Miniature Golf and putting terminology

ace	Hole in one.
address	Position of body and feet prior to putt.
adventure golf	Non-standardised minigolf course, characterised by wide open fairways and undulating greens.
air shot	To swing and miss the ball completely, counted as a stroke in putting but not in minigolf aka whiff.
all square	Term used in match play, meaning that both competitors have won the same number of holes. Neither has the lead.
back door	When the ball drops into the hole after rolling around the rim of the cup to the far side, it has gone in the back door.
back nine	Holes 10 to 18.
bahnengolf	German for miniature golf
ball of fame	Ball manufactured in honour of a great performance or because the player is so well known. eg M&G Minigolf Legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies or 3D Tim 'Ace Man' Davies.
ball of shame	Ball manufactured in honour of a really awful performance.
banegolf	Danish and Norwegian for miniature golf.
bangolf	Swedish for miniature golf.
baseball grip	For right-handed golfers: The right little finger butts against the left index finger but does not overlap.
beton	See betong.
betong	Standardised minigolf system, devised in Switzerland by von Bongni. Features smooth concrete putting surface and continuous perimeter boundary of galvanised steel. Approved by the WMF for international tournament play.
birdie	A score of one under par on a hole.
black score	A poor score for a single round of minigolf (e.g., a score of 30 or over on eternit or a score of 40 or over at Planet Hastings Crazy Golf, Hastings). NB: This grading system is designed for semi-pros and compares a player’s performance with what might be expected of the best players in the world.
blade	The business end of the putter.
blue score	A perfect or near-perfect score for a single round of minigolf (e.g., a score of 18 or 19 on eternit or a score of under 30 at Planet Hastings Crazy Golf, Hastings).
BMGA	British Minigolf Association, the UK’s governing body for minigolf sport.
bogey	A score of one over par on a hole.
bongni	Strictly ordered Betong course.
borrow	A slope that causes the ball to deviate from a straight line.
bounce	The height to which a minigolf ball will jump when dropped on concrete from 1m at a temperature of 25° C.
break	A slope that causes the ball to deviate from a straight line.
cannon	(Verb.) (of a minigolf ball) to enter the cup at speed following a rebound.
clicker	Special type of ball, extremely hard.
clutch putt	An important pressure putt.
course rating	The comparison of difficulty for playing one course as opposed to another, once used in the BMGA rankings.
crazy golf	1. a minigolf course, primarily designed to appeal to children, where luck is the main factor in achieving a low score. 2. a standardised British minigolf course, sometimes referred to as Arnold Palmer minigolf, characterised by sunken felt greens, a concrete border, and obstacles such as the windmill with revolving sails. 3. (informal; incorrect usage) British for minigolf.
cup	The hole.
cup play	A knock-out format used in some minigolf tournaments. The best player(s) in each group advance(s) to the next round.
cut	Impart clockwise spin on the ball.
dead ball	A minigolf ball with very little or no rebound.
die in the hole	The ball just falls into the hole.
dimple	Refers to small depression in a standard golf ball. Also refers to protruberance due to manufacture on a minigolf ball aka nipple.
dogleg	A left or right turn on the green/track.
dormie or dormy	In matchplay, a player leads by as many holes as are left to play.
drain	To hole a putt
duff	To hit the ground before the ball. aka fat, fluff, scuff.
dwell time	The time the ball spends on the face of the putter
eagle	A score of two under par on a hole ie an ace on a par three.
eternit	Standardised minigolf system with a cement-fibre putting surface and fibreglass obstacles. Approved by the WMF for international tournament play. There are 25 approved eternit holes, any 18 of which may feature on an eternit course.
eternite	see eternit.
eterniitti	Finnish, see eternit.
face	The part of the putter used to hit the ball.
false read	What you see is not what you get, the ball travels not as expected (see Honest read).
fantasie golf	see fantasy golf.
fantasy golf	Any minigolf course which is not approved by the WMF for international tournament play (Betong, full length Eternit, and full length Swedish felt run are the approved types).  AKA fantasie golf.
fast ball	A minigolf ball with plenty of bounce, used for playing shots where one or more rebounds is required.
fat	To hit the ground before the ball.
fault	Any stroke taken above par at a particular minigolf hole.
