Some golfers are a ‘fair way’ from understanding the terms of their sport – with almost four in 10 clueless about what a triple bogey is. A study of 1,000 who swing clubs revealed 68 per cent feel out of their depth when questioned about the sport.
With 45 per cent unable to tell the difference between a ‘birdie’ – a score of one less than par – and an ‘ace’ – when hitting the ball into the hole in one swing. While 29 per cent didn’t know the phrase ‘banana ball’ – used to describe a very sharp fade shot.
A spokesperson for Lottoland.co.uk, which is asking readers to guess the famous golf faces ahead of The Masters this Friday, said:
“Golf seems to be getting more and more popular all the time. But it’s interesting to see how many fans don’t know their bogeys from their birdies, and even the most famous faces in the sport. It looks like a lot of people feel that actually playing golf takes a lot of ‘know-how’, which often leaves them feeling reluctant to join, but once you get the basics down it’s actually very simple to follow. And the Masters is a great place to start with getting into golf – we’ll all be watching it here.”
The results also found 36 per cent knew what a ‘cat box’ was in golf – another term for a sand bunker – but 31 per cent had no idea what a ‘barkies’, a ‘fried egg’ or a ‘snowman’ was. It also emerged 72 per cent find the golfing jargon confusing, and 78 per cent find the terminology funny.
But eight in 10 find watching the golf relaxing and consider the Masters a really interesting tournament to watch. And 71 per cent would have it as their first recommendation when it comes to a newcomer watching any televised golf. The Masters is also inspiring them to play as 78 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, pick up a golf club after tuning in.
When asked how many famous golfers they would know walking down the street, nearly half would recognise Tiger Woods, but only a quarter could say the same of Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus or Rory McIlroy.
Lottoland’s spokesperson added:
“They may not know their fairways from their flyers, but it’s relieving to know that some people would be able to recognise the greats if they passed them on the street. And for those who’ll be watching along this year and want to get involved in the action, our Sportsbook is a great place to start. Who knows, if your luck comes in you could be buying yourself a set of clubs.”
Top 20 golfing terms that perplex
- Snowman
- Barkies
- Fried egg
- Chili dip
- Buzzard
- Airmail
- Banana ball
- Dance floor
- Back hander
- Cat box
- Carpet
- Dribbler
- Albatross
- Nineteenth whole
- Ace
- Eagle
- Flyer
- