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| Back Door |
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The rear of the hole. When a putt goes around the hole and then drops in the back of the cup, it is said to have gone in the back door. Sometimes used as a verb, as in, "He back doored that putt."
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| Back Lip |
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The edge of the bunker that is farthest from the green.
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| Back Nine |
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The second 9 holes on an 18-hole course.
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| Back Weight |
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A weight, usually brass or aluminum attached to the back of a wooden, graphite or titanium wood head. Powerbilt popularized the use of back weights on their woods in the 1960’s and 70’s. The back weight is designed to move the center of gravity rearward to assist in getting the ball airborne.
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| Backscrew |
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Steel pin or screw used to help secure a steel shaft to a wooden wood head. The backscrew is located on the back of the heel approximately ¾” from the sole of the club.
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| Backspin |
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The backward rotation of the ball on its horizontal axis influenced by the loft of the clubface, the angle of approach and the clubhead velocity. (A ball struck below its center with any club that has loft, even a putter, will have backspin in the airborne portion of its flight. The greater the backspin, the steeper the ball will fly and more quickly it will stop.
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| Backstretch |
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A straightaway on the far side of the racetrack.
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| Backswing |
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The motion of the club, hands, arms and body away from the ball creating the potential energy to be delivered downward, outward and forward through the ball.
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| Baff |
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An obsolete term, Scottish in origin, meaning to hit or graze the ground behind the ball.
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| Baffle |
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Previous name given to a 5 wood.
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| Baffy |
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A lofted wooden club developed from the baffling-spoon no longer in use. Also the alternate name given to the 4 wood.
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| Bail Out |
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To avoid or get out of trouble. There are two different senses here: Making a long putt is one way of bailing out; another is to hit a safe shot rather than risk playing the ball into a hazard.
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| Bakspin |
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Term given to hickory shafted clubs which contained large grooves in their faces. These grooves were much deeper and wider than grooves on modern clubs.
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| Balance |
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Equilibrium in a static position, i.e., at address (see Dynamic Balance).
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| Balance Point |
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The point at which a shaft achieves equilibrium; the point at which a shaft’s weight is evenly distributed in both directions when rested on a single fulcrum point.
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| Balata |
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Natural or synthetic compound used as a cover material for balls. Characterized by a soft feel and high spin rate. Generally preferred by better players. Less durable than other types of balls.
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| Ball |
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The round object which we attempt to hit into the hole. Prior to the 17th century it was made of wood or wool in a leather cover. After the 17th century feathers were boiled and compressed, then sewn in a leather cover. It continued to evolve to a solid gutta percha (or a mixture with gutta percha other substances) in the 1850's and strip rubber wound around a core in the 1900's. Presently made of solid compressed synthetic rubber with hundreds of surface indentations which aid in the flight of the ball.
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| Ball at Rest |
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The ball has come to a complete stop on the fairway or green
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| Ball Holed |
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A ball is holed when it is entirely below the level of the lip of the hole
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| Ball in Play |
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A ball is in play as soon as the player has made a stroke in the tee off area. It remains in play until it is holed out except when it is out of bounds, lost, lifted or when another ball is substituted in accordance with the rules.
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| Ball Marker |
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A token or a small coin used to spot the balls position on the green prior to lifting it
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| Ball Retriever |
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A pole with a scoop or net attached, used to retrieve balls from water hazards and other areas that are difficult to reach.
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| Ball Size |
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The size of a USGA conforming ball must not be greater than 1.680” (42.67mm.)
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| Ball Washer |
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A device found on many tees for cleaning golf balls
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| Ball Weight |
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The weight of a USGA conforming ball must not be greater than 1.620 ounces avoirdupois (45.93 grams.)
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| Banana Ball |
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A slice that curves to the right in the shape of a banana. An extreme slice.
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| Baseball Grip |
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A grip in which all ten fingers are on the club shaft, similar to the way a baseball bat is gripped.
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| Beach |
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A sand hazard on the course
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| Beat the Box |
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Breaks faster than others to establish a big lead.
