And you've probably wondered why golf courses are called links. So, let's explain where the term came from and why most golf courses are called parkland. When golf started, it was originally played in coastal areas called links land. It was the somewhat useless tracts of land between the beaches and the ocean and inland farming areas.
"Hole" can refer to two different things when used as a noun: 1 The point on the green where the flagstick stands and where turf and sod have been removed to create the "hole" into... 2 One of the units of play on a golf course: That area from the teeing ground, down the fairway and to the putting... More ...
Our glossary of golf course terms is one part of our larger Glossary of Golf Terms. If you need the definition of golf course term, we explain terms relating to architecture, maintenance, turfgrasses, course setup and other areas. The grid that appears first includes terms for which we have more in-depth definitions.
Also called the “pin”. An additional smaller flag, or other marker, is sometimes positioned on the flagstick to indicate the location of the hole (front, middle, or back) on the green. Fore A warning shout given when there is a chance that the ball may hit other players or spectators.
Each hole in a course has 5 major parts namely Tee, Fairway, Green, Rough and Hazards. Understanding these parts allow you to plan your shots right.
Flagstick A tall marker, often a metal pole with a flag at the top, used to indicate the position of the hole on a green. Also called the “pin”.
Learn the Layout: Parts of the Golf Course You Run IntoThe Tee Box. The tee box, also known as the teeing ground, is where the hole begins. ... The Fairway. ... The Green. ... The Rough. ... Hazards. ... Boost Your Golf Game with PEAK™ Certified Professional Training.
Links course The term derives from the Old English word hlinc meaning rising ground or ridge and refers to sandy area along coast. While many courses claim to be links, call themselves links-style, or have the word links in their name, the category is more specific than that.
Every putting green has different dimensions and shapes and the hole is somewhere on that surface. The hole in golf is marked by the flagstick or “pin.” Courses mark the hole with a pin so that you can see its location from hundreds of yards away.
Updated on 01/15/19. Another name for the flagstick, the term pin is used in golf to refer to the pole and oftentimes red flag that courses use to mark each hole on the course. The pins are removed when the golfer gets closer to the hole, or if the ball is flying directly for a hole-in-one from the tee grounds.
There are five areas of the courseAreas of the Course: The five defined areas that make up the course: (1) the general area, (2) the teeing area you must play from in starting the hole you are playing, (3) all penalty areas, (4) all bunkers, and (5) the putting green of the hole you are playing..
teeIf you have finished playing all 18 holes you have played a round of golf. Each hole has a starting place, called a tee. This is a small area from which the golfer takes the first stroke or drive.
The components of a golf club include a shaft, ferrule, grip, hosel and clubhead.
Today, a links golf course is more broadly defined as a golf course with a natural and open lay-out, lying on sandy soil that is heavily affected by the wind. It has few to no trees, but with thick rough grasses.
Links are wide open without trees lining fairways. There is also a lack of water hazards. It is often said that links courses are far more difficult for golfers to play due to the layout of the course. There is also a wind element that blows the ball around and can cause scores to climb during a golf tournament.
A links golf course is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes, and also sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect.
Water Hole: Any hole on a golf course that includes a water hazard on or alongside the hole (in a position where the water can come into play).
Bermudagrasses have thicker blades than bentgrass, resulting in a grainier appearance to putting surfaces. Burn: A creek, stream or small river that runs through a golf course; the term is most common in Great Britain.
Ballmark Tool: A small, two-pronged tool, made of metal or plastic, and used to repair ballmarks (also known as pitch marks) on the putting green. The tool is an essential piece of equipment that every golfer should carry in his or her golf bag. Often mistakenly called a divot tool.
If the grain is running across the line of the putt, it can cause the putt to move in the direction of the grain. Grass Bunker: A depression or hollowed-out area on the golf course that is filled with grass (usually in the form of thick rough) rather than sand.
