You’re out playing golf with your buddies and one of them yells out, “take a breakfast ball”. You laugh and say what the heck does that mean? Well, let’s cover some golf terminology used that will be relevant for beginner golfers as well as those who don’t hit the course a few times a week.
We’ll cover what you might call golf score terminology first and then get into the golf slang words a little later on. So breakfast ball is a little bit further down the page.
I’m just going to cover a couple handful of terms below. For a far more reaching read on golf lingo, this is a great book.
Golf Terminology Used on the Course
Ace or Hole in One
One swing off the tee box and the ball goes in the hole. Typically does not happen on a par 3. Typically does not happen on a par 4. What? The odds of an amateur golfer getting an ace (hole in one) on a par 3 is approximately 1/12,500. It can be done on a par 4 but that par 4 would have to be a relatively short par 4. Oh, let me add one more thing. If you were to get a hole in one, it is an unwritten tradition that after the round you pay a visit to the clubhouse bar and buy a round of drinks for everyone in the bar. In some 40+ years of playing golf, I’ve never had a hole in one. I have however had a hole in one while playing golf using my SkyTrak golf simulator and TGC2019.
Albatross or Double Eagle
An albatross or sometimes called a double eagle happens when a golfer gets a hole in one on a par 4 or a 2 on a par 5. If you thought getting a hole in one was difficult, we are talking about somewhere between 1 in a million to 1 in 6 million to get an albatross. Yes, so infrequent that stats are really not kept. Especially amongst us amateur golfers.
Eagle
An eagle is two shots under par. So a 2 on a par 4 or a 3 on a par 5. For long hitters it is more common on a par 5. I’ve never had an eagle but have putted for one a couple of times on a short par 4.
Birdie
One score less than par. On a par 3 you would get a birdie if you hit the ball in the hole from the tee in a total of 2 shots. If you are playing a par 4 and you shot a 3, you got a birdie on the hole. On a par 5 if you shoot a 4 on the hole, you had a birdie. It is often said that you are making a putt for a certain score. For instance, “hey John, this putt is for birdie”.
Par
If the par on a hole is a 3 and you shot a 3, you got a par. Some thing with a par 4 or par 5. It means you shot the score for that hole that is on the scorecard. Again, you may have a buddy say, “if you make this putt it would be a pretty good par”.
Bogie
If you finish the hole with one over the score on the scorecard, you have shot a bogie on the hole. On a par 3 you would have shot a 4 on the hole. On a par 4 you would put down 5 on the scorecard. A par 5 means you would have shot a 6 if you had a bogie. Sometimes you will hear friends say you are playing bogie golf. Typically what that means is if you are playing 18 holes, by the end of the round you would most likely shoot around 18 over par.
Double Bogie
The next stop after a bogie is a double bogie. So shooting a 5 on a par 3, 6 on a par 4, or 7 on a par 5. Some beginner golfers will be more than happy with a double bogie. Double bogie golf throughout 18 holes will be about 98 shots give or take in 18 holes. For many, that is goal to get to. To break 100.
Triple Bogie
Sometimes, ok many times golf doesn’t work out as well as planned. It may be a couple of bad shots in a row or a ball in the lake or woods and another bad shot. Some of us may 4 putt a green or even fail to get the ball out of the sand. Your playing partners may shorten the term and say you took a trip on the hole. Either way, it amounts to taking a 6 on a par 3, 7 on a par 4, or 8 on a par 5.
Yes it goes up from there and you can get a quadruple bogey, etc… I’ve played with friends who put a maximum of 10 for a score on any hole.
If you’re new to golf, a not so simple primer of how does handicap work in golf can help to figure out how scoring works when playing with other golfers.
That about covers scoring on the golf course. Did someone mention something about a breakfast ball?
Strokes Gained
Notice your buddy who has about the same handicap as you is a much better putter? Maybe you find yourself in the fairway much more often than your friend. Strokes gained is a set of statistics that can be applied to putting, chipping, driving, and so many more aspects of the golf game. Imagine if you are able to take one aspect of your game which you know is sub-par (and in this case that isn’t a good thing), and are able to concentrate and improve on that one facet of your game. ie going from 36 putts a round to 32 putts a round. A game changer.
