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Golf Dictionary what Golf terms really mean

A game The very best golf you can play. A phenomenon seldom experienced by normal golfers, the A game is what Greg Norman used to bring to the golf course every day— except Sunday, and Tiger Woods does bring every day.
Ace - A hole in one. Completion of a hole in a single stroke. The odds against this happening are about 45,000 to 1-somewhat worse than the odds of finding a brand-new ball lost in the rough (27,000 to 1) but considerably better than the odds of hitting a perfect drive off a crowded first tee (1,195,000 to
Addressing the Ball - 1. Assuming the correct stance and placing the head of the club on the ground behind the ball prior to hitting it. 2. Directing statements to the ball before it is hit or while it is in flight, such as: "If you go into that trap, I'll never wash you again" or "In a way, I hope you miss that cup-I've always wondered what's inside a golf ball."

Advice - According to the rules of golf, advice is "any counsel or suggestion made by one golfer to another about the choice of club, method of play or making of a shot, which contains no more than five errors of fact, contradictory statements or harmful recommendations. Six or more such pieces of misinformation or misinstruction shall constitute a formal golf lesson."
Afraid of the Dark What a putt is when it won't go in the hole.

Age Players - Accomplished golfers who have recorded one of two equally unusual golfing achievements: playing a round of 18 holes at the end of which they had a score equal to their age, or playing a round of 18 holes during all of which they acted their age.

Airmail To hit a shot much farther than planned (most commonly over the green). Amateur golfers frequently airmail approaches to greens fronted by hazards.

Albatross Another name for a double eagle, a score of three under par on a hole. A term generally not used by the amateur golfer.

All Square - A term used in match play to indicate that both teams or individuals have cheated on an equal number of holes..

Amateur Golfer - One who plays golf for pleasure.

Amateur side - Derisive term for the low side of the hole when putting. Amateur golfers often miss their putts short, or come out on the low side of the hole, meaning the ball hasn't been struck boldly enough to have a chance of falling in. Although a missed putt counts one stroke no matter where it stops, balls that run by the hole are apparently more "professional."

Analyst - Psychiatric specialist who treats individuals suffering from the delusion that playing golf is a form of pleasure.

Approach – Shot. A shot which, if it had not caught the lip of the bunker and dropped back into the sand, would have rolled across the green and gone into the water.

Apron - Fringe of low grass, or "frog hair," surrounding the green from which a tricky, easily flubbed shot that is half pitch and half putt is made. It is called a "chupp," a "putch" or, simply, "chin!"

Army golf Phrase used to describe the inconsistent, wayward shots of amateur golfers, that is, "left-right, left-right" (like the drill sergeant's call during an army march).

Arnie's Army Name given to the legions of loyal fans that flock to tournaments to follow Arnold Palmer, golf's "king." Arnie has always been a fan favourite, and dozens of times his fans have kicked, blocked, or thrown a wayward Palmer shot back onto the fairway or green to help their hero.

Away - The player whose ball lies farthest from the hole is "away" and is required by the rules of golf to make the first shot. If, after the stroke is taken, the ball still lies farthest from the hole, the rules permit the player to kick the first bag and throw the first club.

B
Back Door - The side of the cup opposite the position of a player's ball on the green. Sometimes a putt will curve around the cup and enter by the "back door."

Back Nine - The final 27 holes of an 18-hole golf course.

Backhander A putt struck with the back of the putter blade. Sometimes golfers will do this in a casual fashion when the ball is very close to the hole. When they miss a backhander—and it happens often—amateurs often smile and record their score as though they had made the putt. This is known as cheating.

Backswing - The part of the swing that takes place after the ball has been improperly addressed but before it has been sent to the wrong destination.

Bail out What many golfers do to avoid trouble on the course. That is, they hit a shot in the direction opposite the trouble. If the trouble is on the right side, they bail out left. If the trouble is on the left side, they bail out right. This term can also be used to describe how a golfer (after calling in sick to work) exits his cart after seeing his boss approaching.