Cup: The hole on the putting green or, in a more specific usage, the (usually plastic) liner-slash-receptacle sunk down into the hole on the putting green. Daily Fee Course: A golf course that is open to the public but is privately owned and operated (as opposed to a municipal course).
Alternate Tees: A second tee box on the same golf hole. Alternate tees are most common on 9-hole golf courses: Golfers play one set of tee boxes on the first nine holes, then play the "alternate tees" on the second nine, giving a slightly different look to each hole. Approach Course: Also called a pitch-and-putt.
Par-6 Hole: A hole on a golf course that is expected to require six strokes for an expert golfer to play. Par-6s are rare on golf courses. But when they exist, the yardage guidelines are effective playing lengths of more than 690 yards for men and more than 575 yards for women.
Being aware of and understanding the basic parts of a golf course, such as greens, fairways and bunkers, can better prepare golfers for success on the links.
Rough. The rough is the longer-cut area of grass surrounding the fairway and green. To be successful, avoid the rough, which is normally allowed to grow longer the farther it is located from the greens and fairways. Hitting from the rough means players must use more club than they normally would to reach the green.
When reading greens before a putt, pay attention to the highest point on the surface--putts will usually roll away from that point.
To hit from the rough more easily, play the ball slightly back in the stance and grip down on the club a little. That will help the clubface make direct contact with the ball.
Green. Greens, the most closely mowed areas of grass on the course, are where the hole is located and players putt. Greens can vary depending on the conditions of the course. For example, in hot, dry conditions, a green will play faster than usual and approach shots will be less likely to hold on the green. In wet conditions, the greens will be ...
There are many different course styles including, traditional, links, desert, seaside, forested and each has something different to offer. Each golf course provides a different set of challenges depending on the design and layout of the course.
Sand traps also are considered hazards, but the golfer can hit out of them with no penalty. Golfweeks' Adam Woodard breaks down the results from the match.
The first exception to this was the 2004 PGA Championship, which was played on a links-style course, Whistling Straits, located near Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The 2015 U.S. Open was played at Chambers Bay, a British links-style course in University Place, Washington. Royal Adelaide Golf Club is a links course in Adelaide, South Australia , and was partly designed by Alister MacKenzie where he stated, "One finds a most delightful combination of sand dunes and fir trees. I have never seen a seaside course possess such magnificent sand craters, as those at Royal Adelaide."
The word "links" comes via the Scots language from the Old English word hlinc: "rising ground, ridge" and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland.
Links land is typically characterised by dunes, an undulating surface, and a sandy soil unsuitable for arable farming but which readily supports various indigenous browntop bent and red fescue grasses. Together, the soil and grasses result in the firm turf associated with links courses and the 'running' game.
The first exception to this was the 2004 PGA Championship, which was played on a links-style course, Whistling Straits, located near Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The 2015 U.S. Open was played at Chambers Bay, a British links-style course in University Place, Washington. Royal Adelaide Golf Club is a links course in Adelaide, South Australia, ...
Royal Adelaide Golf Club is a links course in Adelaide, South Australia, and was partly designed by Alister MacKenzie where he stated, "One finds a most delightful combination of sand dunes and fir trees. I have never seen a seaside course possess such magnificent sand craters, as those at Royal Adelaide.".
The 18th hole at the Old Head Golf Links on the Old Head of Kinsale. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2019) Although the term links is often used loosely to describe any golf course, few golf courses have all of the design elements of true links courses, including being built on linksland.
Soil movement, for example, had to be done by hand, and thus was kept to a minimum, as was irrigation. Even today, some links courses do not employ a greens staff, use only basic machinery such as hole cutters without boards, resulting in a hole that is cut unevenly, and use grazing animals to keep the grass cropped.
What is a Links Golf Course? A links golf course is regarded today as a golf course that has few trees, a lot of wind, thick grasses or thick heather, and a lot of bunkers. They are built on sandy soil and in most cases are on a coastline of a body of water. The term “links” actually has Scots origins and means “rising ground” or “ridge”.
