Golf Slang
Eagle, birdie, par, bogey? These terms might seem strange to the average person, but they are part of average golfer's vernacular. If you plan on hitting the links, we recommend browsing the list below. It includes all the basic golf terms as well as some of informal slang used on the course by those of us not quite at the PGA level.
| Slang Term | Meaning | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | Hole in one | 582 |
| Mulligan | Redo | 587 |
| Honors | Hit first from the tee in golf | 592 |
| Victory lap | Golf ball that spins around the hole then falls in | 592 |
| Texas wedge | Putt from off the green | 593 |
| Saddam Hussein | Golf shot from one bunker into another bunker | 593 |
| Grand Slam | Winning the four major golf tournaments | 594 |
| On the screws | Hard hit | 595 |
| Hangman | Golf score of 9 | 595 |
| Snowman | Golf score of 8 | 595 |
| Drop | A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm | 596 |
| Rainmaker | High trajectory golf shot | 596 |
| Albatross | Three strokes under par | 596 |
| Worm burner | Very low golf shot | 597 |
| Breakfast ball | A redo shot from the first tee | 597 |
| Die in the hole | Golf shot that makes it to the hole and falls in | 597 |
| Pin-seeker | Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick | 598 |
| Scratch golfer | A golfer with a handicap of zero | 598 |
| Gimme | Easy golf putt | 598 |
| Alec Guinness | Out-of-bounds | 598 |
| Front nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 598 |
| Nineteenth hole | Golf clubhouse bar | 599 |
| Squirrel | Tee shot into the rough | 599 |
| Bare lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 599 |
| Tight lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 599 |
| Birdie | One stroke under par | 599 |
| Double eagle | Three strokes under par | 599 |
| Fore | Watch out | 599 |
| Handicap | Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability | 599 |
| Ready golf | Golfers hit when ready | 599 |
| Inward nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 599 |
| Par | Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole | 599 |
| Danny DeVito | Five foot putt | 599 |
| Reload | To take another shot after a bad shot | 599 |
| Nuked | Hit a golf ball a great distance | 599 |
| OB | Out-of-bounds | 599 |
| Nip it | Hit a golf ball cleanly | 599 |
| Amelia Earhart | Golf shot that looks good but you can't find | 599 |
| Back-door putt | Putt that spins around a hole and drops in | 599 |
| Abominable snowman | Golf score of 9 | 600 |
| Quail high | Very low golf shot | 600 |
| Dogleg left | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the left | 600 |
| Dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that bends | 600 |
| Outward nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 600 |
| The turn | Halfway point of a round of golf | 600 |
| Eagle | Two strokes under par | 600 |
| Afraid of the dark | Putt that doesn't go in the hole | 600 |
| Botox | Putt that lips out of the hole | 600 |
| Fat shot | A golf shot that takes a chunk out of the ground | 600 |
| Joe Pesci | A difficult five foot putt | 600 |
| Chunk | A golf shot that makes a divot | 600 |
| Bogey golf | Level of golf play that equals 1 shot over par | 600 |
| Shank | To hit the ball poorly | 600 |
| Sunday ball | A do-over golf shot | 601 |
| Mickelson | To hit a golf ball while it is still moving | 601 |
| Dogleg right | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the right | 601 |
| Double dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that has two bends | 601 |
| Cup | Hole | 601 |
| Sandbagger | A golfer who plays better than he claims | 601 |
| Tester | A putt that tests a golfer's skill | 601 |
| Velcro | Slow green | 601 |
| Double bogey | Two strokes over par | 601 |
| Shotgun start | Golfers are sent to each hole to start at the same time | 601 |
| Triple bogey | Three strokes over par | 601 |
| Bogey | One stroke over par | 601 |
| Back nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 601 |
| James Joyce | Putt that is hard to read | 602 |
| Divot | Chunk of grass and soil | 602 |