Common Golf Terms

Richard Girasole is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a graduate of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. He runs his own accounting firm in Brooklyn, New York. Outside of work, Richard Girasole is an avid golfer.

If you recently picked up golf as a hobby, you should take time to learn the golf lingo. One common golf term is par, which is the number of strokes needed to hit the ball into a hole. For example, a par-three hole suggests that players should be able to hit their ball into the whole within three strokes. It’s called a birdie if you make it in two strokes instead of three, and it’s a bogey if you make the play in four strokes. Two strokes below par is called an eagle, while two strokes above par is referred to as a double bogey. Most golf course holes have par values between three and four.

If you’re able to complete the hole in a single shot, then you’ll have done what is known as a hole in one, which is a golf shot rarely seen on the course. In some golf clubs, there’s a gentlemen’s agreement that a golfer who achieves a hole in one will buy the club patrons a drink at the 19th hole after they finish their golf round. While there are only 18 holes on a course, the 19th hole is golf lingo for the clubhouse where members socialize.