The number of strokes a competent player is expected to need on a hole, including two putts. Holes are par 3, 4 or 5 depending on length; the 18 added together give the course par, usually 70-72. Every other score (birdie, bogey) is named relative to par.
Finishing a hole one stroke under par: a 3 on a par 4. The name comes from early 20th-century American slang, where a "bird" meant something excellent. For a mid-handicapper it usually comes from an approach shot that leaves a short putt, not from holing a long one.
Two strokes under par: a 3 on a par 5, or a 2 on a par 4. The common route is reaching a par 5 green in two and holing the putt.
Three strokes under par, almost always a 2 on a par 5. It is far rarer than a hole in one. In the United States it is also called a double eagle.
One stroke over par: a 5 on a par 4. For most amateurs it is a perfectly reasonable score — an 18-handicap plays, by definition, around one bogey per hole.
Two strokes over par. It usually comes from compounding errors (a ball off the fairway followed by an over-ambitious recovery) rather than from a single bad shot: avoiding them lowers a handicap faster than chasing birdies.
Holing out from the tee with a single stroke, almost always on a par 3. Also known as an ace.
The area each hole is played from, marked by two tee markers. The same word names the peg the ball sits on for that first shot. Different coloured markers offer longer or shorter versions of the course.
The strip of short grass between tee and green, the ideal surface to attack from. Fairways hit off the tee is one of the basic stats for telling whether a player's problem is off the tee or in the iron game.
The closely mown surface where the hole sits and where the putter is used. Its speed is measured in "stimp": the faster it runs, the less force a putt needs and the more the break shows.
The longer grass around the fairway and green. Grass trapped between clubface and ball reduces backspin, so the shot flies with less control and runs further on landing — the classic flyer.
A sand hazard. In greenside bunkers the club never strikes the ball but the sand a few centimetres behind it, and that sand throws the ball out; hence the need for an open face and acceleration through the shot.
The flagstick marking where the hole is cut on the green. Its position moves daily, so the real distance to the hole is not the distance to the centre of the green — which is why firing at every flag is one of the most expensive strategic mistakes in golf.
Ground outside the boundaries of the course, marked with white stakes. It costs one penalty stroke and the shot must be replayed from where the previous one was struck, so an OB off the tee means teeing off again playing your third.
The first ~30 cm of the swing, as the club moves away from the ball. In the one-piece pattern, shoulders, arms and club move together, with the clubhead outside the hands — an inside takeaway opens the face and plants the seeds of a slice.
The full move from address to the top. Its job is to load rotation (shoulders against hips), not to gain length: a longer backswing without a better turn only adds dispersion.
The highest point of the swing, where the club changes direction. Classic reference: shaft near horizontal and weight loaded into the inside of the trail foot, ready for the transition.
The change of direction between backswing and downswing. The correct sequence starts from the hips (lateral bump plus rotation) while the torso "waits"; starting with the shoulders produces over the top and a loss of lag.
The stretch from the top to impact. It takes roughly one third as long as the backswing in the professional pattern (the 3:1 Tour Tempo ratio), and its order — hips, torso, arms, club — decides the quality of the strike.
The moment of club-ball contact. In a good iron strike, the hands lead the clubhead, the lead wrist is flat and the divot starts at the ball or after it.
The extension after impact, with both arms long toward the target. It is not decorative: a short follow-through betrays deceleration or a lack of rotation before contact.
The final position of the swing: weight on the lead foot, trail foot up on its toes and belt buckle facing the target. Holding it in balance for 3 seconds is the classic test that the effort was under control.
The natural unhinging of the wrists and rotation of the face through impact. It happens on its own when the sequence is right; forcing it with the hands produces hooks, and holding it off produces blocks to the right.
A starting pattern in which shoulders, arms and club move as a single unit for the first few centimeters, with no early forearm rotation. It is the classic fix for an inside takeaway (Hogan, Leadbetter).
A pronounced curve to the right (for a right-hander). The recipe, per TrackMan's ball flight laws: a face open to an out-to-in path. The fix starts with the club path, not the face.
A pronounced curve to the left (for a right-hander): a face closed to the club path. Typical causes: a grip that is too strong, or an excessively in-to-out path the hands overcompensate for.
A strike where the club hits the ground before the ball: the low point fell behind. The turf robs the energy and the ball comes up short. Typical root cause: the weight never got to the lead side in time.
Contact at the ball's equator or above it, producing a low, shooting runner. It usually comes from standing up in the downswing (losing chest height) or from trying to lift the ball with the wrists.
Contact on the hosel (where the face meets the shaft): the ball rockets right at an impossible angle. It betrays hands farther from the body at impact than at address — often due to early extension.
The pelvis moves toward the ball in the downswing and the spine angle set at address is lost (TPI pattern). It steals space from the arms: alternating fat and thin shots, blocks to the right and shank risk.
Excessive lateral slide of the trail hip during the backswing, instead of rotating around the axis. It moves the low point and forces you to "find" the ball again on the way down — unpredictable contact (TPI pattern).
The downswing equivalent of the sway: the lead hip drifts laterally past the foot without rotating. The face arrives late and blocks to the right or violent rescue hooks appear.
