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 |
| On the screws | Hard hit | 595 |
| Snowman | Golf score of 8 | 595 |
| Grand Slam | Winning the four major golf tournaments | 595 |
| Hangman | Golf score of 9 | 596 |
| Drop | A ball dropped from a golfer's outstretched arm | 596 |
| Rainmaker | High trajectory golf shot | 596 |
| Albatross | Three strokes under par | 596 |
| 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 |
| Worm burner | Very low golf shot | 597 |
| Pin-seeker | Golf shot hit straight at the flagstick | 598 |
| Front nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 598 |
| Alec Guinness | Out-of-bounds | 598 |
| Scratch golfer | A golfer with a handicap of zero | 598 |
| Gimme | Easy golf putt | 598 |
| Double eagle | Three strokes under par | 599 |
| Squirrel | Tee shot into the rough | 599 |
| Bare lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 599 |
| Fore | Watch out | 599 |
| Birdie | One stroke under par | 599 |
| Tight lie | A golf ball laying directly on the ground | 599 |
| Danny DeVito | Five foot putt | 599 |
| Ready golf | Golfers hit when ready | 599 |
| Back-door putt | Putt that spins around a hole and drops in | 599 |
| Amelia Earhart | Golf shot that looks good but you can't find | 599 |
| Par | Number of strokes to complete a golf course hole | 599 |
| Nip it | Hit a golf ball cleanly | 599 |
| OB | Out-of-bounds | 599 |
| Nuked | Hit a golf ball a great distance | 599 |
| Reload | To take another shot after a bad shot | 599 |
| Inward nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 599 |
| Nineteenth hole | Golf clubhouse bar | 599 |
| Handicap | Numerical score that represents a golfer's ability | 600 |
| Outward nine | First nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 600 |
| The turn | Halfway point of a round of golf | 600 |
| Fat shot | A golf shot that takes a chunk out of the ground | 600 |
| Chunk | A golf shot that makes a divot | 600 |
| Bogey golf | Level of golf play that equals 1 shot over par | 600 |
| Dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that bends | 600 |
| Shank | To hit the ball poorly | 600 |
| Eagle | Two strokes under par | 600 |
| Joe Pesci | A difficult five foot putt | 600 |
| Dogleg left | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the left | 600 |
| Afraid of the dark | Putt that doesn't go in the hole | 600 |
| Botox | Putt that lips out of the hole | 600 |
| Abominable snowman | Golf score of 9 | 600 |
| Quail high | Very low golf shot | 600 |
| Cup | Hole | 601 |
| Double dogleg | A golf hole with a fairway that has two bends | 601 |
| Dogleg right | A golf hole with a fairway that has a bend to the right | 601 |
| Mickelson | To hit a golf ball while it is still moving | 601 |
| Velcro | Slow green | 601 |
| Shotgun start | Golfers are sent to each hole to start at the same time | 601 |
| Back nine | Last nine holes of an 18-hole golf course | 601 |
| Triple bogey | Three strokes over par | 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 |
| Sandbagger | A golfer who plays better than he claims | 601 |
| Double bogey | Two strokes over par | 601 |
| Divot | Chunk of grass and soil | 602 |
| James Joyce | Putt that is hard to read | 602 |