Despite being an individual sport, golf creates camaraderie.

It is not uncommon for players to encourage one another on the golf course. Naturally, there is also banter where your buddies make fun of you, in the name of gamesmanship and entertainment.

This post provides 25 unique and amusing golf sayings I’ve heard over the years. Some of them are crafted for use on the links, while others help you wish your loved one luck before they head out.

1. Relax, Take It Easy

This is one of my all-time favorites. I was a bit of a hothead when I was a teenager, and one bad shot could ruin my round. So, whenever they saw the frustration building up, they would blurt out the hit song by Mika.

Although I was the butt of the joke, they meant well. After a couple of times, I caught the humor and cracked up laughing. It calmed me down and helped me forget about my previous error shot.

2. Play-Well And Enjoy Your Round

A simple, but polite way of wishing a golfer for the round ahead. It is probably the most common phrase I have heard golfers use on the first tee box. You can also use it to wish your loved ones before they leave home for the links.

3. Forget About Your Last Round, Today Is The One That Counts

Use this phrase to encourage a buddy who is struggling with form. Golf is a harsh game, and when you are unconfident, it is difficult to gain any momentum. Take your friend’s mind off any past results and get them to focus on the task at hand for a more enjoyable round.

4. Hunt Those Birdies Today

Send your loved one off to the golf course with maximum confidence. Help your golfer think about making birdies to shave strokes off their game.

5. Score Low

If you are a person of few words, this is all a golfer needs to hear. Before they tee off, tell them to score low and send, and your job is done.

6. Keep It Long And Straight

Get your mind out of the gutter. You can tell your family member how you want them to play their round. It also works for playing partners to encourage distance and accuracy on par 5 holes.

7. Don’t Putt From The Rough

I am not referring to Matt Damon’s interpretation of the meaning in Good Will Hunting. Instead, I point to the Yakuza rules prohibiting the use of a putter off the green. This phrase encourages golfers to improve their greens in regulation for more birdie putts.

Most casual golfers struggle to get up and down when their approach shot finishes off the green. That leads to inflated scores and epic frustration.

8. We Want Bullseyes And Birdies Today

A friendly phrase to encourage your playing partners. The Bullseyes refer to accurate shots which go a long way to producing birdies.

9. Keep Bryson On His Toes And Bomb That Driver Today

You can use this phrase to encourage golfers to maximize their distance off the tee. It references the long-hitting skills of PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau.

10. Be Like The Big Easy, And Swing Freely

Invigorate your playing partners to induce a fluid swing to accelerate clubhead speed, and improve the consistency of the strike. The phrase cites the smooth swing of South African Ernie Els.

11. Don’t Be The Bogey That Lets The Team Down

This phrase is made for your mate who is always late, causing you to forfeit your tee time. Let them know that the team depends on them to show up on time.

12. Focus On The Positives

Another phrase that helps those friends struggling for form. When nothing goes your way, it is hard to be positive. However, it is the only way to enjoy your round. If you see a buddy beating themselves up over a bad shot, tell them to focus on good points.

13. Don’t Come Home If You Record A 3-Putt

Maybe your loved one responds well to tough love. Force them to perform with the flat stick by telling them not to return if they record a 3-putt.

14. Bring Back The Trophy

An old and simple yet effective saying. When a family member is playing in a tournament, you can cheer them on by telling them to bring back the trophy.

15. Break 80 Today

Encourage your playing partners to shoot their lowest score. If they are yet to shoot in the 70s, tell them to break 80. In addition, you can use this for players seeking to break 90, 100, or 110.

16. Stay Out Of The Woods Today, Tiger

We all have those buddies who consistently slice or hook their ball into the woods. That means the rest of us have to help them find it, wasting precious time on every hole. Give your playing partner some tough love on the first tee and push them to stay out of the Woods.

17. The Rest Of The Field Does Not Stand A Chance Against Your Swing

Increase your playing partners’ confidence by complementing their swing. Let them know that nobody can compete with it.

18. Every Round Brings You Closer To An Ace

Amateurs live for the day they will card their first ace. Unfortunately, not everyone achieves it. Give your family member something to work towards by pushing for that elusive hole-in-one.

19. Don’t Lose Too Many Balls, Remember You Need Two

This is for the naughty girlfriend or wife. If your partner loses loads of golf balls every round, give him a piece of your mind, and make him work harder to not lose any.

20. Happy Shooting

A simple phrase designed to wish a golfer an enjoyable day out on the links. This is typically used by playing partners before teeing off on the 1st.

21. If You Prove Yourself In Foreplay On The First 18, There Will Be A Surprise Waiting On The 19th

Another phrase for the mischievous golfer’s wife or girlfriend. Incentivize their performance by offering a prize when they return home. However, if they do not perform, let them know that there is no consolation prize.

The 19th hole typically refers to the bar, but in this context, your partner will want to skip the bar and head home to you.

22.There Are Only 18-Holes To Go Before The 19th

You can throw this phrase out to your booze-hound friends who need some encouragement to get through a round sober.

