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 | 583 |
| Mulligan | Redo | 587 |
| Victory lap | Golf ball that spins around the hole then falls in | 590 |
| Honors | Hit first from the tee in golf | 591 |
| Texas wedge | Putt from off the green | 591 |
| Saddam Hussein | Golf shot from one bunker into another bunker | 591 |
| Grand Slam | Winning the four major golf tournaments | 593 |
| On the screws | Hard hit | 594 |
| Snowman | Golf score of 8 | 594 |
| Albatross | Three strokes under par | 596 |
| Rainmaker | High trajectory golf shot | 596 |
| Drop | A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm | 596 |
| Hangman | Golf score of 9 | 596 |
| Nineteenth hole | Golf clubhouse bar | 597 |
| Breakfast ball | A redo shot from the first tee | 597 |
| Ready golf | Golfers hit when ready | 597 |
| Scratch golfer | A golfer with a handicap of zero | 597 |
| Gimme | Easy golf putt | 597 |
| Front nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 597 |
| Die in the hole | Golf shot that makes it to the hole and falls in | 597 |
| Alec Guinness | Out-of-bounds | 597 |
| Worm burner | Very low golf shot | 597 |
| Pin-seeker | Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick | 597 |
| Nuked | Hit a golf ball a great distance | 597 |
| Nip it | Hit a golf ball cleanly | 598 |
| Inward nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 598 |
| Handicap | Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability | 598 |
| Par | Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole | 598 |
| Reload | To take another shot after a bad shot | 598 |
| Fore | Watch out | 598 |
| Double eagle | Three strokes under par | 598 |
| Tight lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 598 |
| Bare lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 598 |
| Squirrel | Tee shot into the rough | 598 |
| Birdie | One stroke under par | 598 |
| Amelia Earhart | Golf shot that looks good but you can't find | 598 |
| Back-door putt | Putt that spins around a hole and drops in | 598 |
| Danny DeVito | Five foot putt | 598 |
| OB | Out-of-bounds | 598 |
| Chunk | A golf shot that makes a divot | 599 |
| Shank | To hit the ball poorly | 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 |
| Quail high | Very low golf shot | 600 |
| Botox | Putt that lips out of the hole | 600 |
| Afraid of the dark | Putt that doesn't go in the hole | 600 |
| Fat shot | A golf shot that takes a chunk out of the ground | 600 |
| Bogey golf | Level of golf play that equals 1 shot over par | 600 |
| Joe Pesci | A difficult five foot putt | 600 |
| Dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that bends | 600 |
| Dogleg left | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the left | 600 |
| Abominable snowman | Golf score of 9 | 601 |
| Mickelson | To hit a golf ball while it is still moving | 601 |
| Cup | Hole | 601 |
| Dogleg right | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the right | 601 |
| Triple bogey | Three strokes over par | 601 |
| Double dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that has two bends | 601 |
| Shotgun start | Golfers are sent to each hole to start at the same time | 601 |
| Sandbagger | A golfer who plays better than he claims | 601 |
| Back nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 601 |
| Velcro | Slow green | 601 |
| Tester | A putt that tests a golfer's skill | 601 |
| Sunday ball | A do-over golf shot | 601 |
| Bogey | One stroke over par | 601 |
| Double bogey | Two strokes over par | 601 |
| Divot | Chunk of grass and soil | 602 |
| James Joyce | Putt that is hard to read | 602 |