Terms you need to know when you start golf

Golf has its own vocabulary that can feel overwhelming at first. Terms like birdie, stableford and GVB fly past your ears before you've even held a club. This article explains the most-used golf terms clearly so you can step onto the course with knowledge in hand.

Concepts about the golf course

Before you hit the first ball, it helps to know how a golf course is laid out.

Tee (teeing area): The place where every hole begins. Here you place the ball on a small wooden or plastic peg, also called a tee, for the first shot.

Fairway: The closely-mown middle section of the hole between the tee and the green. On the fairway you have the most control over your shot.

Rough: The longer grass on the sides of the fairway. Playing from the rough is harder and often costs extra strokes.

Green: The very closely-mown lawn around the hole. On the green you use the putter to roll the ball into the hole.

Bunker: A sand hazard on or alongside the fairway or green. Playing from a bunker requires a special technique with a wedge.

Out of bounds: Marked with white stakes. If your ball lies outside this border, you may not play it and you receive a penalty stroke.

Score concepts every golfer should know

The scoring system in golf works differently from most sports. Here are the terms you'll come across most often.

Par: The reference number of strokes for a hole. A par-3 hole is short, a par-4 hole medium-long and a par-5 hole long. Most 18-hole courses have a total par of 72.

Birdie: One stroke under the par of a hole. If you play a hole in three strokes while the par is 4, you note a birdie.

Eagle: Two strokes under par. A rare achievement that experienced players occasionally reach on par-5 holes.

Bogey: One stroke over par. For beginners, a bogey on every hole is a fine result.

Double bogey: Two strokes over par. If you go further over par, it's called a triple bogey or worse.

Ace (hole-in-one): The Holy Grail of golf. The ball into the hole in one shot directly from the tee. Rare on par-3 holes, virtually impossible elsewhere.

Shots and technique

Drive: The first, long shot from the tee, played with a driver. The drive largely determines how the rest of the hole unfolds.

Approach: A shot towards the green, played from the fairway or rough. Depending on the distance, you use an iron or a wedge.

Chip: A short, low shot near the green where the ball lands quickly and rolls further.

Pitch: A higher, shorter shot of 30 to 90 metres that lands the ball steeply on the green with little roll-out.

Putt: The shot on the green where the ball rolls across the grass towards the hole. Good putting often determines the difference between winning and losing.

Airshot: An attempted shot where you completely miss the ball. This miss simply counts as a stroke, one of the most dreaded moments for beginners.

Handicap and official terms

As soon as you take golf seriously, you come into contact with the official handicap system of the NGF.

Handicap (hcp): A number between 0 and 54 that indicates your playing level. The lower the number, the better the player. Beginners usually start with handicap 54. Since 2021, the NGF uses the World Handicap System (WHS), where the handicap is calculated based on the best scores from the last 20 rounds.

GVB (Golf Proficiency Certificate): The proof that you have sufficiently mastered the basic technique and the rules of golf to play independently on a full 18-hole course. Today this is officially known as course permission at handicap 54. With a GVB course with an experienced golf pro you earn this certificate quickly and efficiently.

NGF: The Royal Dutch Golf Federation, the umbrella organisation that registers handicaps, watches over the rules and coordinates golf education. An NGF registration gives you official access to the Dutch and international golf system.

Stableford: The most-used scoring system in the Netherlands. Instead of tracking the total number of strokes, you earn points per hole. Make par and you get 2 points. A birdie yields 3 points, a bogey 1 point.

Flight: The group of players you walk a round with. In tournament play, the flight composition is decided by the organiser.

Fore: The warning shout you give if your ball is heading towards other players. Always shout it, this is a matter of safety and etiquette.

Golf clubs and equipment

Driver: The club with the largest head and the least loft, intended for the longest distances. Beginners are best off with a driver of 10 to 12 degrees of loft.

Irons: Numbered from 3 to 9, suitable for medium to short distances. The higher the number, the more loft and the shorter the distance.

Wedge: A club with plenty of loft for short, accurate shots around and on the green. The pitching wedge and sand wedge are the most-used variants.

Putter: The club used exclusively on the green to roll the ball.

From terminology to course

Golf terminology can feel like a lot when you're just starting, but in practice you pick up the terms quickly. Especially when you have guidance from an experienced professional. Zalm Golf offers personalised GVB training for new golfers, students and seniors who want to start at their own pace. After earning your GVB, you easily arrange your official NGF registration via Zalm Golf for just €66 per year, with no compulsory club membership.

With this glossary in hand, you step onto the course much more confidently. Want to know how to earn your official golf proficiency certificate quickly? Browse the course offering and pick a pro, location and date that suit you.