Dictionary of Golf Terms: S Golf Terms

Sand Trap	A sand bunker.
Sand Wedge	An iron club designed to lift balls out of sand hazards.
Sandy	When a golfer still makes their par after escaping from a sand hazard.
Sclaff	When the club strikes the ground well behind the ball.
Scoop	To scoop the ball into the air rather than loft it.
Scorecard	The card on which a golfer records his score during play.
Scotch foursome	Where players play in teams of two taking alternate shots. Each hole is started alternatively as well.
Scramble	Team competition where players play from the position of the best ball of a team member after every stroke or drive.
Scratch	A player without handicap meaning that he can complete the course on par.
Scratch Player	A golfer who does not require a handicap, such as a professional.
Second Ball	Situation in which a player is obliged to play with two balls because of a question over the legality of the first ball which cannot be settled by a referee or other members of the group. The player's score is that for whichever ball is deemed legal at a post match adjudication.
Selective Perimeter Weighting	Equal weight over the toe and heel of the club head.
Semi-Private Course	A club with members but also allows non-members to pay and play.
Set	The number of golf clubs carried (maximum is 14).
Shaft	That part of the club between the head and the grip.
Shag Bag	A bag used to store balls whilst practising.
Shagging	To collect balls from a practice area.
Shank	To strike the ball with the part of the club head where the heel is joined to the shaft.
Short Game	Chipping, Pitching and Putting.
Shot	An attempt to hit the ball.
Shotgun Start	Tournament in which the field start from different holes at the same time rather than queuing up at the first tee.
Sidehill lie	When the ball comes to rest on a slope.
Single	An unaccompanied golfer.
Sink a putt	To hit the ball into the hole.
Sit	Expression aimed at the ball to encourage it to stop rolling.
Sit Down	A term which the golfer says to the ball to encourage it to land or stop rolling.
Skull	Hitting the ball above it's centre, thus making it fly very low to the ground.
Sky	When the club head only just strikes the very bottom of the ball causing it to fly straight up into the area. Normally happens when the ball is on a tee or in the rough.
Slice	To induce too much backspin onto the ball causing it to travel through the air following inside to out swing. Opposite is Hook.
Smile	Colloquialism for a lacerated golf ball; a cut in the ball is normally caused by a thinned shot.
Snake	A long putt which travels over the undulations of the green.
Snap Hook	To severely hook the ball.
Snipe	To hook the ball such that it drops quickly.
Sole	The underside of the club head.
Sole plate	The metal underside of a wood's club head.
Speed of Play	The time it takes to play an 18 hole ground.
Spike Mark	A tuft of grass caused by spiked shoes.
Spike Wrench	Instrument used to remove spikes from golf shoes.
Spoon	Another name for a 3 wood.
Square stance	When your left and right feet are level and at right angles to the ball when you take your stance.
Stableford	Point scoring competition. One point for a bogey, two points for a par, three for a birdie, four for an eagle and five for an albatross.
Stance	To place your feet in preparation for a swing .
Standard Scratch Score	The score a scratch golfer should get when playing a course in normal conditions.
Starter	An official who determines where and when golfers tee off.
Stick	The pole in the centre of the green with a flag attached.
StimpMeter	An instrument used to measure the speed of a green by applying a known force to the ball and measuring the distance travelled.
Stipulated Round	To play the number of holes of the course determined by the committee during competition.
Stony	When a ball comes to rest near the flagstick.
Straight Flight	A ball travelling in a straight line during flight.
Stroke	An attempt to hit the ball. The stroke starts on a players downswing.
Stroke Counters	Gadget to keep track of strokes.
Stroke Hole	A hole where in match play an opponent receives a shot. It is determined by the stroke index of the hole.
Stroke Index	An assessment of a holes difficulty used to award shots during strokeplay / matchplay conditions.
Stroke Play	Where the winner of a match or competition is the player who used the least number of strokes (after handicap deduction) to complete the course.
Stymie	When an object such as a tree lies between a player's ball and the green.
Sudden Death	Where additional holes are played after a tie. The winner is the first player to win a hole outright.
Summer Rules	The normal local rules of the course apply (i.e. allowances made for the winter weather are removed).
Surlyn	Tear resistant plastic outer of modern golf balls (by DuPont Corp).
Swale	A depression in the terrain.
Sweet Spot	The preferred spot on the club face with which to strike the ball.
Swing	The action of hitting the ball.
Swing weight	A measure of a club's weight.

Read more

Dictionary of Golf Terms : R - Golf Terms

R & A	The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews who oversee golf in Europe, Asia and the Commonwealth
Range	An area set aside for practice.
Ranger	A course official who ensures prompt play on a golf course.
Rating Marker	A sign next to the tee which indicates the point from which the holes yardage is measured.
Reading the Green	The act of determining the preferred path the ball must take in order to go in the hole.
Recovery Shot	To bring the ball back into a favourable playing position from an unfavourable one such as a hazard.
Referee	An official who interprets the Rules of Golf during a match or competition.
Regular shaft	A golf club shaft with an average amount of torque.
Release	To hit the ball such that it rolls on impact with the green. Also refers to movement of golfer's hands during a swing.
Relief	To lift and drop the ball without penalty in accordance with the rules.
Reverse Overlap	Gripping the club with the little finger of one hand placed over the index finger of the other.
Rimmed	A shot which circles the lip of the hole without dropping in.
Rough	The high grass area adjacent to the fairway and green.
Round	18 holes of golf.
Round robin	A tournament in which everyone gets to play everyone else.
Royal and Ancient	Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews - golf's primary governing body.
Rub of the Green	An unexpected bounce of the ball after it hits the ground. Sometimes helpful, normally not.
Rule	Official R&A rule or local rule.
Rules of Golf	As published by the R&A.
Run	The distance that the ball continues to travel after it's initial impact with the ground.
Running iron	An iron used to make short shots which roll.
Run-up	To hit the ball along or close to the ground toward and onto the green.