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| Belly Putter |
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Ype of putter in which the butt of the grip is positioned against the player’s stomach in order to create a pendulum effect. Most belly putters are @40" in length. Popularized by Vijay Singh and Paul Azinger, among others on the PGA Tour.
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| Belt |
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To hit the ball with extreme power.
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| Belt Sander (1” X 30”) |
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Type of belt sander using a 1” wide by 30” long belt to abrade shaft tips and attempt to turn ferrules. Acceptable for shaft work, but too fast for ferrule work. This sander runs at 3450 rpm.
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| Belt Sander (1” X 42”) |
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Type of sander using a long (42”), thin (1”) belt to abrade shafts and finish ferrules. The preferred type of sander in most shops, the 1” X 42” belt sander runs at 1725 rpm.
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| Beltronics (Beltronics Swingmate) |
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Computerized device (approximately 4” X 6”) for measuring swing speed. Placed on the ground behind the club, the Beltronics may be used for either indoor or outdoor fitting.
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| Bench Grinder |
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Table-mounted machine often used to cut shafts prior to assembly. Used with two attachments; one commonly is a cut-off wheel and the other is a grinding or buffing wheel.
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| Bend |
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The curve on a shot; as a verb, to hit a hook or slice.
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| Bend One |
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To hook or slice a shot by using sidespin.
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| Bend Point |
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The point of maximum bending on a shaft as measured by a compression test of the shaft on both the tip and butt ends.
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| Benefited |
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Bettered position when crowding or jam occurs in which it was not involved.
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| Bent Grass |
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Type of grass seen for the most part on Northern courses. It is of the genus Agrostis, native to North America and Eurasia. It is a hardy and resilient type of grass that can be cut very short.
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| Bermuda |
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Type of grass seen mostly on Southern courses in North America. Of the type Cynodon dactylon. Originally native to southern Europe. It was introduced to warmer areas of the world to be used on courses where bent grass will not grow.
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| Bertillon Card |
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A greyhound's identification card that lists 56 physical identifying points for every registered racing greyhound.
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| Beryllium Copper (Becu) |
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An alloy used to produce club heads, typically irons. The alloy is more dense than stainless and is claimed to provide a softer feel by some players. Beryllium heads are easily identified by their copper coloration.
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| Beryllium Nickel (Beni) |
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An alloy comprised of beryllium and nickel used to produce iron heads. This alloy is considered softer than stainless steel and is identified by a bronze-type of coloration.
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| Best Ball |
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Descriptive of a match in which the best individual score of two or more partners is the score for a hole. Also, the score itself, as in, "Smith had the best ball with a birdie, while his partner shot par."
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| Beta-Titanium |
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An alloy of Titanium that is harder and heavier than typical cast titanium.
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| Better Ball |
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A match play or stroke play gamewhen two players on a side each play their own ball score the better of their two scores at each hole against the other side.
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| Bi-Matrix Shaft |
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Atented by True Temper, the Bi-Matrix is a shaft that employs a graphite and steel section in the same shaft. Bi-Matrix wood shafts have a steel tip section, with the remainder being made of graphite. Such a design combines light weight for distance and tip firmness for control. Bi-Matrix irons have a graphite tip for feel, with the remainder of the shaft being steel for control.
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| Bi-Metal |
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A club head constructed from two different materials. A common example is a stainless steel club head with a brass sole insert or brass sole rails.
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| Big Butt Grip Installation Tool |
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An expandable plastic tool that helps to start the grip onto the butt of a large butt shaft. Grip installation on such shafts is very difficult without this tool.
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| Big Butt Shaft |
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Any shaft with a butt size over .620” is considered to be a big butt shaft.
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| Bird's Nest |
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An unfortunate lie, in which the ball is cupped in deep grass, like an egg in a nest.
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| Birdie |
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One stroke under par for a hole. Also possibly derived from the term "It flew like a bird" to indicate a good shot.
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| Birds |
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A type of competition in which a point is awarded for a birdie and two points for an eagle, on any hole.
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| Bisque |
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A handicap stroke that can be taken on any hole, provided the player announces his intention before teeing off on that hole.
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| Bite |
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The backspin imparted on the ball that makes the ball stop dead, or almost so, with little or no roll.
