Wit & Wisdom of Golf

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Out of Bounds - A ball lies out of bounds and may not be played if the whole of its circumference is beyond the line marked by the stakes that form the golf course boundary. Many golfers feel, however, that a ball which appears to be out of bounds should, considering the curvature of the earth, be more properly regarded as in bounds since it lies a good 24,900 miles inside the out-of-bounds line.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Overclubbing & Underclubbing - Using clubs that hit the ball over your target ("too much club") or short of it ("too little club") is a common mistake made by many players. You can overcome this error by understanding what each club can do, and meanwhile you can compensate by overlooking and undercounting, and, if caddies are present, by overtipping with an understanding.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Overcook it - To hit a shot too hard. Also, when you intentionally draw, fade, slice, or hook a shot and you get too much curvature, you've overcooked it.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Paint job - A pro's putt that Zips out. The holes in professional tournaments are painted white to make it easier for TV viewers to see their location, and sometimes the paint around the hole's edge becomes crusty and makes the lip less accommodating to putts. At least that's what the pros say.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Par - Score achieved by a golfer who had only a few great shots on an entire round but somehow managed to hit them all on the same hole. See TRIPLE BOGEY.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Partner - Match play team member who holes out from a bunker to score a birdie on a hole you were about to win with a tap-in for a par, then putts out for a double bogey on a hole where you lie six and your ball is 40 feet from the cup.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Peg - Tee.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Penalty - One or more strokes added to a golfer's score for play in contravention of the rules. Players are penalised a single stroke for simple infractions, such as Lost Ball, Ball Out of Bounds and Unplayable Ball. More serious breaches, like Playing Wrong Ball and Stopping or Deflecting Own Ball, carry a penalty of two strokes. The most severe violations, for which penalties ranging from three to five strokes are assessed, include: Pocketing Opponent's Lost Ball, Kicking Opponent's Ball Out of Bounds, Feeding Opponent's Ball to a Dog, and Rendering Opponent's Ball Unplayable by Running Over It with an Electric Golf Cart.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Pencil hockey - When someone (not you, of course) is charged with the awesome responsibility of keeping score and then cheats by recording erroneous scores, he is said to be playing pencil hockey, which is akin to horse thievery and subject to the same punishment—hanging!

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Pick it - To hit the ball and make little or no contact with the ground. Accomplished with a sweeping motion as opposed to the sharp angle with which a digger attacks the ball. A golfer who picks the ball is called a picker. Greg Norman is a picker.