23. Avoid The Scenic Route And Keep It Straight

This phrase is ideal for encouraging your buddies with an erratic long game. Urge them to stay out of the woods and the thick rough by sending it straight down the fairway. Disclaimer, it is not guaranteed to work and may cause some players to feel increased pressure.

24. Plug Those Holes With Your Balls

A final naughty good luck saying for wives and girlfriends. Encourage your partner to get his golf ball into the hole in as few shots as possible. Ensure he knows that you are referring to golf because it may take his focus away from the game.

25. Play Below Your Handicap

There is nothing clever or deceitful about this saying. It encourages a golfer to shoot lower than their handicap. In layman’s terms, they have a successful day at the office.

Related: Read about our best golf pick up lines if you are searching for a partner who loves the game.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Golf often gets a bad wrap sheet for stuck-up individuals who do not welcome outsiders to their private establishments. Despite that stereotype, there is a lighter side to the game.

In this post, I take you through 30 funny golf terms and sayings every golfer should know.

I have compiled a list of classic terms that golfers globally can relate to. Plus, I included some that I learned growing up in South Africa. These terms refer to the conditions of courses, shot shapes, and scores.

1. Goat Track

When you grow up in a rural area as I did, you become used to poorly-maintained layouts and cheesy livestock references. A goat track was the term of choice in my neck of the woods for shoddy golf courses. You struggle to distinguish the fairway from the rough, and the greens are actually brown.

A goat track in my town meant the same as the phrase dog track that you employ in the United States.

2. Robbed

I am well versed in this term. Being robbed on a golf course happens when your ball lips out of the cup. Then it stops on the edge of the cup or just rolls by. On a good day, that would drop, but when the Golfing Gods are against you, you cannot win.

3. James Joyce

James Joyce was an Irish novelist praised for his intellect and wit. However, his work is lost on many readers who find it difficult to understand and follow. The golf term references putting lines that are near impossible to judge. This is especially true on links courses where undulation attacks at every turn.

4. The Cat Box

A cat box in golf references a sand trap. While you fill your feline’s toilet with absorbable clay, bunkers generally contain Silica sand. Either way, you do not want to drop your cat’s litter or a sand bunker.

5. Dew Sweepers

When possible, I prefer to grab the earliest tee time of the day. The course is quiet, and you do not have anyone in front of you, enabling you to set the pace of play. Getting up this early makes me part of the elite global senior’s club called the dew sweepers. Jokes aside, a dawn patrol round is an ideal way to start your day.

6. The 19th Hole

Although your scorecard only caters to 18-holes, it is the 19th which is most important in my eyes. This is the bar. A social environment to reminisce about the round and forge lifelong friendships. No matter how well or bad you played, the 19th hole makes you remember what matters in life.

7. Fresh Air Shot

None of us wish to admit it, but we have all had a freshy at some point in our golfing careers. A fresh air shot happens when you swing and miss the ball completely. Despite not touching the ball, your intention to strike it counts as a stroke. This is unfortunate for the victim but forever hilarious to their playing partners.

8. Banana Ball

Think about the shape of a banana. It curves slightly, the same direction your golf ball does when you catch it with an open or closed clubface. A banana ball describes a sliced shot, where your ball curves from left to right if you are right-handed. Yet another term you do not want to hear.

9. Rainmaker

If you generate excess backspin rpm off the clubface, your ball balloons into the heavens before falling rapidly back to earth. The term rainmaker suggests that your ball flew so high that it descends rapidly from the sky like a rainstorm.

10. Texas Wedge

My putter is my favorite club in my golf bag. So much so that I use it off the green whenever I can. I am not alone in this philosophy, and there is a slang term to describe this heathenism. It is called a Texas wedge.

Ben Hogan is said to have coined the phrase based on his experience in the lone star state. The small dome greens, high winds, and tight lies made it safer to putt than pitch your ball.

A recent example of spectacular Texas Wedge play came from Cam Smith at the 2022 Open Championship. He putted the ball from off the green, around a bunker, setting himself up for a testing par attempt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqgPmJk5vCQ

11. Four-Jack

Four-Jack, like Three-jack, refers to the number of putts you had on a hole. Four-Jack specifically represents a 4-putt, which is painful and humiliating. Especially if you hit a par 5 green in 2 and a 4-putt for a bogey.

12. Snowman

A snowman is a score you never want on your scorecard. An 8 represents a snowman, based on the shape of the number. If you make an 8 on a par 3, you record a quintuple bogey, while the same score on a par 4 is a quadruple bogey. Finally, an 8 on a par 5 is a triple bogey.

13. Fried Egg

Landing in the bunker is demoralizing, but as bad as you think it is, there is always the chance of it being worse. A fried egg is one way to rain on your parade.

This means that most of your golf ball is lodged into the sand, and only the top part sticks out. It resembles a fried egg, with the yolk towering over the egg whites below. A fried egg is difficult to control for amateurs and professionals, leading to erratic results.

