Three Steps To Better Golf
If you are new to golf or just getting started, we know it can be a little overwhelming, so we decided to give you a little cheat sheet to get you started. We’ve put together a list of must-know golf vocab, with some tips and tricks to get you walking and talking like a veteran golfer.
There is a whole list of terms specific to golf, you’ve probably even heard of most of these, but you might now know what they mean. So, let’s throw a few at you to get you started so when your buddy says, “I hooked that in the cabbage, it may be OB, so I better use my mulligan,” you’ll have a clue what he is talking about.
Birdie: Completing the hole in one less stroke than the par.
Bogey: Completing the hole in one more stroke than the par.
Cabbage: Thick-deep rough, the thick vegetation that swallows balls whole and is almost impossible to get out of.
Double Bogey: Completing the hole in two more strokes than the par.
Eagle: Completing the hole in two fewer strokes than the par.
Fairway: The stretch of shorter grass that directs you to the hole (your goal is to stay on the fairway)
Fore: What golfers yell when they hit a bad shot to alert the golfers in the area where their ball is headed. Say it too late, and you may have some angry golfers.
Green: The area of finely trimmed grass at the end of each hole (it’s where you want to end up).
Hazards: The distractions golf course architects put in your way like water, sand traps, and tall grass.
Hook: A golf shot that moves severely right to left for right-handed hitters and the opposite way for lefties.
Lie: The way the ball has come to rest on the ground. The ball may be on a “good lie” in short grass on the fairway or a “bad lie” in deep grass in the rough.
Mulligan: An unofficial “re-do” or “re-hit” that is undoubtedly a golfer’s best friend.
Out of Bounds (OB): Golf’s point of no return; white stakes designate an area out of play for golfers.
Par: The number of strokes the powers that be determined a golfer should take to complete the hole.
There are about four hundred more terms, but these will at least keep you in the conversation.
Now that you can talk the game let’s give you a few quick tips to get started.
1. Fail Forward- Have a purpose on the driving range, but you really can’t understand your swing until you get on the course, so don’t overdo the driving range. The only way you will get better is by playing on the course and learning from your mistakes.
2. Master Your Short Game- You can save a lot of strokes on your game by becoming efficient around the green (chipping) and on the green (putting).
Your driver and iron play will come, but you will be amazed how low you can score by not three-putting.
3. Visualize your shot- Golf courses are made specifically with visual threats that take your attention away from the target. They want you to think about the water to the right because our brain is programmed to see danger, and guess what happens… you hit it directly into the water. So. filter out the bad and focus on the target. This took me forever to figure out.
The most important tip or trick we can give you is to Have Fun. Golf is a game, and much better when you are having Fun.