The books recommended at classicgolfbooks.com very occasionally use old-fashioned language. I hope this glossary of terms might help clarify any confusion. It was taken from a book published in 1907: The Golfer's Manual, by W. Meredith Butler.
The rules of golf from 1907 referred to in the definitions are also reproduced here at classicgolfbooks.com, in the glossary section.
A Vocabulary Of Golf
The language of golf is somewhat mystifying to the uninitiated, and harsh to all but those who speak with the tongues of golfers. Those who would read succeeding pages with understanding may well pay heed to the following explanations of golfing terms:
Addressing the ball. Taking up a position for striking the ball.
Approach-shot. One in which the ball is not debarred from reaching the putting-green by reason of distance.
All square. When neither side leads the other in holes.
Baffy. A wooden or aluminium club with a laid-back face for playing high shots.
Brassey. A wooden driving club soled with a plate of brass.
Bent. Wiry grass, bent grass.
Bogey. An imaginary player who never makes a mistake and is equivalent to "scratch" on the handicap list.
Bulger. A wooden club with a convex face.
Bunker. Rough ground, or a trench or pit filled with sand, guarding a hole.
Bye. The holes remaining after a match is decided. This is usually played out as a short match; if the conclusion of the "Bye" is effected before the round is finished, the remaining hole or holes are familiarly known as the "Bye-bye."
Caddie. A carrier of the bag of clubs; his value is increased when he is competent to give good advice to the player.
Carry. The amount of flight of the ball; the distance covered after it strikes the ground is called the "run."
Casual water. Water of a temporary kind, such as is found after a fall of rain. See Rules 1 and 14.
Chip. A short, sharp stroke with the iron or mashie.
Cleek. An iron-headed club used generally for long strokes, and often for putting.
Course. The series of spaces between the different "holes."
Cup. A small depression on the course in which the ball sometimes lies. It is often the result of a stroke by another player who has failed to replace the turf.
Cut. An underspin given by a club to a ball.
Dead. When a ball lies so near the hole as to be a dead certainty of its being "holed" in the next stroke. When a ball is pitched so as to have no "run" after alighting, it is said to fall "dead."
Divot. A piece of turf taken in the act of striking. See Etiquette of Golf, Rule 9.
Dormy (Fr. dormir). A player is said to be "dormy" when his advantage in holes is equivalent to the number of holes remaining to be played; he is therefore certain not to lose the match.
Driver. A wooden club used for full driving shots (from the "tee" usually).
Duff or Daff. To foozle a shot.
Face. That part of the head of a club which comes in contact with the ball.
Flat. When the angle between the shaft and the head of a club is very obtuse the club is said to be flat; with a much less obtuse angle the club is said to be "upright."
Fog. Coarse or luxuriant grass.
Foozle. A miss-hit.
Fore. A contraction of "Before." A cry uttered to warn players or other persons likely to be struck by the ball.
Foursome. A match played by four persons, two a-side, one ball to each side. When each player plays his own ball, the match is called a four-ball foursome. See Defini-tions in Rule 1 and also note "threesome."
Gobble. A "putt" ill-judged as to strength but which, owing to its straightness (and some luck, humorously called "pot-luck"), falls into the hole.
Green, 1, The whole course; 2, The ground in the immediate neighbourhood of a hole, called the putting-green. See Rule 1. "Through the green" is that part of the course not included in the putting-green or hazards. See Rule 1.
Grip. 1, The upper end of the shaft covered with leather or rubber; 2, The handling of the club during the stroke.
Gutty. The nickname for the almost extinct ball which is composed throughout of gutta-percha.
Half-a-stroke or Half. A handicap of a stroke at every other hole.
Half-shot. A stroke in which the swing is less than full.
Halved-hole. A hole at which each side uses an equal number of strokes; otherwise, "a half."
Halved-match. A drawn game with no advantage to either side at the conclusion of the round.
Hanging lie. When the ball lies on a downward slope.
Hazard. See Definitions in Rule 1.
