Golf Lingo A-F - Santa Clara County Golf

ace - A hole in one

amateur - A golfer who is not paid for playing.

approach - Normally a short or medium shot played to the putting green or pin -- "approach shot."

attend the flag - To hold and then remove the flag while another player putts. A common courtesy performed when playing a round.

away - The player farthest from the hole is the first to play, as in "Who`s away?"

back - The tee position that makes the hole the longest. Also, the last nine holes of an eighteen-hole course.

ball - What you hit. Primarily comes in white.

ball-washer - A device to use for washing your golf balls.

bermuda - A type of coarse durable grass seen mostly on southern courses.

best ball (better ball) - The best score on a hole by two or more partners in a best-ball match.

birdie - A score of one under par on a hole.

bogey - A score of one over par on a hole.

break - In putting it is the curve due to the slope in a green. In a golf shot, a player may say, "I got a good break." (a favorable or unfavorable sharp bounce/roll to the left or right.)

bunker - A sand trap on a golf course, defined as a hazard.

caddie/caddy - A person who carries clubs for a golfer, gives a golfer advice with club selection and course strategy.

carry - The distance a golf ball must traverse from impact to the point where it first hits the ground. Carry is especially important when judging the distance to the green over a hazard (water, bunker).

cart fee - The rental fee a player pays for using a golf cart during a golf round.

chip - A short, lofted shot from around the green.

compression - The degree of resilience of a golf ball. It is recommended that a beginner play with an 80 or 90-compression ball. One and two piece golf balls are not designated by compression.

course - Slang for golf course. An area of land designed for playing golf, occupying anywhere from 50 to 300 acres, and having fixed boundaries.

course rating - The comparison of playing one course as opposed to another in terms of difficulty, used in USGA handicapping.

divot - A piece of turf removed with a golf shot. It is proper etiquette to always replace the divot, and to step the turf back in place. Many courses provide a container of sand in golf carts to fill your divots.

dogleg - A left or right bend in the fairway.

drop - The act performed when a player has an unplayable lie or when the original ball is lost. The golf ball is dropped from a shoulder height on the course.

eagle - A score of two under par on a hole.

executive course - A shorter-than-regulation golf course predominantly featuring par-4 and par-3 holes. A good starter course for a beginning golfer to play before moving to a regular course.

fore - A warning yelled by a player when their shot threatens another player.

foursome - Four golfers playing together. Also a match in which two players play against another two players with each side playing one ball.