favourite killer	The sloped run with window, a hole on the eternit minigolf course (where, traditionally, favourites in minigolf tournaments are thought to run into difficulties).
filzgolf	see Swedish Felt Run.
finesse putt	A finesse shot, guaranteeing at least an easy next putt aka percentage putt.
flag	Not used in mainland European miniature golf.
fluff	To hit the ground before the ball or generally to play a foozle.
foozle	Bungled stroke.
front nine	First nine holes.
garden golf	Early name for miniature golf.
get down	To complete the hole
gimme	A short putt conceded by your playing partners (not allowed in minigolf stroke play tournaments).
gobble	1. An invocation to the hole to eat the ball. 2. A slam putt which would have gone a long way past if it hadn't been holed.
gofstacle	An early form of obstacle golf.
golfstacle	An early form of obstacle golf patented in 1907 by Colonel William Senhouse Clarke.
going to school	Watching the line of a players shot for your own benefit.
golf miniature	French for miniature golf.
golfs sur pistes	French for miniature golf.
golf su pista	Italian for miniature golf.
good leave	A well played lag putt, ensuring the second putt is easy.
grain	Direction in which the blades of grass point on the green, which may affect the speed and direction of your putt. Also known as nap when playing on felt.
green	The putting surface.
green score	A good or very good score for a single round of minigolf (e.g., a score of 20-24 on eternit or a score of 30 to 35 at Planet Hastings Crazy Golf, Hastings).
grip	The top part of the club held by the golfer, usually made from leather or rubber. Also, the manner in which the club is held i.e. Baseball, overlapping (Vardon), reverse and interlocking.
grizzly bear	A player who, during the course of a minigolf round, loses his/her cool and proceeds to whack their shots in frustration. In full "grizzly bear with a sore tooth".
head	The business end of the putter.
heel	The part of the blade nearest to the player.
hit and hope	1. To play a minigolf shot without proper knowledge of the correct aiming line. 2. A luck-based minigolf hole.
hole in one	A score of one on a hole. aka Ace
hole out	To finish the hole.
honest read	What you see is what you get, the ball travels as expected (see False read).
honour	The right to play first.
hook	Impart anti-clockwise spin on the ball
horse shoe	The ball goes around the rim and comes back in the direction from whence it came.
hosel	The bit that joins the shaft and head aka shank.
interlocking grip	The right hand little finger goes over the left hand index finger aka Vardon grip.
in the jaws	On the edge of the hole but not swallowed.
invitational	A tournament at which participation is by invitation only.
IPL	International Playing Licence. A licence confirming a player’s entitlement to compete in minigolf competitions abroad.
lag putt	A long putt where the player concentrates on weight and lays up for an easy second putt.
lane	A track, hole or run.
leak	Where the ball moves at the last moment away from the hole.
line	The intended path of the ball. It is good etiquette to stand outside of the line.
line of sight	The line is obstructed, this may even occur as a result of repositioning the ball, no relief is available. However under BMGA rules the ball may be repositioned, if too close to an obstacle, you may thus gain a line to the hole.
lip	The rim of the hole.
lip out	The ball travels around the rim but fails to drop in the hole.
loose impediment	Any natural thing which is not by design an obstruction such as an acorn or rabbits droppings.
marker	An item used to mark the position of your ball, should you wish to clean it.
micro golf	Miniature miniature golf.
midget golf	1. Early name for miniature golf.  2. Netherlands term for minigolf.
mid-length putter	The standard putter is extended to enable the club to rest on the stomach as a pivotal point.
mini golf	1. Generic term covering putting courses with a raised perimeter border and, usually, an artificial surface. Betong, Eternit, and Swedish Felt Run, and adventure golf are all types of minigolf. 2. The sport played on these courses. 3. The betong course.
miniature golf	1. Generic term covering putting courses with a raised perimeter border and, usually, an artificial surface. Betong, Eternit, and Swedish Felt Run, and adventure golf are all types of minigolf. 2. The sport played on these courses. 3. The eternit course. 4. A pitch and putt golf course or putting green.
miniaturgolf	German term for an eternit minigolf course.
minigolf	See mini golf.
mini-golf	See mini golf.
minigolfanlagen	Minigolf construction (German).
minigolfbahnen	Minigolf lane (German).
minigolfschläger	Specialist putter (German).
minigolfzubehör	Minigolf equipment (German).
