Online Golfer

It is easy to get confused when out on the golf course there is a number of terms that get bantered around that just don’t make sense to a normal person. So I thought I would take the opportunity to explain just a few of the basic golf terms.

Par: Each hole is given a number of shots that it should be completed in. This is where you get Par 3, Par 4 and Par 5 holes. The longer the hole the higher the Par score. For example if a hole is between 95 yards and 225 yards it is likely a par 3, up to about 460 yards is likely a par 4 and above is par 5. There are a few par 6 holes world wide but very few.

If you finish a hole in the said number of shots alloted for that hole then you would have finished the hole in par. Getting under par is explained below but where as in a number of cases the phrase under par is a bad thing, in golf it is actually a good thing!

Birdie: A birdie is where you finish any hole one shot below the par rating for that hole. So if you are on a par 4 and you only take 3 shots to get your ball in the hole then you have scored a birdie on that hole. Getting birdies helps you to get a score that is under par.

Eagle: As with a birdie this is an under par phrase but it is two shots under par. An Eagle is fairly rare among amateur golfers and on a par three it means you would have completed the hole in just one shot. Which brings me to the next phrase.

Hole in One: Fairly straight forward but a hole in one is where the ball is in the hole after just one shot. We showed Miguel Angel Jiminez at the Dubai Classic a few posts ago where his ball went straight into the hole on the par 3 seventh hole. It is a lot less common to score a hole in one on a par 4 but if you do then that is the next phrase.

Albatross: An albatross is basically a hole in one on a par 4 but the true definition is three under par on any hole. So if you get the ball into the hole in 2 shots on a par 5 this is also an Albatross. This is mainly a UK term and in America is known as a Double Eagle.

Bogey: No not the things that come out of your nose but when you go over the allotted par score for a hole you score a bogey for one shot over the par and double bogey for two shots over par.

Draw: This is used to describe the flight of the ball when it is moved from the right to left for right handers and left to right for the left handers. This term is used to describe the shot when the ball has been intentionally pushed out to the left of the target to “draw” it back on line.

Fade: This is pretty much the opposite of the draw where the ball is moved from left to right instead of the right to left (left handers please reverse). Again the shot should be intentional, a more severe fade is a slice and is not played intentionally.

GUR: Nothing as interesting as a tiger hiding in the bushes, GUR stands for Ground Under Repair and will be marked by stakes in the ground. Should your ball come to rest in the GUR area or rest up against it then you may take relief from the position.

OB: We all dread this one it stands for Out of Bounds. This will be marked by white stakes or a fence line. The ball is out of bounds when it is outside of the boundaries of the hole and should not be played.

There are thousands of phrases used in the game of golf, many of them completely unique to the game. Some to do with equipment, some to do with the course, the swing and basically any area of the game that can be broken down into an individual area.