Throwing away the wrist angle right at the start of the downswing, like casting a fishing rod. Lag is lost — and with it speed and compression: high, weak flight and fat contact.
A downswing that starts with the shoulders and arms shoving the club outside the backswing plane: an out-to-in attack, divots pointing left and the pull-slice pattern. The most common amateur fault.
The lead elbow bends and points at the target after impact, with the arm tucked instead of extended. It shrinks the arc and is usually a compensation for an out-to-in downswing.
A wrist flip at impact trying to lift the ball: the lead wrist cups and the clubhead passes the hands. The club's loft already gets the ball airborne on its own — helping it up ruins it.
A backwards weight sequence: at the top the weight is on the lead foot, and in the downswing it falls away to the trail side. Impossible to compress the ball that way — high, weak, thin shots.
Keeping the weight on the trail foot at impact, with the torso leaning away from the target. The low point moves back: fat shots, rescue thins, and a high, short flight pushed to the right.
A soft, controlled curve to the right (right-hander). Unlike the slice, it is intentional and playable: a face slightly open to the path, starting left of the target and working back toward it.
A soft, controlled curve to the left (right-hander): a face slightly closed to an in-to-out path. It usually rolls out more than a fade thanks to its more penetrating flight.
A ball that starts straight but right of the target and never comes back: an in-to-out path with the face aligned to that path. Common when the hips slide too far and the club gets stuck behind.
A ball that starts straight but left of the target: an out-to-in path with the face square to that path. It is the slice's cousin — same over-the-top downswing, different face position.
The ratio of backswing time to downswing time, not absolute speed. The tour benchmark is ~3:1 (John Novosel, Tour Tempo): three counts going back, one coming down, at any speed.
The angle retained between the lead arm and the shaft during the downswing. Releasing it late multiplies speed at impact; releasing it from the top (casting) gives it away before the club ever reaches the ball.
The imaginary inclined plane the club travels on. Halfway back, the shaft should point at the ball line: too flat traps the club inside; too upright forces an out-to-in downswing.
The lowest point of the swing arc. With irons it should fall at the ball or just after it (ball first, divot after); when it moves back — from sway, weight hanging back or casting — fat and thin shots appear.
The difference in rotation between shoulders and hips at the top. Tour players generate 45-50°; a mid-handicapper, 35-42° (TPI data). It is elastic load: more separation, done well, is more speed without more effort.
The distance the ball travels through the air, not counting roll. It is the distance number that matters for club selection. 7-iron reference: tour 160-170 m, mid-handicapper 115-135 m (TrackMan).
The width of your shot pattern with a given club — the true measure of consistency. Tightening dispersion gains more strokes than adding meters: that is why driver is not always the best play off the tee (Broadie).
How you hold the club — your only contact with it. Neutral reference: 2-3 knuckles of the lead hand visible and the "V"s pointing at the trail shoulder; a constant pressure of 4 out of 10 (Penick's "bird").
The setup position before starting the swing: posture, grip, alignment and ball position. Most ball-flight faults are planted here, before the club ever moves.
The placement of the feet at address: width, weight distribution and ball position relative to center. With mid irons the ball goes roughly one fist forward of center; with the driver, off the lead heel.
The strip of turf the club takes after contact with an iron. It is an honest tell: it should start at the ball or after it (never behind) and point at the target — a divot aiming left betrays out-to-in.
The angle of the clubface relative to vertical: it is what gets the ball up — not the wrists. Dynamic loft is what the face presents at impact; scooping inflates it, shaft lean reduces it.
The angle of a wedge's sole that makes it skid off the turf or sand instead of digging. In the bunker it is the engine of the shot: open the face to expose it and let the sole slide under the ball (Pelz, Utley).
A short, low shot from just off the green, with more roll than flight. Setup: 70-80% of the weight on the lead foot, ball center-back and hands ahead — the follow-through never shorter than the backswing.
A short, high shot that flies farther than it rolls and stops almost dead. It is chosen over the chip when there is little green to work with; distance is controlled by the length of the backswing (Pelz's "clock").
A very low-flying chip variant that lands early and runs to the hole. In strong wind or with plenty of green to work with, it is the most predictable option: less time in the air, less that can go wrong.
The standard sand shot: the club NEVER touches the ball — it enters the sand 3-5 cm behind it and the cushion of sand throws the ball out. Open the face before taking your grip, weight forward and accelerate all the way through.
A long putt whose goal is not to hole out but to leave the ball within tap-in range (less than a meter). On long putts, speed rules over line — it is the antidote to three-putting (Pelz).
The curve the green's slope puts on a putt. Read it from behind the ball and from the low side, picking a specific break point to aim at — line and speed are decided together.
The index that measures a player's level: how many strokes over par they average around a course. It allows fair competition and realistic benchmarks — compare your tempo or carry against your bracket, not against the tour.
A seaside course on sandy ground, with wind, firm fairways and few trees — the original terrain of golf (and of The Open). The ever-present wind explains why low, running shots like the bump-and-run rule there.
Finishing a hole one stroke under par: a 3 on a par 4.
The number of strokes a competent player is expected to need on a hole, including two putts.
One stroke over par: a 5 on a par 4.
Two strokes under par: a 3 on a par 5, or a 2 on a par 4.