Head. The end of the club used for striking the ball. The part of the face nearest the player is called the "heel," the other end the "toe," or "nose"; the "neck" is where it is joined to the shaft, and the part which rests on the ground is called the "sole." To "heel" is to hit the ball on the "heel."
Hole, 1, The hole on the putting-green "made and provided" (see Rule 1); 2, The whole space between the teeing-ground (see Rule 1) and the hole being played to (including the putting-green).
Honour. See Rule 1.
Hook (or Pull). To send a ball to the left of the direction intended. Compare Slice.
Iron. A club with an iron head more or less set at an angle to loft a ball.
Jerk. A stroke in which the club stops on reaching the ground instead of being taken through.
Lie. 1, The inclination of the shaft to the body of the player when the club head rests evenly on the ground; 2, The position of the ball on the ground while awaiting the stroke; 3, That which is often told in the club-house after a round!
The Like. The stroke which brings one player's total during the play of a hole to the level of that of the other. A stroke ahead is called the "odd." When one player has taken two or three or more strokes (called "two more," or "three more," etc.), the next stroke of the opponent is called "one off two," "one off three," and so on.
Like as we lie. When both players have taken the same number of strokes. Compare All Square.
Loft. 1, To give the ball a high trajectory; 2, The angle at which the face is laid back.
Mashie. A club with a well-laid-back face used in short "approach" shots.
Match. 1, The round as played between two sides (see Rule 1); 2, The game itself.
Match-play. The system by which the score is counted by holes.
Medal-play. The system by which the score is counted by the total number of strokes for the whole round.
Neck. See Head.
Niblick. A heavy iron club with a face more set back than the "mashie"; used for extricating a ball from bad "lies." Nose. See Head.
Odds. The strokes or holes conceded by a stronger player to a weaker; the amount of handicap.
One off two, one off three. See Like.
Out of bounds. See Rule 1.
Par. See page 147.
Press. To "force" a stroke in order to recover lost ground or to out-do one's opponent - a grievous fault usually "grievously answered."
Pretty. The smooth mown part of the course designed for good strokes.
Putt. The "nice" stroke needing delicacy of treatment, approximating to the billiard stroke.
Putter. The club used for the "putt."
Putting-green. See Rule 1.
Plus. A "plus" player is one who gives odds to "Bogey" or to one who is "scratch."
Rub of the green. See Rule 22.
Rubber-core. A ball with a core of rubber strands encased in a thin cover of guttapercha.
Run. See Carry.
Sclaff. To strike the ground behind the ball, the club then rebounding on to the ball. Compare Top.
Shaft. The handle of the club, all that part except the head.
Slice. To send a ball to the right of the direction intended. Compare Hook.
Scratch. See Bogey.
Single. See Rule 1.
Sole. See Head.
Spoon. A wooden or aluminium club with a "lofted" face for elevating the ball - a sub-stitute for the "iron"; also called a Baffy.
Spring. The degree of pliancy in the shaft of a club, sometimes called the "whip" or "whippiness."
Stance. The position of the player's feet while addressing the ball.
Steal. To get down an unexpected putt in auy way except by a "gobble."
Stroke, 1, The act of hitting the ball with a club; 2, The attempt to hit the ball whether successful or not.
Stroke-hole. The hole at which a stroke (conceded by the stronger player) is taken.
Stymie. The blocking of the way to the hole by the opponent's ball.
Swing. The whole path of the club during a stroke.
Swipe. A stroke needing the fullest swing - a slog.
Tee. 1, The small mound of sand on which the ball is placed for the first stroke at each hole; 2, To fix the position of the ball to suit the player's wishes (usually only allowed for the first stroke).
Teeing-ground. See Rule 1.
Third. A handicap of a stroke at every third hole. Compare Half a stroke.
Toe. See Head.
Top. To hit the ball above its centre. Compare Sclaff.
Two more, three more, etc. See Like.
Upright. See Flat.
Waggle. The preliminary flourish with a club before beginning the upward swing.
Whins. Gorse, furze.
Whipping. The string which binds the head and shaft together.
Wrist-shot. A shot played with very little "swing," usually with an iron club.
