Terms in Golf

R & A Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

rabbit An amateur golfer with little success. A touring professional who has no tournament exemptions and must compete in qualifying rounds for chances to play in tournaments.

rake A high-lofted iron club that is no longer in use. It was used for playing from sand and out of water.

range Practice area.

rap To firmly hit a putt.

reading the green Determining the path which the ball will take on its way to the hole by analyzing the contour and texture of the green.

recover To play back into a satisfactory position on the fairway or onto the green from an undesirable position, such as a hazard or rough, on the course.

regular shaft A shaft with normal flex.

release The point in the downswing where you uncock your wrists.

reverse overlap For a right-handed player, a putting grip in which the index finger of the right hand overlaps the little finger of the left and the converse for a left-handed player..

Reverse overlap.

rifle To play a shot accurately and for a great distance.

rim To run round the edge of the cup.

rim out To run around the edge of the cup and fail to fall in.

road hole The 17th hole at St. Andrews. Reputed to be the most difficult hole in the world.

roll-on-a-shot Turning the wrists too much at impact

rough Long grass areas adjacent to fairway, greens, tee off areas or hazards

round A complete game of golf - 18 holes is one round

round robin A tournament in which every player has the opportunity to play every other player

rub of the green Any accident, not caused by a player or caddie, that moves or stops a ball in play and for which no relief is given under the rules. This is when your ball is deflected by agencies beyond your control that are not part of the match or the competitor's side in stroke play. A bit of bad luck.

run The distance the ball rolls on the ground or when it lands on the ground

running iron A club that is used for making short running shots.

run-up An approach shot that is close to the ground or on the ground.