Golf Lingo can feel like its own language. Whether it’s from a CADDY or a partner who plays with us, you can read what they’re saying behind the scenes – and understand how to apply it to your game.
If you want to know what’s being said and how to translate it to benefit your ON-Course approach, try these five common golf phrases:
1. “Give it all you’ve got”
This phrase usually means the shot is long – meaning you should use your longest club, like a 3 wood.
How to translate:
Use the longest club you are comfortable hitting. If that’s not a 3 wood, maybe a 7 wood or hybrid is a better choice – something you can hit with consistency and confidence.
2. “The next best thing”
You often hear this at group events like clubs. It means that if you miss a putt, someone else on your team may have covered it. What they are really saying is: “Don’t leave it short.”
How to translate:
He was a little aggressive. Give putts a chance to reach the hole, but don’t hit it so hard that it has no chance of putting because of too much speed. Remember – A golf ball can fall over the edge if it’s going too slow, but if it has too much speed, it will just go over the front.
3. “Don’t give a hole”
This statement is also related to setting your intention. It means that the putt will break, but not much – maybe less than two inches.
How to translate:
Be aware of your aim, especially on short putts. You might consider using a line on your ball to help aim, so when you go in, you can trust your putter face alignment.
4. “You have a short shot – here’s your sand or lob wedge”
CADDies tend to think that when you’re close to the green and don’t need a full swing, your swing should be your highest club.
How to translate:
That can work, but it’s not always the best time – especially if you have a place for the ball to ride the pin.
Decide on the type of shot first (full pitch or bump-and-run), then choose a club. Usually, the bump-and-run with a pitching wedge is harmless and very consistent.
5. “You mean it too high”
When you show up for a drive, someone can tell you that it’s because you got it too much. Although, in most cases, that is not true.
How to translate:
When softening your drive, you want about three quarters of the ball to be above the crown of the club at address. While you may be leaning it too high, it’s possible that a different aspect of your setup isn’t making it up. Instead of writing off the height of your tee as a mistake, try looking at other settings.
Like a football position, for example. Ideally, you want to play the ball forward in your situation. It can also be a product of poor shoulder posture. For drivers, you want to tilt your shoulders slightly – where the lead shoulder is slightly higher than the trail shoulder. This will help you hit and get into the ball.
Now when you hear someone say you hit too high, you’ll know that it’s just a possibility and that you should check your ball position, and make sure you’re hitting the top of the ball – not the bottom of it.