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| Black Ice |
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A proprietary face coating applied to the face of a club in order to increase spin. Primarily used on wedges, but can be applied to woods, irons and putters also.
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| Blade |
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1) The hitting part of an iron clubhead, not including the hosel. 2) To hit the ball with the leading edge of the blade of an iron.
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| Blade Height |
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The measurement of an iron head at the center of the face from the ground line to the top line.
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| Blade Length |
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The measurement of an iron head from the radius of the crotch of the head to the farthest point of the toe.
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| Blade Putter |
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A type of putter with an iron head with the basic form the same as other standard numbered irons.
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| Blade Style Head |
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The class of irons identified by their equal weight distribution. Blades are identified by their smooth back shape. Blade style irons are popular among better players due to the increased feel and feedback they may provide. Blades are also known as muscle-back irons due to a possible concentration of weight directly behind the center of the club face.
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| Bladed |
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A shot that has a low "line drive" trajectory as a result of having been struck on the lower portion of the clubface on or above the ball's equator. (Skulled shot)
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| Blanket |
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A covering for a greyhound bearing a number and color corresponding to its post position.
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| Blast |
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A shot that takes a large amount of sand with it when hitting out of a sand trap. An explosion shot. An aggressive shot. A powerful drive.
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| Blind Bogey |
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A competition in which a score is drawn from a hit and the winner is the player the player who comes closest to matching it.
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| Blind Bore |
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A bore configuration of metal woods in which the shaft penetrates the bore to a standard depth of 1/2" from the sole of the club head.
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| Blind Hole |
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If the putting green cannot be seen by the player as he approaches, the hole is called blind.
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| Block |
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To hit a slice by delaying the rotation of the wrists, forcing the clubhead to arc from inside to outside at impact. Usually done deliberately because of the ball's location.
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| Blocked |
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Shut off when trying to move up.
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| Bobbing |
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Lowering then raising, or raising then lowering the swing center during the course of the swing. -Top
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| Bogey |
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A score of one over the designated par for a hole. As a verb, to score a bogey. Sometimes spelled "bogie."
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| Bogey Competition |
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A form of stroke play in which players play against a fixed score at each hole. Scored as in match play with the winner being the most holes.
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| Bold |
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Usually descriptive of a putt that's hit too hard and goes well beyond the hole, but it might be applied to any shot that carries too far or to a firmly hit approach shot to a pin that's well protected.
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| Bore Type |
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The term used to describe how far a shaft penetrates into a club’s hosel. See “Blind Bore”, “Through Bore”, “M1” and “M2.”
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| Bore-Through |
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A hosel type in which the shaft penetrates through the sole of the club. Callaway™ clubs are the best examples of bore-through heads.
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| Boring (Hosel Boring) |
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The process, using a drill or drill press, of enlarging the hosel bore of a wood, iron or putter.
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| Boron |
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A high strength element added to some graphite shafts to increase tip strength. It is a very expensive material, thus shafts containing boron tend to be more expensive.
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| Borrow |
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The amount of compensation in aim taken on the putting green when the player has to deal with a side slope, gravity, grain or the wind's effect on the ball.
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| Bounce |
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The measurement from the leading edge of the club face to the groundline. Wedges typically have the most bounce in a set of clubs. Bounce helps these clubs go through sand and high grass easily.
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| Bounce Sole Iron |
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A iron in which the trailing edge is lower than the leading edge. Visually, it may appear that the leading edge is off the ground at address in this type of iron.
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| Boundary |
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An imaginary line that marks the limit of the golf course and defines the area of play. A ball hit beyond the boundary is out of bounds.
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| Bowker |
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This refers to a shot that appears to be horrible and then hits a tree, a rock, a spectator, etc. and bounces back into play. Sample usage: "I would have bogeyed the fourth hole but I got a bowker." Pronounced "boughkur".
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| Box |
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The post position the greyhound will be racing from or the starting box itself. Also describes a wager involving the inclusion of a combination of greyhounds in a race.
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| Box to Wire |
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Broke first and was never headed by another contender.
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| Bramble |
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A small molded bump on some types of golf balls (gutta purcha and rubber core). Intended to give aerodynamic properties like the dimples on present day balls.
