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gallery
spectators
Example: The gallery exploded when she made the putt to win.
gap wedge
(can go by many other names, manufacturer-dependent) a lofted wedge that is usually designed to fill in the distance between the pitching wedge and sandwedge
Example: My gap wedge has 52° of loft, whereas my pitching wedge and sandwedge have 48° and 56° respectively.
garden spot
the ideal location for placing a tee shot, usually thought of in terms of an ideal angle and lie from which to approach the green
Example: Beth found the garden spot off the tee on the par 4 12th hole.
Gator grip
(also "Claw grip, Psycho grip") an unusual method of gripping the putter, popularized by PGA Tour player Chris Dimarco, where the fingers of the bottom hand are on top of the grip rather than on the bottom
Example: Mark Calcavecchia and Bernhard Langer also use(d) the Gator grip/Claw grip/Psycho grip.
gear effect
the tendency of a ball hit on the toe or heel of the club (usually thought of in terms of woods) to spin in the opposite direction from the twisting of the club face (visually reminiscent of two adjacent gears turning)
Example: The gear effect is related to horizontal bulge.
GHIN
(Golf Handicap & Information Network) handicap service begun in 1981 maintained by the USGA
Example: GHIN began in one regional golf association in New York.
gimme
(informal: derived from the words "give me," as in "concede the next stroke to me as holed") a putt that is short enough in length to be certain to be holed with the next stroke
Example: There is no such thing as a gimme in stroke play competitions.
go to school
(also could be heard sloppily as "get a teach") to learn from another player's shot (most commonly associated with putting - seeing how a putt on a similar line to your own will break)
Example: Since Jack's putt was almost on the same line as Jill's but slightly closer to the hole, he was able to go to school when she putted.
golf
a game played with a small ball and a set of clubs, the object being to hit the ball into each of a series of holes with the smallest possible number of strokes -- of uncertain origin but may have originated with a game called chole, is supposedly
the Celtic word for "ball" and also may come from the Old Dutch or Old German word "kolb" or "kolven" meaning "club" or "clubs"
Example: Let's go play some golf and forget about where the word came from.
gorse
spiny European shrub with yellow flowers, found off the fairway on some (usually European) courses and sometimes loosely included in the term "rough"
Example: Old Tom found his ball in the gorse on the last hole and could barely make contact.
grain
the direction the grass is growing (usually only of consequence with coarser grasses, e.g., bermuda)
Example: The grain on a putting green mainly affects putts as they slow down, and on many greens with fine-bladed grasses it has no noticeable effect at all.
grand slam
the four major championships in golf are considered the "Grand Slam" events (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA) 2.to win all four major championships in one calendar year is called the Grand Slam (might as well be
"Holy Grail")
Example: In the 2000 season Tiger Woods won 3 of the 4 Grand Slam events.
grass bunker
a depression in the gound, generally shaped like a sand-filled bunker but with grass (usually rough) instead
Example: You can ground your club in a grass bunker, as it is not technically a hazard.
green
(also "putting green, putting surface, dance floor") the most closely mown and smooth (hopefully) area on the course, which is specifically prepared for putting and on which the hole is placed
Example: Once you're on the green/putting green/putting surface/dance floor you may mark, lift, clean and replace your ball within the rules.
green fee
the fee paid to play a course
Example: Some resort courses charge a humongous green fee. Ouch.
green grass
used to indicate a retail golf shop operation on the premises of a golf course
Example: The Pro Shop at your local golf course would be considered a green grass shop, whereas Arizona Biff's down on 3rd and Main would not.
green in regulation
(also "GIR, G.I.R.") playing one's ball onto the green in the prescribed number of strokes as determined by par (equal to par for the hole minus two strokes for putting)
Example: Hitting the green in regulation would mean the ball is on the green in one shot on a par 3, two shots on a par 4 and three shots on a par 5.
greenie
generally thought of as being on the green in regulation, but also used in betting games to indicate the person on the green in the lowest number of strokes
Example: Ted got the greenie on number one but it was his only one all day.
greenkeeper
older term for an individual involved in maintaining and caring for a golf course and grounds
Example: Actor Bill Murray played one of his most memorable roles as a greenkeeper in the movie Caddyshack.
greenside bunker
a bunker surrounding, or in close proximity, to the putting surface
Example: The short game includes greenside bunker play.
Greensome
an alternate shot tournament format with two two-man teams in each foursome, each player hits a tee shot, then the best tee shot of each two-man team is selected and the other ball is picked up, the player whose tee shot was not selected hits the
second shot and all subsequent even numbered shots, the player whose tee shot was selected plays all remaining odd numbered shots until the ball is holed (more on tournament formats)
Example: Greensome is one of many fun tournament formats.
grind
1. maintaining or intensifying one's mental focus, similar to the expressions "bear down" or "stay focused" -- generally meaning to concentrate on every shot and not get distracted 2. (also "Custom Grind")
generic label referring to some proprietary iron head or sole shape, usually on forged irons -- could also refer to the fact that some players alter their own clubs (swing weight, flange shape, etc.) using a grinding wheel
Example: 1. He only had three holes to go and was feeling nervous, so he started to grind on the 16th tee. 2. Mort just bought a set of Custom Grind irons.
grip
1. the handle of a golf club (usually covered with rubber, leather, etc.) 2. the holding, or method of holding, a golf club
Example: Don't let your grips get so worn that they become slippery. 2.The most widely used grip is called the overlapping or Vardon (named after Harry
Vardon) grip.
groove
(also "score line, scoring") markings (usually horizontal and linear) etched into the face of a golf club to enhance spin direction and decrease hydroplaning (grooves come in different types based on their shape or appearance, e.g., V
grooves, square or box grooves, U grooves, etc. and are regulated by the rules of golf)
Example: Keep the grooves/score lines/scoring on your clubs clean.
gross
(also "unadjusted") the raw, actual or unadjusted score (strokes) before a handicap has been applied
Example: His score was 84 gross and 72 net once his handicap had been applied.
ground
("ground the club, grounding the club") the act of touching the club to the ground (earth)
Example: A few players never ground their club at any time, but grounding the club in a hazard will cost you a two stroke penalty.
ground under repair
any area of the course undergoing repair (usually marked with white lines)
Example: Free relief without penalty is allowed from ground under repair within one club length of the nearest point of complete relief that is no nearer the hole.
gutta percha
(also "gutty") type of golf ball made from sap of a tree, introduced in the middle 1800's
Example: Gutta percha golf balls were much cheaper than the earlier feathery.
The ABC's of Golf 