MOS	Minigolf Open Standard as decided by the World Minigolf Sport Federation ie those courses that are not Beton, Swedish Felt Run or Eternit.
mulligan	A chance to replay your last shot.
nap	Direction in which the fibre of the artificial felt lays on the surface, which may affect the speed and direction of your putt. Also known as grain when playing on grass.
never short	Never up never in, the bywords of the slam putter.
nineteenth hole	Normally in golfing parlance, the bar. In British Crazy golf it's the lucky nineteenth, a chance to win a free game!
nipple	Refers to protruberance due to manufacture on a minigolf ball aka dimple.
novelty golf	(Informal) Another name for miniature golf.
obstacle golf	1. Early form of miniature golf, referenced in Brave New World. 2. (Informal) Another name for miniature golf.
open	A tournament in which any player meeting the stated criteria is eligible to enter (subject to sufficient places being available).
par	The number of shots in which a player is expected to complete a hole or round.
pee wee golf	Early name for miniature golf.
pendulum putter	A very long putter which is a bit like a broom handle.
percentage shot	A defensive putting strategy, where for example an ace may be possible but it's safer to lay up for an easy two. As opposed to slam putting or gunning it. Aka Finesse putting.
pin	The flag pole.
pin-high	A ball on the putting surface that is even with the flag pole but off to one side.
piste	A track, hole or run.
plateau	(UK) 1. A raised area surrounding the cup of a minigolf hole. 2. A minigolf hole incorporating this feature.
play through	Allow a faster group behind to overtake your group.
plumb bob	A method of trying to read the line of a putt by using the putter as a visual aid.
pull	For a right-hander, the initial movement of the ball is to the left of the chosen line due to an imperfect swing.
push	For a right-hander, the initial movement of the ball is to the right of the chosen line due to an imperfect swing.
putting	The act of hitting a ball on a track or green.
putt-putt	1. US Franchised version of minigolf 2.Generic term in the US for minigolf.
QOI	Quality of Opposition Index. Once used in calculation of the BMGA player rankings to give credit to those players who have faced more difficult opponents.
ratagolf	Finnish for minigolf.
read	An attempt to ascertain the probable line.
rebound	The act of striking a minigolf ball against an obstacle or the perimeter boundary of the run.
recovery	A subsequent shot that is holed given a bad previous shot.
red score	A fair to middling score for a single round of minigolf (e.g., a score of 25-29 on eternit or a score of 36 to 39 at Planet Hastings Crazy Golf, Hastings).
repositioning line	A line marked on WMF-approved minigolf courses to indicate where a ball that has come to rest up against an obstacle or the perimeter boundary of a minigolf run should be repositioned.
reverse grip	The reverse of the baseball grip.
relief	Permission to lift and place the ball without penalty.
rinky-dink golf	(Informal) Miniature golf (US).
rough ball	A minigolf ball without lacquer.
run	Any of the individual tracks on a minigolf course. (A tournament-approved minigolf course will have 18 runs).
sclaff	Make contact with the putting surface before hitting the ball.
scuff	Make contact with the putting surface before hitting the ball.
seed	A players who, by virtue of his/her standing or ranking, is kept apart from other seeded players when the draw for the opening round of a minigolf tournament is made. In the first round of BMGA competitions the seed will usually play last in each group.
shaft	From shank upwards.
shank	The bit that joins the shaft and head aka hosel.
side spin	To hit the ball in the centre with an in-out (closed putter face) or out-in (open putter face) swing deliberately and in a controlled fashion so as to impart spin on the ball.
sink	To hole the ball.
slice	Impart clockwise spin on the ball
slow ball	A minigolf ball without much bounce, but faster than a dead ball.
steal	To hole a long putt using finesse, the opposite of gobble.
sterngolf	Star golf, a standardised minigolf playing system formerly (but no longer) approved by the WMF.
stimp meter	A device for measuring the absolute speed of greens.
stroke index	Each hole is given a number between 1 and 18, where 1 is the hardest and 18 the easiest. Equitable Stroke Control Method.
stymie	Where the line to the hole is blocked.
sucker	Device on the end of the putter to lift the ball out of the hole.