Ball - A dimpled, rubber-covered, solid- or composite-cored, high-compression sphere with a weight of 1.62 ounces and a diameter of 1.68 inches that will enter a cup 4.25 inches in diameter and 4.0 inches deep after an average of 3.87 putts.

Ballwasher - Golfers who have "brushed up" on their tee tactics know that in addition to removing dirt from balls, the ubiquitous ballwasher also has a squeaky plunger that can be operated during an opponent's set up to make certain that he or she is "in a lather" when the ball is hit, and they've learned that the pipe the machine is mounted on will produce a nerve racking, swing-wrecking gong-like tone if struck with a clubhead, guaranteeing that their competitor's drive is a "washout" and that if any money is riding on the hole, they will "clean up."

Be right An urgent request a golfer makes of his ball during its flight to the green, usually occurring when the ball appears to be on line with the flagstick and the only doubt is whether the right club was used. The phrase is also used frequently by caddies who want to keep their jobs.

Beach, the The bunkers and other sand-covered areas at a golf course are known collectively as the beach.

Bent - The species of grass most often found on greens.

Bermuda & Blue - The species of grass most often found on fairways.

Bindweed, Bog Grass, Bullrushes, Eel Grass, Quack Grass, Reeds, Scutch, Sedge, Spurge, Stinkweed & Viper's Grass - The species of grass among which the ball is most often found.

Birdie - A Mulligan, the best of one or more practice swings, and a 20-foot "gimme" putt.

Bite A ball is said to bite when it is hit with sufficient backspin to make it stop quickly—or even roll backward—on the green. Biting carries its own satisfaction, but remember, it only helps if it brings the ball closer to the hole.

Blade To hit a ball off the edge of an iron, thereby creating a shot that takes off like a line drive in baseball. Most often the shot will end up beyond its intended target. This shot is also said to be hit thin, or to be skulled. Blade is also a thin putter (no more than a half-inch wide) with a straight face. Little Ben, the famous putter owned by Ben Crenshaw, is an example of a blade putter.

Blind Hole - A hole whose green is not visible when an approach shot is made, thereby requiring a player to rely on senses other than sight, such as the unmistakable sound of an unseen golfer shouting after being struck by a ball, the distinct smell of trouble, the metallic taste of fear and the sudden touch of flu that dictates an immediate return to the clubhouse by way of the deep woods.

Blood, no Phrase used most often in match-play situations to indicate that the hole was halved, or played even, and no money has been won or lost.

Blow Up To have your golf game come apart at the seams. Easily recognized: When your score is blowing up, so are you.

Bogey - The number of strokes needed to finish a hole by a golfer of average skill and above-average honesty.

Bomb A very long shot, usually a drive. John Daly hits bombs. Tiger Woods hits bombs. Most amateurs are content to hit firecrackers.

Borrow On a breaking putt, the amount of distance aimed to the right or left of the cup. The greens at August National (where the Masters Tournament is held each year) are so severely sloped that golfers may have to borrow fifteen or twenty feet when lining up their putts. Borrow too much or too little, and you'll wind up borrowing to pay your gambling debts.

Brassie - Traditional name for the 2-wood, whose sole was at one time made of brass. The 3-wood is sometimes referred to as a "spoon," the 4-wood as a "baffie," the 5-iron as a "mashie," the 7-iron as a "mashie-niblick," and the 9-iron as a "niblick." Any club wrapped around a tree is a "smashie." If a club is flung into a water hazard, it is a "splashie." If it has a slippery grip, it is a "bashie." If it is hurled at a dog, it is a "lassie." A club that was allegedly used in a hole-in-one is a "fibstick." If it was a wood, it is a "fablespoon."

Break - 1. The shifting or changing of the direction of a putt caused by the slope or slant of a green. 2. The splitting or shattering of the shaft of a putter caused by the rage or wrath of a player.

Bunker - A hazard consisting of an area of ground along a fairway or adjacent to a green from which a large amount of soil has been removed and replaced with something designed to trap golfers. If such a hazard occupies more than 2,000 square feet of ground and traps golfers permanently, it is referred to as a "condominium."