Writing about golf but don’t know the game? This golf words list will help you sound like a professional.
Even if you’re not playing the sport, this golf words list should cover all the terms you might encounter when writing about the subject. Every golf professional and newbie will surely appreciate your knowledge of the game and the extra effort you put into making sure your writing is authentic.
Being one of the most popular sports in the US, you can rest assured people are never tired of reading about their favorite game.
While you’re here, check out our guide on how to become a sports writer.
Let’s dive in.
Contents [show]
List of Golf Words Printable
Golf Words List
| Ace | Drive | Misread |
| Address | Driving range | Mis-club |
| Air shot | Duff | Mulligan |
| Albatross | Eagle | Nine-hole course |
| All square | Flier | Par |
| Approach shot | Fore | Plus fours |
| Apron | Four-ball | Putt |
| Back nine | Foursomes | Rabbit |
| Backswing | Golfer’s elbow | Recovery shot |
| Ball retriever | Golf widow | Rough |
| Bandit | Green fee | Round |
| Better-ball | Green keeper | Rub of the green |
| Birdie | Grip | Run |
| Borrow | Ground the club | Sand wedge |
| Buggy | Half | Sclaff |
| Bump and run | Handicap | Score |
| Caddie | Hardpan | Scratch |
| Carry | Hazard | Shft |
| Chip | Hole | Shank |
| Choke down | Hole in one | Singles |
| Course | Honor | Slice |
| Cup | Lie | Stance |
| Dead weight | Lip | Stroke play |
| Deep rough | Loft | Sweet spot |
| Divot | Marker | Swing |
| Dormie | Match play | Tee |
| Downswing | Midiron | Yips |
What Are Golf Words?
Some golf words, like ace and score, are commonly applied to most sports. But golf has its terminology that you need to know to understand the game completely. Our list will help you get a grasp of all the key terms used in this sport.
- Ace
He knocked the ball into the hole on his first swing of the hole, scoring an ace.
- Address
Get into the address position by stepping up to your golf ball and setting the club right next to it.
- Air shot
Tom made his backswing with ease and then swung the club to hit through the ball but missed completely, so it ended up being an air shot.
- Albatross
Achieving an albatross, which is completing a par-5 hole in just two shots, is exceptionally rare, even for experienced golfers.
- All square
Currently, the match is all square – meaning that both players are tied.
- Approach shot
You’ll need a full swing of your club to make an approach shot and land the ball on the grass.
- Apron
While the apron, the closely mown areas of grass around the putting green, seem ideal for making a perfect shot, it’s typically located next to a bunker, rough terrain, or out-of-bounds area.
- Back nine
They’re halfway through the match, and there are nine more holes to go. He needs to apply his precision skills on the back nine to win.
- Backswing
Your backswing, the club move before you hit the ball, is terrible, which is why you can’t manage to hit the ball at all.
- Ball retriever
I’ll need a ball retriever, that telescopic tool with a jaw-like design, to collect the ball from the water.
- Bandit
He consistently pars the first five holes, even though he said he’s a 15 on a good day. He’s definitely a bandit, as he maintains a handicap at a higher level than his actual ability.
- Better-ball
I wanted to play better-ball, a game where teams of two play against the whole course, but my partner hated the idea.
- Birdie
He made a birdie by using one stroke less than the par of the hole.
- Borrow
Due to the high slope, you’ll have to borrow to compensate for it. In other words, you’ll have to allow the curve when hitting a breaking putt.
- Buggy
Why walk across the course carrying clubs when we can ride a buggy?
- Bump and run
In this situation, you should do bump and run, which basically means bumping the ball onto the green and letting it roll up to the hole.
- Caddie
Like every proper golf player, you need a caddy, someone to assist you and carry your clubs.
- Carry
When determining carry, the distance the ball travels through the air, you need to optimize the ball speed, launch angle, and spin rate.
- Chip
Just lift the ball in the air – chip it! You don’t want it played along the ground and not in the air.
- Choke down
Choke down on a golf club by gripping it lower down on the shaft.
- Course
The ball flew across the golf course.
- Cup
Each hole features a cup to help you collect the balls.
- Deadweight
Here, you should do the deadweight, the soft shot that allows gravity to do its thing, thus reducing the number of strokes required to finish a hole.
- Deep rough
The ball is hidden in deep rough, that long grass over there, so getting it out will be a challenge.
- Divot
She hit so hard, leaving a divot where smooth turf once was.
- Dormie
This match is dormie! Anderson is one up with one hole left to play.
- Downswing
His downswing seemed alright, but he still ended up missing the ball.
- Drive
Mike Austin holds the world record for the longest drive, moving the ball a whooping 515 yards off the tee!