The term “links” actually has Scots origins and means “rising ground” or “ridge”. The reason for this is because links courses really do play true to the contour of the course and is not usually very flat. Some people might argue that links golf courses have fewer or more characteristics, but that seems to be the general consensus ...
The main differences are that a parkland golf course is heavily developed by an architect and not as natural as a links golf course. The fairways tend to be more forgiving and flatter when compared to the rolling fairways on a links golf course. The best examples of each type would be St Andrews for links courses and Augusta National ...
There are several reasons for links golf courses and why they are popular, but the main reason is because of the challenge and uniqueness of the course. The high winds and rolling fairways make the course play different each time because you never know how the course is going to turn out on that particular day.
There are links, parkland, and desert golf courses and even executive courses. The type of golf course that I am going to talk about today is a links golf course.
The country of Scotland is where golf originated, and it has a ton of history with the game of golf and its traditions. Flash forward to today, and there are links golf courses all over in the United States and in Europe. The majority of links golf courses are usually on the coastline of major bodies of water.
The home of links golf is Scotland. The links golf courses in Scotland are the earliest recollection of golf and those courses were similar to links golf courses today. The Old Course at St Andrew’s is where the modern game started in 1764. The country of Scotland is where golf originated, and it has a ton of history with the game ...
When golf started, it was originally played in coastal areas called links land. It was the somewhat useless tracts of land between the beaches and the ocean and inland farming areas. After all, Scotland was an agrarian society, ...
But on that links land between the ocean and the farms of Scotland, golf was born. Most golf courses in the world are called parkland courses, meaning courses not built on the links land but rather on land consisting of fields with trees. Now, there are links-style courses that use parkland but remove trees, build up fake dunes ...
Rabbits made holes there. Early golfers, like shepherds, basically took sticks, maybe their staffs, and hit rocks into holes, seeing who could do it in the least number of strokes. Over time, as golf became more sophisticated, the equipment did, too.
Links golf courses are situated along coastal regions. A links golf course is the oldest style of course. The word “links” is derived from ancient Scotland and refers to an area along a coast that often includes sand dunes and few, if any, trees. One reason the game originated on this type of land was because it suited play.
Generally, the game is played closer to the ground. Since the terrain on a links course is naturally firm , players employ more bump-and-run shots. Putting from close off the green is also encouraged. And keeping your ball flight low helps to lessen the effects the usually brisk coastal winds have on your ball flight.
St. Andrews, Royal Troon, and Royal Dornach are considered three of Scotland's most famous and most traditional links courses. In Ireland, there are also traditional links, including Waterville, Ballybunion and Lahinch. The United States also has several famous links courses. One of them is the highly ranked Pebble Beach. Sinnecock Hills in New York and Bandon Dunes in Oregon are also traditional links.
A links course is along the sea, consists of sandy soil and has little vegetation other than tall sea grasses and gorse, a hearty low-growing evergreen plant. The natural terrain is used to develop the golf holes. Many of the bunkers were once natural windswept dunes. The layout of the holes is also part ...
One reason the game originated on this type of land was because it suited play. Course designers had limited resources for moving earth to shape a course. Many modern links-style courses are not necessarily coastal and have been shaped to take on traditional links characteristics.
Andrews. Ireland, Wales and England also have true links courses, but Scotland is believed to have the most.
Links History. In Scotland, where golf is believed to have originated in the 15th century, the first courses were developed on stretches of land known as links. Farmers deemed these coastal lands useless because of the sandy soil, so golf course designers began to make use of them. There are a number of true links courses still open ...
Links courses are also usually located on ocean coasts, where strong, changing winds play a major factor. “Links” golf courses began in Scotland with the very first golf courses ever built.
Famous links courses include the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Turnberry in Scotland. The Open Championship, or British Open, is always played on links courses. Links golf usually requires golfers to play their balls on a lower trajectory, using the ground to their advantage.