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| Brassie |
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Former name given to a 2 wood. A wooden club with a brass sole plate with more loft than a driver and less than the than the spoon.
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| Brazing |
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He proprietary bonding technology used by many companies in the golf industry to secure the club face to the head. Brazing, done under high heat and pressure, is designed to eliminate any voids typically found on standard welded club heads.
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| Break |
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1. To make less than a particular score, as in breaking par, breaking 90, breaking 100, etc.; 2. The direction in which the ball will roll because of the green's slope.
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| Breeder |
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The individual who is the owner or lessee of his or her dam at the time of whelping.
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| Brindle |
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A streaky combination of colors, usually including a predominance of brown or tan.
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| British Ball |
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The type of golf ball specified by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Diameter is not less than 1.620 inches and the weight is not more than 1.620 ounces. Now used mainly in amateur play.
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| British Open |
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"The Open" - the first one ever held. The National Championship put on by the Royal And Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland.
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| Bubble™ Grip |
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The specialized type of grip that must be used on a Bubble shaft.
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| Bubble™ Shaft |
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A composite shaft, proprietary to TaylorMade, that is designed to stabilize the club head at impact. It features a recessed section just below the grip. It is also unique in that the butt diameter of the shaft is .800", requiring a special grip.
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| Buggy |
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Motorized or wheeled vehicle that carts the player's clubs. (See Cart) -Top
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| Build-Up Tape |
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Masking tape applied to the butt end of the shaft to increase grip size. A single layer of masking tape (.005” thick) will increase grip size Approximately 1/64”.
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| Bulge |
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The curvature of the face of a wood or metal wood from heel to toe. Bulge aids in imparting corrective spin to shots hit on the toe or heel of the wood face.
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| Bulger |
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A term describing a semi-long nose club made in the late 1800’s.
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| Bump and Run |
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A shot around the green deliberately played into a bank or hill to deaden the speed while still allowing the ball to bound forward. (Bank shot)
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| Bunker |
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A sand filled hazard placed on a fairway or near greens - just for you. A place to dig your way out of. (Sand Trap is not in the rule book - bunker is.)
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| Bunt |
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To hit a shot intentionally short.
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| Burn |
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The Scottish term for a creek or stream
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| Burried Ball |
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A ball partially buried beneath the sand in a bunker
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| Bushing Ferrule |
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A type of ferrule that is used to reduce the size of a metal wood hosel to .335” from a larger diameter or to reduce an iron hosel to .370” from a larger diameter. The bushing ferrule is epoxied into the hosel and then the shaft is installed as in a normal shafting operation.
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| Butt Cap |
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The end of the grip of a golf club. Also the plastic or rubber cap used in certain leather and Winn wrap grip applications. See also “End Cap.”
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| Butt Diameter |
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The measure of the diameter of the larger end of a shaft, typically expressed in thousandths. (i.e., .600” or .580”.)
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| Butt Heavy |
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A type of shaft construction in which the butt section of the shaft is heavier than an equal length of the tip section. Most graphite and parallel tip shafts are considered to be butt heavy shafts.
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| Butt Section |
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The portion from the butt end of a shaft down to the first step (on steel shafts.)
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| Butt Size |
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Same as butt diameter; the measure of the diameter of the larger end of a shaft, typically expressed in thousandths. (i.e., .600” or .580”.)
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| Butt Trim |
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Term applied when cutting a shaft from its butt end.
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| Butt Weight |
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The process of adding weight to the butt end of the shaft, either by wrapping it with lead tape or by installing an lead insert into the shaft butt. The “Butt Weight” is also the term given to the weight placed inside the butt of the shaft.
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| Buzzard |
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A score of two strokes over the designated par for a hole; a takeoff on eagle.
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| Bye |
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A term used in tournaments. The player who draws a "bye" is allowed to advance to the next round without playing an opponent. In match play, it is the hole or holes still left to play if the match is won before the 18th hole.
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| Bye Holes |
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The holes that remain unplayed because a match has been decided. For example, if a player is ahead by five holes with only four left to play, those four holes are not played.
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