Golf Lingo - Part 4

My followers have been clamoring for another golf lingo post and you know how I hate to disappoint my followers!

Bermuda Grass: A type of coarse durable grass used by golf courses in warm, tropical climates. The grain of bermuda grass greens can influence putts, so golfers on such greens must be aware when they are putting with, against or across the grain.

Cross-Handed: A putting grip where the left hand is below the right hand for a right-handed golfer. Also known as the "left-hand low" grip. This grip is used to help players combat the yips.

False Front: The front part of a green that slopes down toward the fairway. The false front makes the front landing area of the green appear closer than it actually is located. A golf ball that lands on the false front likely rolls backwards down into the fairway.

Fluff the Lie Rule: This is a Local Rule that permits a high handicap golfer (handicap to be negotiated but no less than my then current handicap) to fluff the lie within 5 yards from the fairway and 3 yards from the green. For a high handicap golfer to hit the ball within 5 yards of the fairway or within 3 yards of the green is a good shot. It is dispiriting to the high handicapper to hit a relatively good drive only to find that he can barely see the top of the golf ball and he will have to wedge the ball back into the fairway, or for the high handicapper to hit a good approach shot and need the strength of Tiger Woods and the finesse of Phil Mickelson to get the ball to, and then to stay on, the green. This is a golf course design or maintenance flaw! The high handicapper should not be penalized and by Local Rule is permitted to fluff his lie without penalty so that the ball is "sitting up" and he has a reasonable chance of contacting the ball with his club and advancing the golf ball up the fairway from the rough or onto the green from greenside.

High-Low Game: A betting game where each 2-man team's high score is compared against the opponents high score. Whichever team's high score is lower will receive a point. A team's low score is also compared against the opponents low score. Whichever team's low score is lower will receive a point as well.

Left-Hand Low: See Cross-Handed above.

Pin High: A golf ball (generally on the putting surface) that is even with the pin but off to one side.

Pink Golf Ball Rule: An inviolate Rule of Golf that any woman (or man) that plays with a pink golf ball will not break 120, will not know when to pick up her golf ball on a hole, and will whiff on at least one swing per hole. There is a special exception to the "Pink Golf Ball Rule" for Paula Creamer.

Silly Season: The approximately two-month period between the PGA Tour's last official tournament and the beginning of the following PGA season. During this period, there are numerous events for PGA men's, women's and senior's tour professionals, including skins games, skills challenges, father-son tournaments, team tournaments, small invitational tournaments, etc. Players can make a fortune during the silly season. Fred Couples is a 5-time winner of the Skins Games, and has won 21 other "silly season" events, earning him the monicker, "King of the Silly Season."

Sleeve of Balls: A package of three golf balls.

Snowbirds: Retired folks that travel from Iowa, Minnesota, Calgary or other points north to Arizona in the winter months to escape sub-freezing temperatures and play golf. Many travel in large recreational vehicles and rent spaces in RV parks. Others have second homes in Arizona. You can generally spot snowbirds because they are driving 20 miles below the speed limit in the left-hand lane with out-of-state license plates. Interestingly, "snowbird" is also American slang for a person addicted to cocaine or heroin.

Tips: The back tees or championship tees on a golf course - the set of tees from which the course plays the longest.

Yips: An uncontrollable twitching generally occurring on the putting stroke. Similar to stuttering. Professional and amateurs golfers alike have tried many different techniques to overcome the yips, including hypnosis and drugs, the left-hand low putting stroke and the belly putter and long putter, with different putting grips. The most famous amateur case of the yips today is Charles Barkley. This video may adversely affect your golf game!

Many of these definitions (with editorial revisions) come from Gilroy Golf Course, The Golfer's Dictionary, About.com: Golf and Golf Games.