Like every other sport golf has its own language. Terms and slang heard by a beginner or spectator can be misconstrued if they dont know the meaning of the words in context. A word may mean something totally different on the golf course than when used in everyday vocabulary.

There are a few terms that golfers usually use when talking about golf. As a beginner or spectator you must know these basic terminologies to help you better understand and enjoy the sport. However these words are but a small number of the terms used in golf.

#1 Tee Box (Teeing Up)

The tee box is where a golfer usually starts to play his hole from. Teeing up the ball is when a golfer places the ball on a wooden or plastic peg (called a tee) so it sits up off the ground. This can only be done on the tee box.

#2 Fairway

The fairway is the easiest place to hit from as it is the part of the hole that has the shortest grass. It typically runs from the tee box to the green and a golfers goal is to keep the ball in the fairway.

#3 The Green

The green is the area the golfer tries to reach by hitting his golf ball. It is usually circular in shape and has a flag stick and a cup. It has the shortest cut grass of any place on the golf course. This allows the golfer to easily roll the ball across the green to reach the cup or hole. The hole is completed once the players get their golf balls inside the cup.

#4 Rough

The rough is an area of the golf course that runs along the sides of the fairway and has longer grass.

#5 Par

Par is the number of strokes or hits a golfer is allowed for one particular hole. The total par for all the holes when added up is usually about 70 or 72 for 18 holes. A golfer is said to shoot par if he uses that exact number of shots to hit the ball from the tee box into the cup on the green.

#6 Ace (Hole-in-One)

When the golfer took only one shot to get the ball to go into the cup from the tee box on any given hole this is called an ace. This is also called the hole-in-one.

#7 Eagle

If the golfer used two fewer strokes than the par granted him to hit the ball into the cup it is called an eagle. This is commonly seen on par 5 holes.

#8 Double-Eagle (Albatross)

A double-eagle is when you use three less strokes than the par granted on a hole. In Britain (and some parts of the United States) this is called an albatross.

#9 Birdie

When a golfer uses one less hit or stroke than par granted to him on any hole this is called a birdie. An example of this is when a golfer takes only three strokes to put the golf ball into the cup on a par 4 hole.

#10 Bogey

When a golfer takes one more stroke than the par on that hole then it is called a bogey. An example is when a golfer needs five strokes to put the golf ball inside the cup on a par 4 hole. This word is also used to describe additional strokes required such as double-bogey triple-bogey etc.

#11 Handicap

Based on a players skill level he is granted a number of additional strokes or hits. This is what they call his handicap. Basically it is the number of strokes a player can take off his total score at the end of a round of golf. The handicap allows golfers of different skill levels to compete evenly against each other.

#12 Hazard

The obstacles or obstructions that are strategically placed on the golf course are called hazards. The designer of the course created these hazards to make the game more challenging to play. Hazards include ponds lakes streams bushes sand traps grass bunkers or any other obstacles that are set along the sides of each hole and surrounding the green.