- Driving range
Before hitting the course, you should practice your swing at the driving range, where there is plenty of room to practice your long shots.
- Duff
When swinging a golf club for the first time, most people duff the shot. In other words, they hit the ground and not the ball.
- Eagle
He attained an eagle by finishing a hole two strokes below its par rating.
- Flier
Getting dirt trapped between the clubface and the golf ball at impact usually results in a shot that flies farther than normal, also known as a flier.
- Fore
If you hear the word “fore” loudly shouted, it’s a warning of a golf ball in flight that could strike you.
- Four-ball
Let’s divide into teams of two and play four-ball – a game of two pairs with each player having their own ball.
- Foursomes
Since we only have one ball, we can only play foursomes and take alternate shots until the hole is completed.
- Golfer’s elbow
He has a golfer’s elbow, meaning he damaged the tendons that bend the wrist toward the palm, which leaves him in pain.
- Golf widow
She’s a golf widow, as her husband never seems to leave the course.
- Green fee
Anyone can play as long as they pay the green fee.
- Greenkeeper
He used to work on the course as a greenkeeper.
- Grip
The reason for your bad shots lies in your bad grip.
- Ground the club
Always ground the club when setting up a swing.
- Half
On Hole 1 of their match, the players halved the hole, scoring 4-4.
- Handicap
Your handicap determines how many shots you’re expected to have to finish up the round.
- Hardpan
The ball hit the hardpan, which is the flat, hard area without turf.
- Hazard
The course is full of hazards, be they water or bunkers.
- Hole
He managed to hit the hole in just two strokes.
- Hole-in-one
After scoring a hole-in-one, he honored the tradition of buying a drink for everyone in the clubhouse.
- Honor
He had the honor, meaning he was the first one to tee off on the hole.
- Lie
John drives towards his ball to figure out the lie, which indicates how well the ball is sitting for the next shot he faces.
- Lip
The ball stopped at the lip, failing to get into the hole.
- Loft
The more loft your golf club has, which is the angle between the clubface and the ground, the higher you’ll launch the ball with it.
- Marker
It’s the marker’s job to keep up with the score so that players and the audience don’t have to.
- Match play
In a match play, you win the game only when you are winning by more holes than remain to be played.
- Midiron
The midiron club is the best for longer approach shots.
- Misread
He misread the necessary speed of a putt, which caused him to lose.
- Mis-club
Given I’m new, I expected my experienced friends to tell me I mis-clubbed for that particular distance.
- Mulligan
The first shot went terribly; it’s time for a mulligan, a second chance!
- Nine-hole course
A nine-hole course typically features par-4 holes and a combination of par-3 and par-5 holes.
- Par
Each hole has its par rating, or rather, the number of strokes needed to complete it.
- Plus fours
Back in the day, they used to wear plus fours. Pants that, as the name suggests, extended four inches below the knee.
- Putt
Her putt, a stroke on the putting green, was merely inches short of the hole.
- Rabbit
He’s still a rabbit, as he never played a tournament before.
- Recovery shot
This is not what I intended. I’ll have to attempt a recovery shot if I want to get back on track.
- Rough
The grass in the rough is deliberately kept longer to make it harder for the players.
- Round
Shall we play a 9- or an 18-hole round?
- Rub of the green
If your ball in motion is accidentally stopped by any outside obstacle, it is a rub of the green, and it must be played as it lies.
- Run
That run was amazing. You have excellent control over the club.
- Sand wedge
You’ll need a sand wedge to get the ball out of the bunker.
- Sclaff
Keep an eye on the ball at all times to avoid scraping the ground – or, as they say, sclaffing – when hitting.
- Score
He scored three over par in today’s match.
- Scratch
She plays off scratch, as her handicap is always 0.0 or better.
- Shaft
Hold the club shaft firmly in your hand to avoid missing the ball.
- Shank
He made a shank by hitting the ball with the club’s hosel instead of the face of the club.
- Singles
Let’s play singles to see who can win the most holes outright over the course of 18.
- Slice
His ball curved dramatically in flight from left to right, creating a slice.
- Stance
A proper stance is the key to a precise shot.
- Stroke play
They’re playing a stroke play, meaning the winner is the one who has taken the fewest strokes throughout rounds.
- Sweet spot
Certain clubs feature a circle on the face to show you the sweet spot, or rather, the best spot for stroking for optimal results.
- Swing
Keep your hands extended during the swing to achieve a long shot.
- Tee
Don’t forget to place the ball on the tee, the ball stand, at the beginning of the match.
- Yips
He got yips, involuntary wrist spasms, which made putting impossible.
Check out our article on essays about sports for examples and prompts.