14. The Dance Floor

A funny synonym for the green is the dance floor. This is where all the action happens, and you must bring your A-game. If your putting stroke is off, you miss opportunities, lose strokes and go home feeling sorry for yourself. Much like a night out with the lads.

15. Mickey Mouse Course

A Mickey Mouse course takes a goat track to a new level. These layouts have short holes compared to other golf courses and suffer from poor maintenance. You needn’t be a long hitter to knock your ball onto the green. However, good luck trying to read the putts on the cabbage patch greens.

16. Victory Lap

When your ball does a victory lap, it is nerve-racking for every golfer. Your ball makes it to the cup and decides to inspect the layout of the land. It circumnavigates the hole before dropping in. Rolling around the cup counts as the victory lap before the ball sinks into the hole to secure a lower score.

17. The Drink

There is nothing intelligent about this term, only logic. The drink refers to the nearest water hazard in play. When the drink is in play, you can play safe and lay up or go for glory, bearing in mind a high risk.

18. Oscar Bravo

I like the name Oscar Bravo, it has a ring to it. This slang term takes the code words from the phonetic alphabet for O and B. O represents out of, while B stands for bounds. Therefore, you say Oscar Bravo when you are your playing partner sacrifices their ball out of play.

19. An Ostrich

As an African, I had to throw in one term that was thrown around my club. An ostrich is the grandest known living bird, but it cannot fly. However, it gathers some impressive speed, sprinting up to 43 mph.

On the links, we called an ostrich a shot that struggled to get off the ground but ran an impressive distance.

20. Yips

Yips are a psycho-neuromuscular impediment that hampers your muscle memory and ability to swing the club and strike the ball. I remember watching Sergio Garcia at the Nedbank Million Dollar when he got the yips. He literally couldn’t strike a golf ball. A few years later, I experienced the same. I could not stroke anything within 5 feet cleanly.

21. Scrambling

Scrambled eggs generally contain a mix of ingredients that form a delicious creamy texture to be enjoyed on toast or as is. Scrambling references a mixed bag of shots, yet you still manage to make a par.

For example, you hit your drive into the woods, then your second into the bunker. Next, you send your third shot 15 feet past the hole and drain the putt. Therefore, you were all over the place and still managed a par.

22. Breakfast Ball

An unwritten rule among buddies. When you tee off first thing in the morning, casual golfers enable a breakfast ball. This credits you with a mulligan should your first shot finish in an undesirable lie.

23. Ace

Ace is derived from the Latin term ‘asa.’ Asa was the smallest coin denomination in Ancient Rome. Therefore it is featured at the top of the list of denominations. The English later adopted the term to mean the ‘first one’ or the ‘best one at something.’

Therefore, when you card a hole-in-one the term Ace is fitting, as it describes you being the best one at that hole. Hole-in-ones are most common on par 3’s, where the achievement is also called an eagle. In addition, I have played with two players who carded aces on a par 4. That is also known as a double eagle or albatross.

24. Foot Wedge

I am not condoning this behavior but instead telling it how it is. A foot wedge is not a golf club. The term describes a golfer who kicks the ball into a favorable position. This is cheating and should not happen on a golf course.

25. Chicken Stick

A chicken stick is the most trustworthy golf club in your bag. No matter the lie, you can rely on this club to get you out of trouble and back into play.

26. Hosel Rocket

Another term you never want to hear coming your way is ‘hosel rocket.’ This is a classic shank where your hosel connects the ball and sends it rocketing directly right if you are right-handed. After a freshy, this is the most embarrassing result for a golfer.

27. Duck Hook

A duck hook is an unpleasant sight if you are the one who struck the ball. However, your playing partners find it hilarious. Your ball leaves the clubface and hooks violently to the left for right-handers.

Golf Monthly alleges that the animal reference in the name has less to do with the fuzzy creature and more to do with the action. When your ball hooks ferociously, it ducks into the rough or woods, leaving you with limited options for your second shot.

This definition of duck refers to taking cover or evading duty or responsibility. Therefore, your ball ducks behind trees, evading the fairway.

28. Platypus

The opposite of a duck hook is a platypus. The rarity of sighting a platypus makes it an apt comparison for hitting your ball out of bounds and still making par. It is uncommon and deserves a unique name.

Over in my neck of the woods, we would use fitting names for the area, such as a white rhino.

29. Swing Oil

Every time I hear this saying, it reminds me of Bender from Futurama. He needs hard liquor to keep him oiled and operational. On the golf course, swing oil generally means a beer. However, if hard tac or wine enhances your performance, keep doing what works for you.

30. Toothed It

If someone says they toothed their shot, they hit the ball off the bottom of the clubface. This means the ball produces less spin, flies low, and does not sit down rapidly. Plus, it sends vibrations up the shaft and shocks your hands.

Related Reading: Speaking of golf terms, we have more where that came from. Find yourself the perfect golf companion with our 50 pick-up lines to help you score.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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