Handicap: A handicap is a measurement of the average number of strokes over par a particular golfer makes during a round on an average golf course. So, a person with a handicap of 15 is expected to shoot a score of 87 on a par-72 golf course of average difficulty. A 5-handicapper is expected to shoot a 77 on the same course.
A bogey? Let’s start simply with the golf terms “par”, “birdie” and “bogey”. All three of these golf terms refer to scoring. “Par” represents the number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to make on the hole or course. Every golf hole has a “par” assigned to it. Most holes are either a par 3, par 4, or par 5.
If a golfer makes two pars to start a round, he is “even par” for the round. If a player opens with two birdies, he is “two under” for the round. If a player makes two bogeys to start a round, he is “two over.”. Similarly, if a player makes a birdie on the 1st hole and follows it with a bogey on No. 2, he is “even par.”.
Scratch: A “scratch” golfer is a golfer with a handicap of 0. These expert golfers are expected to shoot even par or better on most golf courses. Yips: A condition in which a muscle spasm or mental block prevents you from performing a simple golf task. Most often it’s associated with putting.
Some think it comes from the golf term “forecaddie”, which is a person that stands in a forward position on each golf hole to pinpoint where the players’ balls go. “Forecaddies” are often in the line of fire and need to be warned when a ball is flying toward them.
Off the Deck: A stroke played this way means the golf ball is sitting on the ground, as opposed to a tee. This phrase is typically used when talking about hitting one's driver off the fairway — "hitting driver off the deck.".
Golf slang is a colorful part of the game, and golf slang terms can be universally used or be specific to a very small region. Small groups of golfers might even develop their own terms, unique to their rounds.
Back-door putt: A putt that catches the edge of the hole, spins around to the back of the hole, and falls into the cup off that back edge of the hole. Barkie: A bet won by a golf who makes par on a hole after his golf ball hit a tree. Also called a "woody" or "woodie" (and sometimes spelled "barky").
Cart Jockey: A golf course employee who greets golfers before the round, offers them help getting their bags onto the golf cart, and/or gives them a lift from the parking lot to the pro shop . After the round, the cart jockey usually greets the golfers again as they leave the 18th green, offers to give their clubs a wipe-down, ...
Sunblock: A golfer who spends a lot of time in bunkers (a k a, at the beach). Sunday Ball: Same as a "lunch ball" - another term for a mulligan (do-over). Tiger Tees: The teeing grounds used in professional tournaments, or the rearmost tees at any golf course. U.S.G.A .:
Pole Dancer: When your shot into the green hits the flagstick, it's a pole dancer. Popeye: A shot with lots of "spinnage" (lots of spin). Rainmaker: A golf shot with a very high trajectory. Usually applied to pop-ups, skyballs or other mis-hits, but can be applied to a shot played intentionally.
Hand Wedge: The "club" a golfer uses when he cheats by picking up the golf ball and tossing it into a better spot. Sometimes called a "hand mashie.". Hangman: A score of 9 on a hole. Because the numeral "9" looks like a person hanging from a noose in the children's fill-in-the-blanks game called Hangman. Sort of.
The term "hole" has several meanings in a golf context. It can refer to the hole in the ground on the putting green; to the whole hole, from tee to green; or, used as a verb, "hole" or "to hole" means to get the golf ball into the hole on the green. That's the object of the game.
In other words, the hole is literally the hole in the putting green. The hole on the green is 4.25 inches in diameter and is at least four inches deep according to the rules. 2. One of the units of play on a golf course: That area from the teeing ground, down the fairway and to the putting green constitutes one hole.
The lining must be sunk at least 1 inch (25.4 mm) below the putting green surface, unless the nature of the soil requires that it be closer to the surface. The word “hole” (when not used as a Definition in italics) is used throughout the Rules to mean the part of the course associated with a particular teeing area, putting green and hole. ...