H to M - Golf Dictionary

H

hacker
Poor player.

half
Tied hole.

half shot
Improvised shot with ordinarily too much club for the distance.

halve
To tie a hole.

ham and egging
When you and partner play well on alternate holes, forming an effective team.
handicap
For example, one whose handicap is 16 is expected to shoot 88 on a par 72 course, or 16 strokes over par.

hanging lie
Your ball is on a slope, lying either above or below your feet.

hardpan
Very firm turf.

hazard
Can be either sand or water. Don't ground your club in hazards - it's against the rules!

head cover
Protection for the clubhead, usually used on woods.

heel
End of the clubhead closest to the shaft.

hickory
Wood from which shafts used to be made.

high side
Area above the hole on a sloping green.

hole
Your ultimate 41'4-inch-wide target.

hole-high
Level with the hole.

hole-in-one
See ace.

hole out
Complete play on hole.

home green
The green on the 18th hole.

honor
When you score lowest on a given hole, thus earning the right to tee up first on the next tee.

hood
Tilting the toe end of the club toward the hole. Lessens the loft on a club, and generally produces a right-to-Left shot.

hook
Shot that curves severely from right to left.

horseshoe
When ball goes around the edge of the cup and "comes back" toward you. Painful!

hosel
Curved area where the clubhead connects with the shaft.

hustler
A golfer who plays for a living. Plays better than he claims to be. Usually leaves your wallet lighter.

I

Impact
Moment when the club strikes the ball.

Impregnable Quadrilateral
The Grand Slam.

improve your lie
To move the ball to make a shot easier. This is illegal unless local rules dictate otherwise.

in play
Within the confines of the course (not out-of-bounds).

into out
Swing path whereby the clubhead moves across the ball-target line from left to right.

in your pocket
After you've picked up the ball! (Generally after you finish a holewithout holing out.)

insert
Plate in the face of wooden clubs.

inside out
Clubhead moves through the impact area on a line to the right ofthe target. Most tour players do this. (See also outside in.)

inside
Area on your side of a line drawn from the ball to the target.

intended line
The path on which you imagine the ball flying from club to target.

interlocking
Type of grip where the little finger of the right hand is entwined with the index finger of the left.

investment cast
Clubs made from a mold.

impediment
Loose debris that you can remove from around your ball as long as the ball doesn't move

J

jail
Slang for when you and your ball are in very deep trouble.

jigger
Old term for a 4-iron. Also a great little pub to the right of the 17th fairway at St. Andrews.

jungle
Slang for heavy rough, or an unpre­pared area of long grass.

K

kick
Another term for bounce.

kill
To hit a long shot.

L

ladies day
Time when course is reserved for those of the female persuasion.

lag
A long putt hit with the intent of leaving the ball close to the cup.

laid off
When the club points to the left of the target at the top of the backswing.

lateral hazard
Water hazard marked by red stakes and usually parallel to the fairway.

lay-up
Conservatively played shot to avoid possible trouble.

leader board
Place where lowest scores in tournament are posted.

leak
Ball drifting to the right during flight.

lie
Where your ball is on the ground. Also, the angle at which the club shaft extends from the head.

lift
What you do before you drop.

line
The path of a shot to the hole.

line up
To stand behind a shot to take aim.

links
A seaside course. Don't expect trees.

lip
Edge of a cup or bunker.

lip-out (cellophane bridge)
Ball touches the edge of the cup but doesn't drop in.

local knowledge
What the members know and you don't.

local rules
Set of rules determined by the members, rules committee, or course professional.

loft
The degree at which a clubface looks upward.

long game
Shots hit with long irons and woods. Also could be John Daly's game.

loop
Slang for "to caddy." Or a round of golf. Or a change in the path of the clubhead during the swing.
low-handicapper
Good player.

low side
Area below the hole on a sloping green.

LPGA
Ladies Professional Golf Association.

M

make
Hole a shot.

makeable
Shot with a good chance of being holed.

mallet
Putter with a wide head.

mark
To indicate the position of the ball with a small, round, flat object, such as a coin, usually on the green.

marker
Small, round object, such as a coin, placed behind the ball toindicate its position when you lift it. Or the person keeping score.

marshal
Person controlling the crowd at a tournament.

mashie
Old term for as-iron.

mashie-niblick
Old term for a 7-iron.

Masters
First major tournament of each calendar year. Always played over the Augusta National course in Georgia. The one tournament I can't go to.

match of cards
Comparing your scorecard to your opponent's to see who won.

match play
Game played between two sides. The side that wins the most holes wins the match.

matched set
Clubs designed to look and feel the same.

medal play
Game played between any number of players. The player with the lowest score wins (can also be called stroke play).

metal wood
Wooden club made of metal.

mid-iron
Old term for a 2-iron.

miniature course
Putting course.

misclub
To use the wrong club for the distance.

misread
To take the wrong line on a putt.

miss the cut
To take too many strokes for the first 36 holes of 72-hole event and be eliminated. I did this once or twice.

mixed foursome
Two men, two women.

model swing
Perfect motion.

mulligan
Second attempt at a shot, usually played on the first tee. This is illegal.

municipal course
A course owned by the local government and thus open to the public. Generally has lower greens fees than a privately owned public course.