XIII. Definitions
Fairway in Regulation
You have hit a Fairway in Regulation when your ball comes to rest off the tee (except par 3's) in the fairway cut of grass for the hole you are playing.Green in Regulation
Hitting a green in regulation means that your ball will be on the putting surface in 1 shot on a par 3, 2 shots (or less) on a par 4 and 3 shots (or less) on a par 5. Just subtracting 2 putts from the par gives you the "Regulation" number of strokes to reach the green. The fringe or apron is not a part of the putting surface.Bogie/Birdie/Eagle/Albatross
A bogie is a score of 1 stoke over par for a hole. A double bogie is 2 strokes over par for the hole and so on.A birdie is 1 stroke under par for the hole, an eagle is 2 strokes under par for the hole and an albatross is 3 strokes under par. An albatross is often misleadingly called a double eagle.
Sweetspot
Sweetspot is the term used to describe a theoretical point on the clubface. In theory, a shot struck perfectly on the sweetspot would not cause any twisting of the clubhead. In reality, the sweetspot is inside the clubhead and so is impossible to actually strike. Manufacturers of oversized and cavity back clubs imply and sometimes actually state that the sweetspot on their clubs is larger than on standard sized or blade clubs. This is false and misleading. The sweetspot is a theoretical point and has no physical size, regardless of the size or design of the clubhead.In practical terms, the sweetspot is a small area on the clubface that will produce the most consistent shot pattern and longest distance. As ball/club contact moves farther away from this small area the shot pattern becomes more inconsistent and distance decreases.
Studies and player feedback have indicated that there is an increase in the forgiveness of oversized and cavity back club heads. What this means is that there is a larger area around the sweetspot where if a ball is struck properly, an acceptable shot will still result.
Push
A ball, whose flight path is straight, with negligible sidespin, that ends up right of the target. The incidence angle of the clubface is x degrees to the right of the target, and where the PATH of the clubface is also x degrees to the right of the target (inside to outside path).
Pull
The opposite of push: A ball whose flight path is straight that ends up left of the target. The incidence angle of the clubface is x degrees to the left of the target, and where the PATH of the clubface is also x degrees to the left of the target (outside to inside path).Fade
A straight shot with slight sidespin, such that there is slight but noticeable left to right travel by the ball at the end of its flight. The key words are slight sidespin. Since the forward energy force must be much greater than that of the sidespin, such that as the ball slows down at the end of its flight, using up the forward direction energy, the sidespin takes over and gives the ball its left to right 'fading action'. The clubface is generally open a few degrees at impact, but the club path is straight along the intended path (directly at the target). A fade typically has a higher trajectory than a draw and the ball tends to roll less after hitting the ground.Draw
The opposite of a fade. A straight shot with a minimum of sidespin, such that there is slight but noticeable right to left travel by the golf ball at the end of its flight. Again, the key phrase is slight sidespin. Since the forward energy force must be much greater than that of the sidespin, such that as the ball slows down at the end of its flight, using up the forward direction energy, the sidespin takes over and gives the ball its right to left 'drawing action'. The clubface is generally closed a few degrees at impact, but the club path is straight along the intended path (directly at the target). A draw typically has a lower trajectory than a fade and the ball tends to roll more after hitting the ground.Slice
The opposite of a hook. A shot that curves uncontrollably from left to right due to severe sidespin imparted on the ball at contact. The clubface is generally open at contact and the club path is typically outside in relative to the intended path or target line.Hook
The opposite of a slice. A shot that curves uncontrollably from right to left, due to the severe sidespin imparted at contact. The clubface is generally closed to the target at impact and the club path is typically inside out relative to the intended path of target line.Dormie
Dormie is a matchplay term used to describe a situation where a player or team cannot lose the match in regulation. This occurs when one player or team is leading a match by the same number of holes as remain to play. For example, a player or team leads by 3 holes with 3 holes to play. The best the opposing player or team can hope for is to win all the remaining holes and tie the match. If the opposing player or team loses or halves any of the remaining holes then match is immediately over.
Matchplay Scoring ("2 and 1," "4 and 2,", etc.)
Often, we hear people ask how the scoring in match play works. For example, you might read in the paper that one player won a match, "2 and 1," and wonder what that means. Here's how it works: It becomes a little easier to understand if you think of each hole being worth one "point" (though the term "point" is not generally used in this regard). In their match, Player A and Player B card the same score on the first hole. The match is scored "all square thru 1." On hole #2, Player A birdies the hole while Player B makes par. Player A is now "1 up." Player A wins the 3rd hole, so he is now "2 up," and so forth. A match ends when one player is "up" by a larger number than there are holes left to play. So, for instance, if Player A and Player B "halved" (tied) each hole from #4 to #15, they would come to the 16th hole with Player A 3-up and "dormie" (which, as you read earlier, means he can't lose the match in regulation). If the two players were to halve the 16th hole, the match would end with Player A winning, 3 and 2 (3 up with 2 holes left unplayed). Had Player B won the 16th hole, Player A"s lead would have been trimmed to "2 up" with 2 to play (Player A still dormie). If Player A then had won the 17th hole, he would win the match "3 and 1."
This FAQ is Copyright 1999-2002 by Daniel J. Driscoll, all rights reserved. Product and company names used in this document may be trademarked or copyrighted by the respective owners. This document may be replicated in whole or in part, without alteration. All replications must include this copyright notice.
