Golf Glossary - 'M'

mark - (aka: "spot") the action of precisely marking the position of your ball so that it can be picked up and identified/cleaned etc and then replaced. Usually accomplished with a ball marker. Example: "In order to ensure that Anita would not hit my ball I marked it until she finished putting."

marker - see "ball marker".

markers - (aka: "tee markers", "blocks", "tee blocks") the blocks/markers used to indicate the tee area from which the first shot is taken on any hole. Example: "The Rules of Golf allow you to tee your ball up within two club lengths of the tee blocks, but not ahead of them.".

marshal - (aka: "marshall", "ranger") With respect to tournaments or competitions that marshal is appointed by the committee to assist in controlling and policing the spectators. During regular public play a marshal is responsible for ensuring that the golfers are adhering to the golf course's rules and often encourages a reasonable pace of play. Most marshals have the authority to eject a player from the course.

match play - golf played and scored on a per hole basis. The player/team scoring lowest on a hole wins that hole. If the players/teams tie than neither wins the hole and play continues to the next hole. Example: "The winner of a match play competition is the player who has won the most holes, not necessarily the player with the fewest total strokes."

medallist - (aka: "medallist") the winner of a medal (stroke) play competition.

medal play - (aka: "stroke play") a seldom used term to describe a game of golf scored on a stroke by stoke basis (as most people are familiar) rather than match play which is by hole. Example: "The PGA Championship used to be decided by match play, but now it is a medal play competition."

member bounce - (aka: "member's bounce", "lucky kick") a favourable yet unexpected bounce. As though a member of the club would know how/where to get these bounces or the course is paying back the member for treating the course well over the year(s).

miss club - (aka: "misclub") playing the wrong club. Usually when the ball was struck well but flew either too far or too short resulting in the player to realize that he/she should have hit a different club. Example: "I must have misclubed! I hit that well but it fell a good 30yards short."

miss hit - when the ball is contacted during a swing as intended but solid contact is not made. Usually associated with a ball that traveled shorter than the intended distance. Example: "Frank hit the right club but he mishit it into the lake."

miss read - (aka: "misread") to read the break of a green incorrectly. Especially on a putt or a chip shot. Example: "Wow! I sure misread that - it broke the other way to what I was expecting."

mulligan - (aka: "lunch ball", "Sunday ball", "do-over") allowing a golfer to take a second shot without counting the first stroke. Example: "Archie said that we could take as many mulligans as we wanted on the first tee but after that we had to count every stroke."

muscle memory - a technical term used to describe the body's ability to remember or repeat movements automatically/consistently. Usually the result of a significant amount of practice. Example: "In order to develop a consistent swing you have to create muscle memory so that your body can replicate the swing time and again."