How About Some Golf Slang?
Breakfast Ball
You walk up to the first tee, haven’t taken but a couple of practice swings and hit the ball thin and watch it go 30 yards straight, not even making the fairway. Sometimes you don’t catch the ball quite right and it goes straight right and into the woods. Not a good way to start. Well then, take a breakfast ball. A breakfast ball is pretty much a way of saying if needed, you can take an extra shot on the first tee. Some golfers only use the term breakfast ball if playing early in the morning.
Mulligan
Almost like a breakfast ball, a mulligan is oftentimes offered once a round or maybe every nine holes when playing amongst friends. So you could be on the 4th hole on a course which might be a par 3. You hit the ball poorly so your friend turns to you and says, “why don’t you take a mulligan”. That is the equivalent of a re-do. It doesn’t cost any extra shots on the scorecard.
Thin
A thin shot is when you don’t catch the ball quite right. A thin shot oftentimes results in a line drive type of shot. It can be one that doesn’t get much distance or in the opposite effect it can be one where you are hitting towards the green, hit the ball thin and it hits the green as though it is concrete (line drive) and goes 10 yards past the green.
Chunk or Fat Shot
Hitting turf before you hit the ball? Well that is a fat shot or what some call a chunk. Most of the time the ball does not go very far. Oftentimes a product like the Divot Board comes in very handy here. It literally shows where you would strike the ball when practicing. So if you are continuously hitting a fat shot or even a thin shot, the Divot Board will point that out and either some lessons or YouTube might help you out.
Gimme
“Hey Dave. That’s a gimme”. What that means is you don’t have to make the putt. You do count the shot on your scorecard but what it is basically saying is, I’ll give you that putt, you don’t have to make it. It is sorta a courtesy thing when it comes to golf. The hope sometimes is that if I tell you that you can take a gimme on a 3 foot putt, you would do the same for me when I might have a similar putt on another hole.
Shank
A word you never want to hear. A golf shot that you never want to hit. Still, it even happens amongst professionals. A shank is a golf shot that immediately goes right for a right handed golfer. The cause of this is hit the ball glances off the hosel or heel of the golf club. Better said, the far left side of the golf club. The end result is the ball doesn’t go too far but usually far enough to end in the rough or woods on the right hand side of the hole you are playing.
Slice
For a right handed golfer, a slice starts off going straight and ends up going far off to the right. The shank mentioned above basically goes at an angle to the right whereas a slice initially starts straight and then heads right. There is a golf term called a fade but a fade differs from a slice. I think of it like this. If a ball starts straight and is a fade, it might be 8 yards offline to the right. A slice can end up 20, 30, 40 yards plus off to the right. Off the top of my head, I would say 80+% of amateur golfers have a slice with most of their shots.
Hook
The opposite of a slice, a hook oftentimes starts off straight but ends up going far to the left for a right handed golfer. There is something called a draw which goes left as well but just not quite as far left. A draw might go 8-10 yards left while a hook can go 20, 30, or 40 yards plus to the left.
If you play with a draw or even a fade as mentioned above, you can sometimes compensate within your setup to play a great game of golf. But if you play with a slice or hook, the ball flight becomes too hard to control and that isn’t a fun way to play golf. Time for a lesson.
Snowman
A snowman is not cute. A snowman, especially on a par 3 or par 4 might want to make you throw your clubs in the water. A snowman means that you are putting down an 8 on the scorecard. Repeat after me. I do not want to see a snowman.
I hope when it comes to golf terminology and some of its slang, you may have picked up some things you may not have been familiar with. If your friends have mentioned playing a fun golf tournament, it is also good to know many of the more popular formats available. Have some other phrases that you may have heard amongst some golfing buddies that you aren’t aware of? Just drop me a comment and I’ll do my best to help out. By the way, when it comes to golf slang, I’ve been through all of the above.