Golf Terms: Green in Regulation (GIR)

Aeration is the process of "punching" little holes in putting greens to help them stay healthy and grow.

The rough describes the longer grass that golfers must hit out of if they miss the fairway and hit their shot off-target.

A special type of bunker that is commonly found on links golf courses and is characterized by its steep "walls" that are tough to hit over.

An amateur golfer is anyone who does not earn money from competing in golf tournaments.

Courses located near coastlines, featuring natural dunes, sandy soil, and often exposed to the elements. They offer open layouts and firm turf.

A headcover is a "glove" made of soft material that you put over your golf clubs to keep them clean and protected from various weather conditions.

You may hear older golfers say, "I'm just trying to shoot my age today". This is generally a good thing.

A divot is the mark made on the fairway or tee box when you hit a full golf shot and the club displaces grass behind the ball.

A free drop is when a golfer gets to move their golf ball without taking a penalty stroke. Most commonly, this happens when taking relief from a cart path.

Strokes gained is a golf stats methodology popularized by Mark Broadie and adopted by the PGA Tour which measures a golfer's skill by each part of their game.

Strokes gained approach is an objective way to measure a golfer's ball-striking ability. In this post, I'll explain how it is calculated and why it matters.