The Language of Golf...

One of the things I take great pleasure from in golf is the language that surrounds the game. Like many sports, golf has its own vocabulary, and there are many weird and wonderful terms that are attributed to different shots and features of the sport.

Birdie, eagle, albatross, fore, pitch mark, slice, draw, hook, fade, foursomes, matchplay, tee, plane, bogey, and dimples are just some of the more regular phrases that you will hear if you spend some time at the course.

Every now and again you hear one that surprises you, like this summer when a visiting golfer holed out from a greenside bunker at our 6th Hole for a 2, and was delighted to be presented with a certificate from her group for having a 'golden ferret'.

Having a 'secret' language that goes along with the game is seen as 'elitist' by some, and can appear as a barrier to entry to others. But learning the lingo of any sport is part of the intrigue and helps create a bond among its participants.

It's up to the players already taking part in the sport to pass on the language, and to inform newcomers to the game, but there's also an onus on the beginners to find out the terminology, and to ask if unsure. Don't let the fear of asking what a phrase or saying means put you off finding out. As a wise person once said, the only silly question is the one you don't ask.

Within a pretty short period of time, the language of golf will have become second nature, and you may just find yourself dropping it into 'normal' conversation. Probably best not to shout 'FORE' at your non-golfing wife in a busy supermarket as a runaway shopping trolley hurtles towards them, as experience has taught me...