Swedish felt run	Standardised minigolf course featuring felt putting surface and solid wooden surround. Approved by the WMF for international tournament play.
sweet spot	The ideal contact point on the putter.
system	A standardised design of minigolf course found in more than one country or at numerous locations within the same country.
system 1	see betong.
system 2	see eternit.
teeing-off area	The area (or spot) from which the first stroke on any minigolf hole must be played.
Texas wedge	Putter.
toe	The part of the blade furthest from the player.
top	To hit the ball above its centre causing the ball to jump.
top spin	To hit the ball above its centre deliberately and in a controlled fashion aka Overspin.
turn	Halfway point.
Vardon grip	The right hand little finger goes over the left hand index finger aka Interlocking grip.
victory lap	The ball does a victory lap when it circles the entire rim first and then drops.
walk of shame	When a player retrieves a minigolf ball that they have hit out of bounds and replaces it on the run to take their next shot.
weight	The strength of putt.
whiff	To swing and miss the ball completely, counted as a stroke aka air shot.
WMF	World Minigolf Sport Federation, the international governing body of minigolf sport.
wristy	Of a swing, involving too much use of the wrists.
yips	A chronic nervous condition that leads to missing putts.

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European Golf terminology

Ace	A hole in one
Away	The player whose ball is furthest from the hole.     "Who's away?"
Birdie	One stroke under par
Bogey	One stroke over par
Bunker	A sand trap or hazard
Caddie	Person who accompanies a player, carries their golf bag and gives advice.
Cart (also: buggy)	Small vehicle for transporting two players and their golf bags.
Chip	A low short shot to the green
Course (golf course)	A large area of land designed for playing golf.    The course is divided into 9 or 18 holes.
Dog leg	A fairway that turns left or right
Drive	The first shot on every hole.
Driver	Wood n°1.
Driving range	Practice area with mats, or on grass.     Some driving ranges are sheltered or have overhead protection.
Eagle	Two strokes under par, which is the standard score for the hole.
Fairway	Part of the golf course between the tee and the green which is kept free of    rough grass.
Flag stick	Pin supporting a flag on the green.
Fore!	A warning call when a ball is heading towards another player.
G.A.S.P.	Grip, address, stance and posture :    what you need to check before starting your swing.
Green	Part of the golf course, with grass cut very short, surrounding a hole.      The hole contains a cup into which players try to "putt" their ball.     A flag shows the position of the hole.
Green fee	Fee paid to play a round (a game) of golf.
Handicap	A numerical representation of a golfer's playing ability.
Hazard	A difficulty or obstruction on a golf course such as lakes, ponds, fences or bunkers.
Honour	The player with the best or lowest score on the previous hole has "the honour"    or the right to tee off first on the next hole.
Irons	Metal golf clubs numbered 1 to 9.
Lie	Position in which the ball lies on the course.    "I was lucky.  I had a good lie."
Links	A golf course beside the sea.
Mulligan	A second drive which players grant each other in a friendly game, on the first    tee only, when the first shot is poor.  Mulligans are not officially permitted.
Nineteenth hole	Humorous way of referring to the club house (bar/restaurant).    "See you at the 19th!"
O.B.	O.B. is an abbreviation for "out of bounds" or beyond the limits indicated by stakes    or fences.
Par	The standard score (or number of strokes) given to each hole on the golf course.
Rough	Area on the golf course where the grass is longer and thicker than on the fairway.
Round (of golf)	A round of golf is a game of golf.     "Do we have time for a round of golf? / How about a round of golf on Saturday?"
Scratch	A scratch golfer is a player who has a 0 handicap.
Stroke (or shot)	Movement of the club aimed at hitting the ball.
Swing	Rhythmic movement which enables a golfer to hit the ball.
Tee	A small peg (wooden or plastic) on which the ball is placed for the first shot of    each hole.
Tee box	Flat area from which golfers play their first shot on each hole.
Tee shot	The first shot on each hole.
Teeing off	Playing your first shot in a game of golf.
Tee time	Time at which a player starts a round of golf.    "On some golf courses it's difficult to get a tee time."    "What time are you teeing off?"
Trolley	A stand, with wheels, for transporting golf bags.  Can be electric.
Woods	The longest clubs, which were made of wood in the past, but are now usually    made of metal.

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