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takeaway
the beginning of the backswing, the initial movement of the club away from the ball and target
Example: A one-piece takeaway is favored by many players.
tap in
(also "gimme") a very short put that is certain to be made
Example: I only had a tap in left after a good chip.
target golf
a phrase to describe a style of golf course that has discrete, well-defined landing areas rather than one long stretch of continuous playable ground between the tee and green
Example: Some players prefer target golf style courses to more traditional courses.
target line
the line of play, or the line from the ball to the target
Example: Her stance is open relative to the target line for the lob shot.
tee
1. (also "peg") a small (usually, but not always, wooden) device for setting the ball up above the ground 2. the act of placing the ball on a tee 3. (also "teeing ground, teeing area, tee box") the starting point of each hole, the area
designated as the teeing ground
Example: The teeing area was so hard he had difficulty getting his tee/peg in the ground. 2. She liked to tee the ball high when hitting downwind 3.
Our group was next on the tee.
tee blocks
(also "blocks, tee markers, markers") two objects that indicate the foreward boundary of the teeing area
Example: The tee blocks/blocks/tee markers/markers had been moved forward since yesterday.
tee markers
(also "markers, tee blocks, blocks") two objects that indicate the foreward boundary of the teeing area
Example: The tee markers/markers/tee blocks/blocks had been moved forward since yesterday.
tee off
to hit a shot from the tee
Example: After Bill teed off he made sure his group had a scorecard.
tee shot
(also "tee ball") a shot from the tee, the first shot on a hole
Example: Her tee shot/tee ball was right down the middle of the fairway.
tee time
the time assigned for a group to begin play on their first hole (in non-competitive situations could also be called a "reservation")
Example: Ralph booked a tee time for his usual foursome.
tee to green
another way of referring to the long game
Example: Todd was good tee to green but his putting needed some help.
teeing ground
(also "teeing area, tee box, tee") the starting point of each hole, where the tee markers are
Example: The teeing ground/teeing area/tee box/tee on number 4 was in need of repair.
temporary green
a (usually) closely mown area in the fairway or rough of a hole, serving as the green (including the cup and flag) during periods of maintenance or repair of the original putting surface
Example: Sometimes when a course is using a temporary green they will institute an "automatic two-putt" local rule on that hole.
ten finger grip
(also "baseball, full finger" grip) a method of holding the club using all ten fingers on the grip with no overlapping or interlocking fingers
Example: The relative position of the hands to the club's face is the same in a ten finger/baseball/full finger grip as it is in the other more popular overlapping and interlocking grips.
tend the flag
(also "attend" the flag, flagstick or pin) holding and then removing the flagstick after a player has made a stroke
Example: If another player is away and it is not your turn to putt you might be tending/attending the flag so they have a clearer view of where the hole is.
Texas scramble
(also "shamble") a tournament format that is a variation of a scramble, where each member of a team (usually a foursome) hits a tee shot on each hole, the best tee shot on the hole is selected, each team member then completes the hole with their
own ball from that chosen location and is awarded a given number of points (usually based on a Stableford-type system) for their score (e.g., par = 1 point, birdie = 2 points, etc.) -- the benefit of this system over a scramble is that scoring can be
done on both a team and an individual basis (more on tournament formats)
Example: My company tournament used a Texas scramble/shamble format.
Texas wedge
using a putter from off the green
Example: It was so windy that Gerald decided to use the texas wedge.
thin
(also "skinny") when the ball is contacted with the leading edge instead of the face of the club, producing a low trajectory shot with less than the usual amount of spin
Example: He hit a good drive, but then hit his sandwedge shot thin/skinny and over the green.
third wedge
(sometimes also called a "utility wedge") manufacturer-dependent and varied, a lofted wedge that differs from a pitching wedge or a sandwedge in loft and/or sole charactersitics
Example: 1. The third wedge/utility wedge in Martha's set is 58°, very heavy in weight and has a small amount of bounce.
through the green
the whole course, excluding the teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played, and all hazards
Example: Conditions were so wet and muddy, that players were allowed to lift, clean and place their ball through the green.
tips
(also "The tips" or "playing from the tips") playing each hole from its longest possible yardage (from the farthest back place you can stand on the farthest back teeing ground) so that you play the entire course at its longest possible yardage
Example: His ego was so disproportionately huge that he would only deign to play a round of golf if it was from the tips.