Read more

Dictionary of Golf Terms : Q - Golf Terms

Qualifying School	The process of qualifying for PGA membership.
Quarter Shot	A shot hit with a significantly reduced swing.
Quitting on the ball	Slowing your swing down before hitting the ball.

Read more

Dictionary of Golf Terms: P - Golf Terms

Pairings	Two player groups.
Par	The number of shots a low handicapper should take for a hole or round. The hole par is measured by the number of shots needed to reach the green plus two for the putting. The round par is calculated by adding all the hole par's together.
Partner	Players on the same side in the same group or match.
Penalty Stroke	A stroke added to a player's score due to a rule infringement, taking relief from a hazard or an unplayable lie.
Perimeter Weighting	The weight of the club head is centred in the middle, thus increasing the sweet spot (an area of the club that when hit gives you the most distance).
Persimmon	Wood imported from the USA to make club heads for drivers.
PGA	Professional Golfers Association.
Pin	The pole in the centre of the green with a flag attached.
Pin High	Means that the ball has landed on the green level with the hole as you are looking at it.
Pitch	To the ball is hit high into the air onto the green using a lofted club.
Pitch and Run	To pitch the ball onto the green using a club which enables the ball to roll on impact.
Pitch Mark	The indentation left by a ball on the green after it has landed.
Pitching Wedge	An iron with a club face angel of 48 to 50 degrees. Used to hit a high shot.
Pivot	The rotation of the body during a swing.
Playclub	Old fashioned club used for driving similar to today's woods.
Playing Handicap	The handicap used in a competition.
Playing Through	To allow golfers in the game behind play passed you while you stand to one side.
Plugged Ball	A ball that when it lands remains in it's own pitch mark.
Plumb Bob	Holding the putter in a vertical position and using it as a sight to determine the Line of Putt.
Plus Handicap	The number of shots added to a golfers score at the end of their round.
Pop up	A high shot over a very short distance.
Pot bunker	A small yet deep sand bunker.
Preferred Lie	Play in which a golfer may move his ball to the nearest point of relief not nearer the hole. When playing under winter rules, a player may replace their ball on the fairway within 6 inches of where it came to rest, not nearer the hole.
Press	Increasing an already agreed bet on the result of a match once it has started.
Pro Shop	Shop at golf club where golfing equipment may be purchased.
Pro-Am	A tournament where a professional is partnered by an amateur.
Professional	One who receives monetary remuneration for playing golf.
Provisional Ball	The playing of a second ball from the same place as the first because the player is unsure of what may have happened to the first ball (i.e. it may be lost).
Pull	When the ball flies in an inward direction after being stuck. Not the same as draw/hook as these are shots affected by spin.
Pull Cart	A two wheeled device used to aid the carrying of a golf bag around the course.
Punch Shot	Where the ball is struck on the down-stroke of a partial swing resulting in a short low shot; typically used to hit the ball out of rough or to keep the ball below the wind.
Push	When the ball flies in an outward direction after being stuck. Not the same as fade/slice as these are shots affected by spin.
Putt	Act of hitting golf ball on the green.
Putter	Club mainly used on green for striking the ball.
Putting Green	The area of short grass surrounding the hole way the ball is hit using a putter. © Copyright 1995-2013 WorldGolf.com

Read more

Dictionary of Golf Terms :N - Terms

Narrow Fairway	A Fairway (the cut grass area between tee and green) that is only a few yards across.
Net Score	A player's score after handicap deductions.
Niblick	Another name for a 9 iron.
Nineteenth Hole	The clubhouse bar after playing 18 holes.
Non-Selective Perimeter Weighting	Equal weight over the toe and heel of the club head.

Read more

O - Terms of Golf Dictionary

OB	Dictionary Golf Term:O - Terms  Acronym for Out of Bounds.
Observer	One who ensures that a golf match or round is played in accordance with the Rules of Golf.
Obstructions	Anything which is man-made that obstructs play.
Offset	The gap between the club shaft and the club face when held at address, looking from above.
On the Dance Floor	When the ball has stayed on the green.
Open	A tournament open to both amateurs and professionals.
Open Stance	At address the golfer stands with their front foot further from the ball line than their back foot. An open stance is used by a player when they want to fade or slice the ball.
Out	First nine holes on an eighteen hole golf course.
Out of Bounds	The area on or adjacent to the course where the ball may not be played from. Normally marked by white posts.
Outside Agency	Any object or person that is not part of the current golf match, such as a spectator or observer.
Outward Half	The first 9 holes of an 18 hole course.
Over Clubbing	To use a club which gives more distance than intended.
Over Par	A score higher than the indicated par for a hole or round.
Overlapping Grip	To hold the club such that the little finger of one hands is wrapped around the fore-finger of the other.

Read more