Golf Shot Names Explained: From Hosel Rockets to Worm Burners

You might be familiar with a draw, a fade, a flyer or a line drive but if you spend enough time around golfers, you’ll hear a whole different vocabulary. One that includes everything from “hosel rockets” to “Texas wedges.” Some of these golf shot names are regional. Others have multiple variations depending on where you play. Yes, there are dozens more you may use in your group that may or may not be appropriate for this list. Here are the golf shot names most golfers should know.

Classic golf shot names

If you are talking about standard directional shot types, here are the basics.

• Draw – Controlled right-to-left shot (RH golfer)
• Fade – Controlled left-to-right shot
• Hook – Severe right-to-left shot
• Slice – Severe left-to-right shot
• Push – Starts right and stays right
• Pull – Starts left and stays left

Golf shot slang names

Here are the golf shot names you’ve probably heard, maybe with a few different twists. While there are entirely separate lists for shot lies or the names we give certain types of golfers, this one sticks to terms that specifically describe golf shots themselves.

• Banana ball – Big, exaggerated slice
• Hosel rocket – A shot hit off the hosel of the club (aka shank)
• Chili popper – Another slang term for a shank
• Worm burner – Low screamer that skims across the grass
• Stinger – Low, piercing shot (sometimes intentional)
• Missile – Low and very fast
• Chili dip – Chunked shot hit well behind the ball
• Skull – Thin strike that often skips across the green on shorter shots
• Bladed – Hit with the leading edge of an iron
• Topped – Hit the top of the ball, causing it to roll weakly and barely advance
• Shank – A hosel-hit that shoots the ball hard right (RH golfer)
• Dropkick – A bounce off the turf into the ball
• Slinger – Big draw or hook, often used to shape around a dogleg
• Sidewinder – Curving stinger-style shot
• Tugged – Pulled shot, usually with short irons
• Texas Wedge – Using a putter from off the green
• Rope Hook – Low, hard snap hook
• Zipper – Wedge shot with backspin that zips backward
• Dead duck – Shot that hits and stops immediately
• Airmail / overcooked – Shot that flies way past the target
• Smoked / torched / cooked – Slang for a flushed or crushed drive
• Flyer – Ball that travels farther than expected (from rough)
• Mulligan – A do-over, most often taken on the first tee (unofficial, but common)
• Gimme – A short putt conceded without being holed, usually within a few feet
• Double cross – When you aim for a fade or draw and hit the opposite
• Breakfast ball – First-tee mulligan
• Splash – Classic bunker shot that lifts sand and ball together
• Cut shot – Intentional shot that curves gently left to right (RH golfer)
• Duck hook – A severe, low hook that turns hard left and dives
• Sky ball / Pop-up – Tee shot hit high off the face that balloons and lands short
• Duff / flub / chunk – A fat shot where you hit the ground well before the ball
• Whiff / air shot – A total miss where the club doesn’t make contact at all
• Bump and run – Low approach that lands short and rolls out toward the hole
• Flop shot – High, soft shot that lands with little to no rollout
• Punch shot – Low, controlled shot used to keep the ball under trees or wind
• Flushed / pure – A perfectly struck shot with solid, centered contact
• Ace – A hole-in-one

Final thoughts

You might have a hard time working all of these phrases into your next round, but chances are you’ll hear or experience plenty of them over time. What did we miss? Which golf shot names do you and your playing partners use out on the course?