ace - A hole in one
amateur - A golfer who is not paid for playing.
approach - Normally a short or medium shot played to the putting green or pin -- "approach shot."
attend the flag - To hold and then remove the flag while another player putts. A common courtesy performed when playing a round.
away - The player farthest from the hole is the first to play, as in "Who`s away?"
back - The tee position that makes the hole the longest. Also, the last nine holes of an eighteen-hole course.
ball - What you hit. Primarily comes in white.
ball-washer - A device to use for washing your golf balls.
bermuda - A type of coarse durable grass seen mostly on southern courses.
best ball (better ball) - The best score on a hole by two or more partners in a best-ball match.
birdie - A score of one under par on a hole.
bogey - A score of one over par on a hole.
break - In putting it is the curve due to the slope in a green. In a golf shot, a player may say, "I got a good break." (a favorable or unfavorable sharp bounce/roll to the left or right.)
bunker - A sand trap on a golf course, defined as a hazard.
caddie/caddy - A person who carries clubs for a golfer, gives a golfer advice with club selection and course strategy.
carry - The distance a golf ball must traverse from impact to the point where it first hits the ground. Carry is especially important when judging the distance to the green over a hazard (water, bunker).
cart fee - The rental fee a player pays for using a golf cart during a golf round.
chip - A short, lofted shot from around the green.
compression - The degree of resilience of a golf ball. It is recommended that a beginner play with an 80 or 90-compression ball. One and two piece golf balls are not designated by compression.
course - Slang for golf course. An area of land designed for playing golf, occupying anywhere from 50 to 300 acres, and having fixed boundaries.
course rating - The comparison of playing one course as opposed to another in terms of difficulty, used in USGA handicapping.
divot - A piece of turf removed with a golf shot. It is proper etiquette to always replace the divot, and to step the turf back in place. Many courses provide a container of sand in golf carts to fill your divots.
dogleg - A left or right bend in the fairway.
drop - The act performed when a player has an unplayable lie or when the original ball is lost. The golf ball is dropped from a shoulder height on the course.
eagle - A score of two under par on a hole.
executive course - A shorter-than-regulation golf course predominantly featuring par-4 and par-3 holes. A good starter course for a beginning golfer to play before moving to a regular course.
fore - A warning yelled by a player when their shot threatens another player.
foursome - Four golfers playing together. Also a match in which two players play against another two players with each side playing one ball.
