelerating through the grass. Expect the ball to come out with little spin and roll more than a chip from the fringe.
- Chipping YipsIntermediateTo fix the chipping yips, take the hands out of the stroke. Use a putting-style chip or a hinge-and-hold chip, and focus on a landing spot rather than the ball. Rebuild with easy chips, then add pressure slowly. If the twitch persists, work with a coach.
- Choking Under Pressure in GolfIntermediateChoking is when pressure pushes your play below its normal level. It often happens when you start consciously controlling a move that is normally automatic, or when worry crowds out your focus. Keep your routine and tempo, focus on the target rather than your body and practice with consequences so pressure feels familiar.
- Claw Grip (Putting)IntermediateIn the claw grip, the trail hand holds the putter handle like a pencil against the palm instead of wrapping around it. Separating the hands this way is a popular fix for excess trail-hand wrist action and the putting yips.
- Club FittingIntermediateClub fitting uses a launch monitor to match shaft, length, lie angle, loft, and head design to a golfer's swing. Stock clubs are built for an average golfer.
- Club LengthIntermediateClub length is fitted to a golfer's height, arm length, and posture at address. 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 means the arms and body move together, so the arms never get ahead of or behind the body's rotation. It keeps the arc and face delivery consistent.
- Counterbalanced PutterIntermediateA counterbalanced putter adds weight near the grip end, usually with a longer shaft and a heavy, oversized grip that extends above your hands. The extra weight up top offsets the heavy head, which can steady the stroke. You hold it at normal height, with the extra length above your hands.
- Course ManagementIntermediateCourse management is your strategy for where to aim, which club to hit, and how to play each hole. The goal is to limit risk and score well for your skill level.
- Course Rating vs Slope RatingIntermediateCourse rating estimates the score a scratch golfer would shoot on a course. Slope rating measures how much harder that same course plays for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch golfer. 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, so the lead hand sits below the trail hand. It is a common fix when the trail hand dominates and breaks down the lead wrist through impact.
- DecelerationIntermediateDeceleration is when the club slows down through impact instead of accelerating past the ball. It commonly causes mishits on chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
- Deep DivotIntermediateA deep divot is an unusually thick chunk of turf taken on an iron shot. It indicates a steep angle of attack or a low point too far behind the ball, and both cost distance and consistency.
- Descending BlowIntermediateA descending blow is contact made while the club is still moving downward relative to the ground. It is the standard, correct angle of attack for iron and wedge shots struck off the turf.
- Distance ControlIntermediateDistance control is adjusting how far the ball travels so it finishes near the target. In putting that means swing length and tempo; in the short game, carry distance.
- 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.
- Dominant Eye and PuttingIntermediateYour dominant eye can affect how you see the line when putting. Most people rely on one eye more for aim, so the line can look different depending on where that eye sits. Find your dominant eye, then check your aim with a mirror or alignment line instead of trusting the view alone.
- DormieIntermediateDormie means you lead a match by exactly as many holes as are left to play, such as 2 up with 2 to play. You cannot lose the match in regulation. Your opponent must win every remaining hole just to tie it.
- Double-Breaking PuttIntermediateTo read a double-breaking putt, split it into two parts. Read the break near the hole first, because the ball is slowest there and breaks most. Then work back to find a start line that sends the ball into that last curve.
- Draw BiasIntermediateA draw bias is a repeatable tendency to curve shots right to left (for a right-hander). It can come from a natural swing, a deliberate stock shot, or equipment setup.
- Driver LoftIntermediateDriver loft is the angle stamped on the club face — usually 8–12° for tour players, higher for moderate swing speeds. The correct loft maximizes carry by delivering the optimal launch-spin combination.
- Driver Swing vs Iron SwingIntermediateThe basic motion is the same, but the setup changes. With a driver, tee the ball high, play it off your lead heel and tilt slightly away from the target to hit up on it. With irons, play the ball nearer the middle and strike down, ball first.
- Driver vs 3-Wood Off the TeeIntermediateHit driver when the landing area is wide enough for your usual miss. The extra distance usually leaves a shorter, easier approach. Take a 3-wood or hybrid when trouble pinches the fairway at your driver distance, or when the hole is too short to need driver.
- Driving Iron (Utility Iron)IntermediateA driving iron, also called a utility iron, is a low-lofted iron with a wider sole and a thicker or hollow head. It launches higher and is more forgiving than a traditional long iron, but flies lower than a hybrid. Many players use it off the tee on tight holes or in wind.
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