tight
1. a very narrow hole or course 2. a compact and efficient swing 3. hole location that is very close to the edge of the green 4. a ball resting on the ground or in grass with very little air underneath it, making clean and solid
contact difficult
Example: 1. The course we played on Monday was very short and tight. 2. Byron's swing was tight whereas Dan's was loose. 3. The hole was cut so
tight that the pin appeared to be off the green. 4. The grass was very thin and my lie was very tight.
timing
the ordered occurrence of the sequence of movements comprising a golf swing
Example: Bill's swing sequence was so out of whack that it was a moot point to discuss timing.
toe
the far end of the clubhead (farthest from the hosel/neck/shaft)
Example: I hit my 2 iron shot on the toe, so I didn't quite get the height or distance I was looking for.
toe hook
a shot that is contacted on the toe of the club and hooks (curves from right to left for a right-handed player)
Example: I hit a toe hook off the tee, but still found the fairway without a problem.
top
1. (also "dub") when the bottom of the club contacts the ball above its center of gravity and the ball immediately hits the ground 2. the end of the backswing (where the hands are at their highest)
Example: Nobody likes to top the ball. 2. John's club was laid off at the top of his swing.
torque
the tendency of a club's shaft to twist or rotate around its long axis -- also the amount of that rotation measured in degrees (very generally, stronger and/or more highly skilled players with faster swings are better suited to lower torque, and
vice versa)
Example: Shafts with high torque twist or rotate more than shafts with low torque.
touch
(also "feel") sensitivity for playing golf shots
Example: She displayed great touch/feel around the greens all summer.
tournament
(also "tourney") an organized golf competition
Example: She played in her first tournament/tourney last Saturday.
tournament format
the style, or rules and procedures, under which a competition is conducted (e.g., medal play, match play, scramble, four-ball, and many more -- see tournament formats for help with tournament format details)
Example: The committee debated on the most intriguing tournament format, given the players in the field.
TPC
(abbreviation of "Tournament Players Club") golf courses designed specifically for holding Tour events
Example: The TPC at Sawgrass is the site of The Players Championship.
tracking iron
(archaic) lofted iron designed specifically to play shots from tracks in the mud
Example: A tracking iron would not be found in today's iron sets.
trampoline effect
(also "spring-like effect") the "bouncing back" of a club's face contributing force to the shot, limited by the rules of golf (see also COR)
Example: Drivers with the trampoline effect/spring-like effect tend to hit the ball slightly farther than those without.
transition
(also "transition point") where the backswing turns into the downswing
Example: In the case of a pendulum the transition/transition point actually consists of a miniscule period of no movement, but in a human golf swing the motion never really stops.
trap
1. (also "bunker, sand trap") another commonly used term for a sand-filled bunker - a depression in the ground filled with a prepared surface of sand or similar 2. a descending strike at impact that squeezes, or traps, the ball between the
club face and the ground to varying degrees
Example: His approach shot caught the trap/bunker/sand bunker/sand trap in front of the flag. 2. The best iron players in the history of golf have all trapped the ball to some degree.
trolley
(also "golf cart, golf car" or "hand cart, pull cart") term mainly used in Europe for wheeled golf carts, either for pulling by hand, motorized or to ride in
Example: After Deirdre hit her second ball from the tee she sat down hard in the trolley with a noticeable degree of displeasure.
trouble shot
(also "recovery, recovery shot") a shot from a troublesome situation
Example: She hit a great trouble shot/recovery/recovery shot and saved a par.
turn
1. the rotation of the body in the swing (e.g., shoulder turn, hip turn) 2. going from the ninth green to the tenth tee ("making the turn" from the front nine to the back nine) 3. curving a golf shot 4. break or curve
in a putt
Example: 1. John Daly has a huge turn away from the ball in his backswing. 2. We grabbed a quick snack at the turn. 3. I wanted to
turn the ball over from right to left to get farther around the dogleg and closer to the green. 4. He tried with all the body english he could muster to make the putt
turn, but it stayed straight.
turn it over
(also "draw, slinger") a shot that curves gently from right to left (right-handed player)
Example: Some holes favor a shot that turns over/draw/slinger by design.
twilight rate
a discounted green fee based on the fact that a limited number of holes may be completed due to darkness
Example: Some public golf courses have a twilight rate, which may change depending on the time of year.
The ABC's of Golf 
