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Golf terms in English, Romanian and Russian

Golf has its own vocabulary, and in Romanian many terms are simply borrowed from English. Here are the words you’ll hear most, in all three languages.

The course

English	Română	Русский	Meaning
Tee	Tee	Ти	Where each hole starts; also the small peg the ball sits on.
Fairway	Fairway	Фервей	Short-mown grass between the tee and the green.
Rough	Rough	Раф	Longer grass on either side of the fairway.
Green	Green	Грин	Very short grass around the hole, where you putt.
Hole	Gaură	Лунка	The cup on the green, and also one section of the course from tee to green.
Flagstick (pin)	Steag	Флагшток	The pole with a flag that marks the hole.
Bunker	Bunker	Бункер	A hollow filled with sand.
Penalty area (water)	Zonă de penalizare (apă)	Штрафная зона (вода)	A lake, stream or ditch; playing out of it usually costs a penalty stroke.
Out of bounds	În afara terenului (out of bounds)	Аут	Outside the course boundary, usually marked with white stakes; it costs a penalty.
Driving range	Driving range	Драйвинг-рейндж	A practice area for long shots.
Alternate tee	Tee alternativ	Альтернативный ти	A second tee for the same hole, used when nine holes are played as 18.

Scoring

English	Română	Русский	Meaning
Stroke	Lovitură	Удар	Each swing at the ball that counts towards your score.
Par	Par	Пар	The number of strokes a good player is expected to need on a hole.
Birdie	Birdie	Бёрди	One stroke under par on a hole.
Eagle	Eagle	Игл	Two strokes under par on a hole.
Bogey	Bogey	Боги	One stroke over par on a hole.
Double bogey	Dublu bogey	Дабл-боги	Two strokes over par on a hole.
Penalty stroke	Lovitură de penalizare	Штрафной удар	An extra stroke added for breaking a rule or losing a ball.
Handicap	Handicap	Гандикап	A number that shows a player’s ability, so players of different levels can compete fairly.
Scorecard	Fișă de scor	Карточка счёта	The card where you record your strokes on each hole.

Shots

English	Română	Русский	Meaning
Drive	Drive	Драйв	A long first shot from the tee, usually with a driver.
Approach	Lovitură de apropiere	Удар на грин (подход)	A shot aimed at reaching the green.
Chip	Chip	Чип	A short, low shot onto the green that rolls most of the way.
Pitch	Pitch	Питч	A short, higher shot that lands softly.
Putt	Putt	Патт	Rolling the ball along the green towards the hole.
Slice	Slice	Слайс	A shot that curves strongly to the right (for a right-handed player).
Hook	Hook	Хук	A shot that curves strongly to the left (for a right-handed player).
Divot	Divot	Дивот	A piece of turf cut out by the club; put it back after your shot.

Equipment

English	Română	Русский	Meaning
Driver	Driver	Драйвер	The longest club, used for tee shots.
Wood	Wood	Вуд	A long club with a large head, for distance.
Hybrid	Hybrid	Гибрид	A cross between a wood and an iron, easier to hit than long irons.
Iron	Iron	Айрон	A club with a flat metal face, numbered by its angle (loft).
Wedge	Wedge	Ведж	A short iron with a steep face, for short shots and bunkers.
Putter	Putter	Паттер	A flat-faced club for rolling the ball on the green.
Golf glove	Mănușă de golf	Перчатка для гольфа	A thin glove for grip, usually worn on the non-dominant hand.
Ball marker	Marcaj pentru minge	Маркер мяча	A small flat marker that shows where your ball was on the green.

Booking and etiquette

English	Română	Русский	Meaning
Fore!	Fore!	«Фор!»	Shouted warning when your ball might hit someone.
Tee time	Ora de start (tee time)	Время старта (ти-тайм)	Your booked start time for a round.
Green fee	Green fee (taxa de joc)	Грин-фи	The fee to play the course.
Pro shop	Magazin (pro shop)	Про-шоп	The club shop that sells equipment.

New to golf? Start with our guide to starting golf in Moldova.