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The ABC's of Golf
by PGA Professional, Mark Blakemore

Introduction
Part A - All About How to Get Started in Golf
Part B - Basic Fundamentals and Concepts in Golf Swing Technique
Part C - Common Golf Words and Phrases - Glossary
Conclusion

Glossary of Golf Terms and Phrases
 Golf Terminology - Definitions and Usages

Golf words or phrases beginning with the letter
O

Or enter the word in the form below. If the word you're looking for cannot be found it will automatically be suggested to the Glossarymaster (MB) for review and inclusion.

OB

(also "O.B., out of bounds, Oscar Brown") out of bounds, off the golf course premises (usually marked with white stakes or property fences)
Example: Hitting the ball OB/out of bounds/Oscar Brown will cost you a two stroke penalty.

obstruction

(also "movable obstruction, immovable obstruction") any artificial object except out of bounds stakes, fences or walls; an obstruction is movable if it can easily be moved without delaying play (see the Rules of Golf for many details and procedures)
Example: A can of soda would be a movable obstruction whereas a shack would be immovable.

off the deck

from the fairway or ground (mainly used in reference to hitting a driver off the ground rather than on a tee)
Example: She hit her driver off the deck and very nearly reached the long par 5 in two.

offset

1. a clubhead where the leading edge is set back from the front of the hosel  2. the amount that the leading edge is set back from the front of the hosel
Example: 1. She played with offset irons.  2. Her clubs were progressive offset (the amount of offset varied between clubs).

on deck

term borrowed from baseball (which may have borrowed it from elsewhere) meaning next up on the tee (also see "in the hole")
Example: The tee master called out the names of the group on the tee, the group on deck and the group in the hole.

on the nut

(also "nutting it, nutted it") hitting it squarely and on the sweetspot (see also "on the screws" below)
Example: Tom announced that he had hit his tee shot on the nut even though, mysteriously, the ball was never found.

on the screws

hitting it on the sweetspot, usually of a wood, or driver in particular (many woods originally had an insert in the center of the face that was attached with screws, thus the expression)
Example: Jim, you really hit that one on the screws; too bad it went out of bounds (heh heh heh).

one iron

(also "1 iron, driving iron, knife") the longest of the long irons, commonly around 14-17 degrees of loft but that is manufacturer-dependent (neither the term nor the club is very commonly used any longer)
Example: 1. The next hole was fairly narrow, so I decided to use my one iron/1 iron/driving iron/knife, as I was usually more accurate with it than with my driver.

one-piece takeaway

when the beginning of the backswing is initiated by the torso, arms and hands moving together as one unit or in one piece
Example: Many touring professionals favor a one-piece takeaway.

one-putt

when only one putt is taken on a green to hole the ball
Example: I one-putted six times on the front nine.

open

1. a tournament in which any eligible competitor can play, if they qualify  2. ("open clubface, open stance") refers to the alignment of the body/stance or clubface - for a right-handed player the stance would be open if the body were aligned to the left of the target and an open clubface would be aimed to the right of the target
Example: 1. The British Open, being the oldest organized tournament in the world, is sometimes simply referred to as The Open.  2. Since I was trying to hit a big fade, I opened my stance.

opponent

in the Rules of Golf-specific sense, a match play term referring to one or more players on the other side, against whom a player is competing
Example: In match play you have one or more opponents, whereas in stroke play you have "competitors," though you may have a "partner" in both match and stroke play (see the Rules of Golf for details).

Oscar Brown

another phrase for out of bounds
Example: That baby is Oscar Brown, I'm afraid.

out

1. (also "front, front nine, front side, first nine") the first nine holes of an eighteen hole course  2. (also "away") another term for "away", i.e., farthest from the hole
Example: 1. Kathy went out in 36 and came in with 37, for an 18 hole total of 73.  2. Since Ellen was out/away she played first.

out of bounds

(also "out of play, ob, Oscar Brown") area that is not part of the course, on which play is not permitted (usually marked by white stakes or property fences) -- see also "interior out of bounds" and "provisional ball"
Example: Carmichael hit 3 balls in a row out of bounds/ob/Oscar Brown, then finally got his fourth attempt in play and was lying 7.

outside

on the opposite side of the target line from the golfer  2. (also "away") farther from the hole than
Example: 1. If you visualize the target line as a vertical wall of glass, anything on the far side of the wall from the golfer would be considered outside the target line  2. Jim was away, which meant that his ball was outside of Melanie's.

outside-in

a swing path that cuts across the target line from the far side of the target line, in relation to the player (outside), to the near side (inside) through the impact area
Example: An outside-in swing path generally produces either a slice/fade or a pull, but in extreme cases can cause a pull hook -- ouch!

outside agency

Rules of Golf term, pretty much any agency besides the player(s), their caddie(s) or their stuff (see the Rules of Golf for lots of details)
Example: A rolling bean and cheese burrito would be an interesting outside agency.

over club

using a club that provides too much distance for a given intended target
Example: Perhaps it's safer to over club when there is a water hazard right in front of the green and no particular trouble past the green.

over the top

(also "coming over the top") a downswing path or plane above, or over, the correct or desired plane, causing the path of the club through impact to be across from outside to inside the target line
Example: Coming over the top is a very common characteristic of hackers, usually resulting in a slice or pull.

over-cock

(or "overcock, over cock") an excessive amount of wrist setting or cocking in the backswing (usually also associated either with "cupping" and/or opening the fingers)
Example: If you over-cock your wrists in the backswing the odds of returning to square at impact are low.

over-hosel

where the club's shaft fits over a neck or post in the club head rather than inserting into the head or hosel, which is much more common
Example: Occasionally you might see putters or irons that are over-hosel.

overall weight

(also "dead weight, static weight, total weight") the total weight of a golf club (compare "swingweight")
Example: The overall weight/dead weight of clubs is different than the swingweight.

overlapping grip

(also "overlap" and "Vardon grip" after famous player, Harry Vardon) the most common grip in golf, placing the hands on the club such that the pinky finger of the bottom hand rests on the index finger of the top hand, or between the index and middle fingers of the top hand
Example: The overlapping grip/Vardon grip is the most common.

overseed

to plant new grass seed directly into already existing turf
Example: Bermuda grass courses are commonly overseeded with rye grass in the winter, when the Bermuda goes dormant.

overswing

1. to swing too hard to the point of negatively effecting the result  2. too long a backswing, usually thought of in terms of well beyond the point of the club's shaft being horizontal or parallel with the ground at the end of the backswing
Example: 1. Bill frequently will overswing, and gets wildly erratic results for his trouble.  2. There have been a few successful players with an overswing -- Nancy Lopez and John Daly come to mind.

Official World Golf Ranking

(also "OWGR") a ranking system endorsed by the major championships and the main professional tours, ranking players based on points awarded for finishing position in tournaments and considering the strength of the field
Example: As of this writing, Tiger Woods has been number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR 1) for a longer period of time than any other player.

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