Wit & Wisdom of Golf

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Senior - A golfer who attributes poor play to the fact that he or she lacks the physique of a younger player.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Set of Clubs - A collection of no more than 14 golf clubs, usually consisting of three or four woods, nine or ten irons, and a putter. The chief distinction among the types of clubs is that the woods make a sound like "speck" or "frop" when the ball is improperly hit, whereas the irons emit a sharp "jink," "fank" or "whenng" and the putter produces a soft "tilk."

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Set them up - What you do when you improve your lie in the fairway. Also what you ask the bartender to do after you've taken money from your archrival. (See also roll it.)

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Shag - To retrieve golf balls. Golf is full of odd terms and expressions. After hitting a 5-iron shot right onto the green, for example, you might answer an opponent's question about what club you used by saying, "The stick I used was a 7iron"; when citing a nonexistent rule to improve your lie, you might say, "I'm claiming relief from this lie under the rule covering tassleclots"; and after scoring a 6 on a hole, the right way to report your tally is to say, "I carded a five."

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Shag bag - Any container used by a golfer to hold practice balls.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Shank - The most dramatic and unsettling form of misplayed shot, in which, as the clubshaft vibrates violently, the ball flies off to the right at nearly a 90° angle, embarrassing the golfer and endangering his or her fellow players. Duffers who consistently shank their balls are urged to buy and study Shanks-No Thanks by R. K. Hoffman or, in extreme cases, M. S. Howard's excellent Tennis for Beginners.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Shape it - To curve a shot intentionally to fit the hole. Corey Pavin is the absolute best at this.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Shooting the lights out - Hitting all the shots and making low scores.

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Short Game - The short shots played around the green (chips, putts, pitches and sand trap blasts) and the cheap shots taken between the green and the next tee (quips, digs, cracks, slams and jests).

[Stan Nehilla]

Golf Dictionary

Short grass - Where you are when you hit the fairway with your drive.