Reference
Golf Terms Glossary
The language of golf, explained in plain English — scoring, handicaps, formats, course features, and the slang you'll hear on the first tee. Jump to a section below.
Scoring & Results
- Par
- The number of strokes a scratch golfer is expected to need on a hole or round. Most holes are par 3, 4, or 5.
- Birdie
- A score of one stroke under par on a hole.
- Eagle
- A score of two strokes under par on a hole — most often made on a par 5.
- Albatross (Double Eagle)
- A score of three strokes under par on a hole. Extremely rare, usually a holed second shot on a par 5.
- Bogey
- A score of one stroke over par on a hole.
- Double Bogey
- A score of two strokes over par. Three over is a triple bogey, and so on.
- Ace (Hole-in-One)
- Holing the ball directly from the tee in a single stroke.
- Even Par (E)
- A score exactly equal to par. Often shown as "E" on a leaderboard.
- Gross Score
- The actual number of strokes you took, before any handicap adjustment.
- Net Score
- Your gross score minus the handicap strokes you receive. Net scoring lets different abilities compete fairly.
- Up and Down
- Getting the ball into the hole in two strokes from off the green — typically a chip or pitch followed by a single putt.
Handicap & Ratings
- Handicap Index
- A portable measure of a golfer’s ability, calculated from the average of the best 8 of your last 20 score differentials under the World Handicap System.
- Course Handicap
- Your Handicap Index converted into the actual strokes you receive on a specific course and set of tees.
- Scratch Golfer
- A player with a handicap of 0 — expected to shoot a course’s rating.
- Bogey Golfer
- A reference player of roughly 20 (men) or 24 (women) handicap, used to set the Slope Rating.
- Course Rating
- The score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot on a given set of tees, e.g. 71.2.
- Slope Rating
- A measure of a course’s relative difficulty for a bogey golfer versus a scratch golfer. It ranges from 55 to 155, with 113 being average.
- Stroke Index
- The ranking of each hole by difficulty, from 1 (hardest) to 18 (easiest), used to decide which holes your handicap strokes fall on.
- World Handicap System (WHS)
- The single global handicap standard adopted in 2020, replacing six older regional systems so handicaps mean the same thing worldwide.
- Net Double Bogey
- The maximum score per hole for handicap purposes — par plus two strokes plus any handicap strokes received — so one disaster hole can’t distort your handicap.
Formats & Games
- Stroke Play (Medal)
- Count every stroke over the round; the lowest total wins. The format of most professional tournaments.
- Match Play
- A hole-by-hole contest. Win a hole to go "1 up"; whoever leads by more holes than remain wins the match.
- Stableford
- A points-based format: points are awarded per hole against your net score, and the highest total wins.
- Scramble
- A team format where everyone tees off, the team picks the best shot, and all play from there each stroke.
- Best Ball (Four-Ball)
- A team format where each player plays their own ball and the lowest score on each hole counts for the team.
- Foursomes (Alternate Shot)
- A team format where two partners share one ball and alternate every shot.
- Skins
- Each hole is its own contest worth a "skin." Win the hole outright to take it; ties carry the skin over to the next hole.
- Nassau
- Three separate match-play contests in one round: the front nine, the back nine, and the overall 18.
- Wolf
- A four-player game where a rotating "Wolf" picks a partner after watching the tee shots — or plays the hole alone for more points.
- Shamble
- A hybrid team format: the team plays the best drive, then each player plays their own ball into the hole from there.
Course & Play
- Tee Box
- The starting area of a hole. Most courses offer several sets of tees at different lengths.
- Fairway
- The closely mown strip between the tee and the green, the ideal place to land your drive.
- Rough
- The longer grass bordering the fairway and green, which makes the next shot harder.
- Green
- The smooth putting surface where the hole and flagstick are located.
- Fringe (Apron)
- The ring of short grass immediately surrounding the green, longer than the green itself.
- Bunker
- A sand-filled hazard, found beside fairways and greens.
- Flagstick (Pin)
- The movable marker placed in the hole to show its position from a distance.
- Honor
- The right to play first from the tee, earned by having the lowest score on the previous hole.
- Provisional Ball
- A second ball played when your first might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, to save time.
- Mulligan
- An informal do-over of a shot, by agreement among casual players. It is not part of the Rules of Golf.
- Gimme
- A short putt conceded by an opponent in match play or casual rounds, counted as holed without being struck.
Slang & Achievements
- Greenie
- A side achievement for hitting the green nearest the pin on a par 3 in regulation.
- Sandie
- Making par or better on a hole after being in a bunker.
- Barkie
- Making par or better on a hole after your ball hit a tree.
- Snake
- A three-putt. In many side games, the last player to three-putt "holds the snake."
- Press
- A new side contest started mid-round, usually by a player who has fallen behind, running alongside the original match.
- Dormie
- In match play, leading by exactly as many holes as remain — a position from which you cannot lose, only win or halve.
- Fore
- The traditional warning shouted when a shot is heading toward other players.
The Brand
- Cleek
- Two meanings. (1) A traditional golf club from the early days of the game — a narrow-faced iron or wood, roughly equivalent to a modern long iron or fairway wood. (2) Cleek, the social golf scoring app: live scoring, side games, and leaderboards built for the people you actually play with.
Put the terms into play
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