A to Z Glossary

• A     Albatross: A hole played three strokes under par.
• B     Banana-ball A  slice that curves to the right in the shape of a banana.
• C     Condor A four-under par shot, a hole-in-one on a par 5 . Also be called "a triple eagle".
  D     Dog licence A defeat in matchplay by the margin of 7&6. Named because the cost of a dog licence in the United Kingdom in 1971 was seven shillings and sixpence.
  E     Explosion A bunker shot that sends the ball, and accompanying sand, onto the green. Also known as a "blast".
  F     Fore: "Fore!" is shouted as a warning when it appears a ball may possibly hit other players or spectators.
• G    Golden Ferret: Term used to describe holing out from a greenside bunker.
  H    Handsy: A term used to describe a player with too much wrist movement in their putting stroke causing inconsistent putts.
  I     Iron: A club with a flat-faced solid metal head generally numbered from 1 to 9 indicating increasing loft.
  K    Knock-down: A type of shot designed to have a very low trajectory, usually employed to combat strong winds.
  L    Loft: The angle between the club's shaft and the club's face.
  M   Mulligan: a do-over, or replay of the shot. It is not allowed by the rules and not practiced in tournaments, but is common in casual rounds in some countries, especially the United States.
  N    Nassau: A type of bet between golfers. Money is wagered on the best score in the front 9, back 9, and total 18 holes.
  O    Ostrich: A hole played five strokes under par. This is widely considered impossible, requiring a hole in one on a par six.
  P    Putter: a special golf club with a very low loft that makes the ball roll.
  Q    Q-School: PGA or LPGA Tour Qualifying School, a week-long, six-round tournament in which the Top 30 finishers (of nearly 200 entrants) earn their "Tour Cards", making them exempt for the following year's tour.
• R    Rough: The grass that borders the fairway, usually taller and coarser than the fairway.
  S    Scratch golfer: A player's whose handicap equals zero.
  T    Tee (piece of equipment): a small peg - made of wood or plastic - placed in the teeing ground, upon which the golf ball may be placed prior to the first stroke on a hole. 
  U    Unplayable: A player can declare his ball unplayable at any time when it is in play (other than at a tee), and can drop the ball either within two club-lengths, or further from the hole in line with the hole and its current position, or where he played his last shot. A penalty of one stroke is applied. A ball declared unplayable within a hazard must be dropped within that hazard.
• V    Vardon grip: A grip style in which (for right-handed players) the right pinkie finger rests on top of the left index finger. Also known as the "overlapping grip," most golfers grip with this style. It is named for Harry Vardon, a champion golfer of the early 20th century.
  W    Wood A type of club where the head is generally bulbous in shape except for the clubface. Named because the head was originally made of wood, although almost all are now metal.
• Y    The Yips: A tendency to twitch during the putting stroke. Some top golfers have had their careers greatly affected or even destroyed by the yips; prominent golfers who battled with the yips for much of their careers include Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, and, more recently, Bernhard Langer.
  Z   Zinger: A ball hit high and hard.