Golf Glossary - 'C'

cabbage - any type of thick &/or tall grass on the golf course. Typically found off the fairway or behind the green.

caddy - (aka: "caddie") an assistant to the golfer who is in charge of carrying the players equipment and providing advice on club selection and reading the green. Usually employed by the player although some private clubs will provide caddies free of charge to the members and their guests.

card - (aka: "scorecard") provided by the pro shop on which a players score is recorded. It usually lists each hole by number with the par, yardage (from each of the different tees) and handicap as well as other general information about the course (i.e. slope, rating, address, contact information and local rules).

carry - the distance a ball travels or must travel in the air in order to clear something or reach some destination. Example: "You gotta carry 210 yards to clear the water".

cast - a manufacturing process for golf clubs where the club head is poured into a mold in molten state.

casual water - water on the golf course that is not part of the design (i.e. it is not marked/staked either out of bounds or as a hazard). Typically the result of a large or constant rainfall. The Rules of Golf state that you may take free relief from casual water no nearer to the hole.

check - (aka: "bite" or "grab" or "hold" or "sit" or "sit down" or "hit a house") the result of backspin when the ball lands on the green. Example: "Wallace applied so much backspin that the ball bit the green and stopped short after one bounce." Golfers often yell or mutter under their breath 'bite' (or 'hold' or 'sit' or 'hit a house') when they want the ball to stop quickly. Most often used on an approach shot. Also see "check".

chili dip - when a chip or pitch shot is hit a much shorter distance than intended/expected.

chip - (aka: "chip and run", "chip and roll", "bump and run") a shot that is intended to fly for a very short time and then roll or bounce the majority of its way towards the intended target. Usually, a shot from close the the green designed to get the ball close to the hole. Example: "Sean chipped over the fringe and it rolled to within 6 inches of the cup."

choke - a term used to describe the lack of performance or execution in a situation where there is significant pressure for a positive outcome. Example: "Having never before won the club championship, Brad choked under the pressure of a 4 foot putt on the eighteenth hole."

choke down - the action of establishing ones grip further down the grip of a golf club. Similar to "choking up" on a baseball bat.

chopper - See "hacker".

chunk - (aka: "fat" or "thick") to miss hitting the ball properly by impacting the ground too soon. Usually results in a large divot or at a minimum a poor shot that travels a short distance. Example: "On his second shot Charlie chunked his ball ten feet into the water."

claw grip - (aka: "gator grip", "psycho grip", "the claw") an unconventional method of gripping a putter where the bottom hand is repositioned on top of the grip with the thumb and pinky pointed towards the ground. The handle of the club is positioned between the index and middle finger. First popularized by PGA Tour player Chris Dimarco and since adopted by Mark Calcavecchia and Bernhard Langer among others.

closed - (aka: "closed club face", "closed stance") applies to either the alignment of the body/stance or the club face or both! A straight line drawn through the players shoulders or through the players ankles or straight out of the club face that crosses the intended target line is said to be in a closed stance or have a closed club face. Example: "A right handed player aligned to the right of the target or whose club face is aligned to the left of the target is too closed."

clubface - (aka: "club face") the flat surface of any golf club. Usually having grooves and intended for striking the ball.

clubhead - (aka: "club-head" or "head") attached to the opposite end of the shaft to the grip. Held properly the clubhead is at the bottom of the club and is used to impact the ball. The size of the clubhead is typically measured in cubic centimeters (cc). Example: "Some modern day drivers have clubheads larger than 400cc"

clubhead speed - (aka: "head speed") the speed of the clubhead measured in mph or kph at the moment of impact.

coil - the action of turning the hips and shoulders of the body during the backswing prior to beginning the downswing. Example: "The more coil you get the more likely you will be able to generate higher clubhead speed."

collar - (aka: "apron", "fringe", "frog hair") the grass between the fairway or rough and the green. Typically longer than the grass on the green but shorter than the fairway or rough. Usually between 2-3 feet wide and completely surrounding the green. Example: "My approach shot landed on the green but rolled on to the fringe."

committee - the person or group in charge of all play on the course. Typically referred to during a tournament however, a committee can also be in charge of play on a public course. Example: "The committee has determined that for today's tournament 'Winter Rules' will govern play."

compression - the flattening of the golf ball at impact with the clubface. Also the measurement describing the ease with which a ball may be compressed. The higher the compression ratio the harder it is to compress. Golf balls are commercially available with 80, 90, 100 or 110 compression.

connected - a slang term used to describe good/solid impact with the ball. Example: "On the par four third hole John really connected with his driver and put the ball on the fringe!"

course management - (aka: "game management", "managing your game") a skill developed by players allowing them to play to their strengths while on the golf course. A plan to accommodate getting the ball in the hole in as few strokes a as possible while considering/managing the hazards, terrain, distance and particular skills of the individual golfer.

course rating - an evaluation of the difficulty of a course for a scratch player (expressed in relation to the par of the course) Example: A course with a rating of 71.2 is more difficult than a course rated 69.

cross bunker - a bunker that crosses the width of the fairway. Different from the bunkers that generally lie to the side of fairways or run parallel to the fairway. Example: "John's driver took his ball right into the middle of the cross bunker on the fourth hole. Perhaps he should have laid up"

cross-handed - a type of grip whereby the traditional top hand is on bottom and vice versa. Often used when putting for additional control. Example: "While the cross handed grip can sometimes be uncomfortable it often results in fewer putts per round after a little practice."

cup - (aka: "hole") the hole in which the lag rests. specifically the liner of the hole. Usually constructed of plastic but aluminum cups are used as well. Example: "I love the sound of a long putt falling into the cup."

cupped - The process of bending either wrist into a position which forms a concave angle between the forearm and the back of the hand. Example: Most of the time if your left hand is overly cupped at the top, the clubface will be open at impact.

cut - (aka: "cut shot", "fade") a shot resulting from an outside-in swing path traveling, for a right-handed golfer, from left to right. Typically a cut shot travels slightly more aggressively from left to right than a fade but not as aggressively as a slice.

cut - (aka: "cut line") the score that a player must post (at a maximum) in order to be allowed to play in the next round of a tournament. Example: "Tiger Woods made friday's cut by 8 strokes."