Ace: A hole in one. Address: The act of taking a stance and placing the clubhead behind the ball. Alignment: The position of a player’s body relative to the target line of the ball. Angle of Attack: Also referred to as “Angle of Approach”. The angle at which the club head strikes the ball. This affects the trajectory the ball will travel and spin Apron: The grass surface on the perimeter of the green that separates it from the fairway Back Nine: Holes 10 through 18 on a golf course Backspin: The spin imparted to a ball when struck with a sloping clubface. In the air, backspin generates aerodynamic lift causing the ball to follow a higher trajectory than would otherwise be the case, often resulting in a significantly longer carry. On landing, backspin causes the ball to stop more quickly, even to spin backward. Also called bite. Ball Marker: Any small object used to indicate where a player’s ball is on the green. Coins are common ball-markers. Banana: An extreme slice. Bare lie: When the ball is lying directly on hard ground, making it difficult to get the clubface on the ball. Barkie: Achieving a score of par or better on a hole after the ball hits a tree on the same hole. Baseball Grip: Hand position in which all ten fingers are on the club. Also called a “Ten Finger Grip.” Birdie: A hole played one under par. Bite: Heavy backspin which causes the ball to stop quickly instead of rolling after it lands Blade: 1) Type of club created by forging metal instead of from a cast mold.Little or no perimeter weighting. 2) Striking the ball with the leading edge instead of the face of the club. Also called thin, belly, in the forehead. Blind: A shot that does not allow the player to see where the ball will land. Block: A shot that, for the right-handed golfer, goes far right on a straight line, unlike a slice which curves from left to right. Also called a push. Bogey: A hole played one over par. Bounce: The measure of the angle from the front edge of a club’s sole to the point that rests on the ground when addressing the ball. Clubs (usually wedges) with a higher bounce angle will resist digging into the turf. Break: The amount of curve one must account for on a putt. Across the pond it is known as “borrow.” Bump and Run: A low-trajectory shot that is intended to get the ball rolling along the fairway and up onto the green. Similar to a chip shot, but played from a greater distance. Bunker: Another name for a sand trap. Caddie: Person who carries a players clubs and often offers advice. Carry: The length a ball travels or needs to travel in the air. Casual Water: Any temporary accumulations of water that are visible before or after a player takes his stance and is not a hazard or in a water hazard.A player may lift his ball from casual water without penalty. Chili Dip: To hit the ground before the ball, usually producing a shorter than planned shot. Chip: (also “chip and run” or “bump and run”) a shot designed to roll farther than it flies. Closed: Refers to clubface or stance. For a right handed golfer, the face is aligned left of the intended target. A closed stance is when the righty golfer’s feet and/or shoulders are aimed right of the target line. Collar: See apron. Cut: 1) For a right handed golfer, a “cut” or “cut shot” curves gently from left to right. 2) The highest score allowed for further play in a tournament.3) The height that the grass is mowed ( 1st cut, 2nd cut, etc.). Dimple: Indentations on golf ball designed to increase turbulence and cause the ball to spin and lift. Divot: A piece of turf removed by a club during a swing. Dogleg: A hole in which the fairway has a bend in it, like a dog’s rear leg. Draw: A shot which, for the right-handed golfer, curves from right to left. Duffer: An unskilled golfer. See also hacker, chop. Eagle: 2 strokes under par for a single hole. Fade: A shot that, for the right handed golfer, curves gently from left to right. Fairway: The closely mown area between the tee and green, usually with rough on either side. Fat shot: A shot where the club hits the ground before the ball, resulting in significant loss of distance. Flier: A lie in which grass is likely to be caught between the clubface and ball at impact reducing friction and spin, often creating shots that go farther than intended. Fore!: A warning to golfers who may be in danger of being hit by a ball in flight. Fringe: See apron. Frog hair: See fringe. Grounding the club: Placing the clubhead on the ground behind the ball at address. Not allowed in a hazard. Ground under repair: A part of the course (usually marked) that is being repaired. A ball must be removed from this area and played without penalty. Hardpan: A lie consisting of very hard turf (often bare). Hazard: Any bunker (usually a hollow of some kind with a prepared surface, generally sand or similar) or water hazard (sea, lake, ditch, pond, etc. usually marked with red or yellow stakes or lines). Heel: The part of the club that is nearest the hosel or shaft Hook: a shot that, for the right-handed golfer, curves to the left. Hosel: The neck of the club where the head connects to the shaft. Hitting the ball off the hosel is called a “shank.” Hybrid: A club that is a combination of a wood and an iron. Impact: The instant the club strikes the ball Iron: The flat faced, narrower soled clubs, usually numbered 1 – 9 indicating increasing loft on the face. Jail: When the ball is in a position where there is no favorable outcome. Lateral water hazard: Water hazard running on either side of the line of play. Marked with red stakes or lines. Launch angle: The initial trajectory of a ball off a clubface relative to the ground. Lay up: To purposely hit a shot short of the green, usually to avoid trouble and leave the player with a more manageable shot to the green. Lie: 1) The ground that the ball is resting on 2) the number of strokes a player has played on the current hole. Lie Angle: The angle between the sole of the club and the shaft. Line: The expected path of the ball to the hole. Loft: The angle between a clubs face and shaft. Loose impediment: Any natural object that is not fixed or growing. Mulligan: Taking a second attempt at a shot when the first is not desired. A “do over” (not allowed in the rules). Nassau: A type of wager that is 3 separate bets – the front 9, back 9, and 18 hole score. OB: Out of bounds; usually marked by white stakes. Offset: When the leading edge of a clubhead is set back from the shaft.Helps to stabilize the clubface at impact, resisting torque. Out of Bounds: Area or perimeter which is not part of the golf course, usually marked with white stakes or lines. Par: Standard score for a hole or course – written on the scorecard. Pin: The stick in the hole that holds the flag. Also known as “flagstick.” Pin High: When the ball is the correct distance to the flagstick, but is right or left of the flag. Rough: Tall grass that borders the fairway, greens, hazards, and teeing areas. Sand Trap: Another name for a bunker. Shank: When the neck or hosel of the club strikes the ball, resulting in a shot that can travel left or right and low. Slice: A shot that curves sharply to the right for the right-handed golfer. Sole: The bottom of the clubhead. Tee: 1) a wooden (normally) peg on which a ball may be placed for driving.2) the area which is used to hit the first shot on a hole. TrackMan: Technology using Doppler radar that is able to measure what the golf ball and golf club are doing in time and 3 dimensional space. It also measures the complete flight of the ball, accurate to 1 foot for every hundred yards. Learn more. Turn: To start the back 9 holes of a round. Unplayable Lie: When the ball has come to rest in a position where it would be next to impossible to advance. The player may then under penalty of one stroke take relief in order to continue. Water hazard: Ditch, pond, or stream usually marked by yellow or red (lateral water hazard) stakes. Wood: A club with a long shaft and large, rounded head. Previously made of wood, the heads are now primarily metal.