| Back Door |
When a ball is holed by going around the lip of the cup and dropping in from the back end. |
| Back Nine |
The last nine holes of an 18 hole course. |
| Back Side |
The last 8 holes of an 18 hole course. |
| Backspin |
Reverse spin applied to the ball and prevents it from bouncing forward after landing; same as Bite. |
| Backswing |
When the golfer takes the club away from the addressed ball, continues until the club is moved back towards to ball. |
| Baffy |
Another name for a 4 wood. |
| Ball |
Golf Balls, go to A History of the Golf Ball. |
| Ball in Play |
The ball is on play once the player starts his downswing on the teeing area. It continues to be so until holed out, lost, out of bounds or lifted. |
| Ball Mark |
The mark left by the ball when it pitches on the fairway or green. |
| Ball Marker |
Any small object used to mark a ball's position on the green prior to it being picked up. |
| Ball Retriever |
An extendable device used to retrieve balls mainly from the water and other inaccessible areas. |
| Ball Roundness Gauge |
An instrument used to measure how spherical a ball is. |
| Ball Washer |
An instrument used to clean golf balls. |
| Banana Ball |
Slicing the ball such that it curves off to the side in a banana shaped trajectory. |
| Barkie |
When the ball hits any part of a tree and the golfer still completes the hole with a par. |
| Beach |
A sand bunker. |
| Bermuda |
Species of coarse grass used in hot climates. |
| Best Ball |
A competition where two or more players form a team. The best net score per team on each hole is recorded on the scorecard. |
| Best Shot |
A team competition where each member of the team plays a shot, the best placed ball is then chosen and all other players of the same team play their next shot from that position. |
| Birdie |
One under par for the hole. |
| Bite |
Reverse spin applied to the ball and prevents it from bouncing forward after landing; same as Backspin. |
| Blade |
When the upper part of the ball is struck by the edge of the club face causing it to hug the ground in flight. |
| Blade Shot |
To strike the ball above it's centre causing it to skip and bounce along the ground rather than rise through the air. |
| Blast |
The material carried with the ball when it is hit out of a sand bunker. |
| Blind Hole |
When the golfer cannot see the green when having to play an approach shot. |
| Block Shot |
When a player strikes the ball late in their swing (usually caused by turning to quickly during the swing). The ball travels outside of the target. |
| Bogey |
One over par for the hole. |
| Bogey Golfer |
A player who has a handicap is the about the same as the number holes on a course (18 to 22). |
| Brassie |
Another name for a 2 wood. |
| Break |
The path a putt must follow over a contour in the green in order to go in the hole. |
| Buggy |
Powered cart used to transport golfer and equipment around the course. |
| Bunker |
A hazard filled by sand or grass that is placed where a fairway shot may end (by a green or driving distance from the tee). You are not allowed to practice swing or ground your club in a bunker. |
