5 Weirdest Golf Terms: The Albatross Flew over the Buried Elephant, Bumped, and Ran

Did you know that Snoop Dog is a skilled golf player? It’s not easy to imagine the hip hop artist swinging a golf club (at least not without whacky tobaccy rising over the golf course like Indian smoke signals), but you better believe it: Snoop has been one with the game for years, with a handicap rating of 18, and shooting “about 90,” according to an article about Rock n Roll’s greatest golf handicaps.

The reason they listed Snoop, we presume, is that although he doesn’t necessarily play Rock n Roll, he undoubtedly rocks. Another unlikely celebrity with impressive golf skills to make the list was Alice Cooper, who, with a handicap of 6.8, rocks the golf course even harder. But after researching the topic some more, we realized that a number of people have two big misconceptions about golf. It’s time to clear things up.

The first big misconception is that golf is a game exclusive to the rich and the privileged. Not so! It’s absolutely possible for medium-income families and individuals to enjoy all inclusive golf holidays, no matter where you live in our big, wide world.

The second misconception is that if you’ll talk to golfers about golf, you’ll know what they’re talking about.

To save you from potential embarrassment and give you an additional something to talk about at your next cocktail (whiskey / beer / orange juice) party, we’ve collected the 5 weirdest golf terms from golf portals such as Waggle.com, PGA, and a couple of others.

For your enjoyment, ladies and gentlemen. For your perusal.

Albatross

Unrelated to the Diomedeidae (colloquially known as “that fat bird with a reddish beak”), an albatross in golfing is a score of three under par on a hole. A double eagle. What is a double eagle, you might ask? Read on to find out.

Buried Elephant

A term clearly invented by people as close to nature as Snoop Dog himself, a buried elephant in golfing refers to a large mound or hump, often used to describe the surface of the “putting green,” the closely mown area of the course on which the hole is placed.

Bump and Run

While this may sound like a name for some sort of a nasty crime, bump and run only describes the type of a shot that is designed for the ball to roll farther than it flies.

Double Eagle

An albatross. Yes, there are two strange-sounding terms to describe the same thing … but they both sound kind of awesome, don’t they?

Handicap

Now, if you’ve played or followed golf at some point, a handicap may be a familiar term, but for those of us who didn’t, the word has negative connotations: a handicap is something that’s preventing you from doing something, right? Not in the world of golf. Here, the word actually describes how good you are: the handicap index is basically the average difference between a player’s scores and an established golf standard.

Still have questions about golf? Want to learn what the other weird golf terms are, or how this mysterious established golf standard is calculated? Do you have what it takes to score an albatross? That is up to you.  But if any of the above made you excited about golf even a little, why not pick up the club and give it a swing?