Golf Tip
Golf Tip: Understanding Golf Language
Golf is a sport that has a language of its own. Getting familiar with the fundamental language will help you understand your surroundings while out on the course. Every golfer gets overwhelmed when just beginning the game. The endless amounts of terms, slang, clubs needed, and course etiquette can lead to frustration or confusion when first starting out. This tip will help give you the terminology needed to feel comfortable and confident going into your golf game! If you enjoy reading tips like these, check out our Nike Junior Golf Camps!
Stroke: The act of swinging a golf club and making contact with the ball.
Par: The score a player is expected to make on a hole, either a three, four or five.
Eagle: Two strokes under par on a hole.
Birdie: One stroke under par on a hole.
Bogey: One stroke over par on a hole.
Double Bogey: Two strokes over par on a hole.
Ace: Hole-in-one.
Approach: A golf shot made with the intention of landing the golf ball on the green.
Bite: The result of backspin when the ball lands on the green.
Break: The amount a putt will curve from right to left, or left to right because of the slope and wind that affect the movement of the ball on the green.
Borrow: The amount of break a player allows for when hitting a breaking putt.
Slice: When a sidespin is put on the ball, causing it to curve to the right for a right-handed player and to the left for a left-handed player.
Loft: The degree of angle on the clubface, with the least loft on a putter and the most on a sand wedge.
Fade: A shot that curves from left to right.
Draw: A shot that curves from right to left.
Hook: A shot that curves sharply from right to left.
Trajectory: The height and angle the ball travels when hit.
Line: The intended path of the ball. This word is typically used when putting.
Mulligan: A stroke that is played from the same spot that a player hit their previous stroke, looking to re-do the prior shot without penalty. In other words, a do-over.
Handicap: A number that represents the golfer's ability based on their previous scores.
About Nike Junior Golf Camps
Nike Junior Golf Camps is a division of US Sports Camps, Inc (USSC). Headquartered in San Rafael, California, USSC is America’s largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. The company has offered summer camps in the U.S. since 1975 with the same mission that defines it today: to shape a lifelong enjoyment of athletics through high-quality sports education and skill enhancement. Nike Junior Golf Camps offers junior overnight and day camps, as well as advanced player camps at over 130 locations nationwide. Since 1994, more than 200,000 junior golfers have participated in the camps.