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
Cleek scores every format automatically — gross, net, Stableford, skins, and more — so you can focus on the golf, not the math.
Start FreeRelated Guides
Golf Handicap Explained
How the World Handicap System, slope, and net scoring work.
Stableford Scoring Explained
The points system, the score-to-points chart, and worked examples.
All Golf Game Formats
Skins, Wolf, Nassau, Scramble and 70+ more — set up in seconds.
All Guides
Formats, scoring, and tournament planning, explained.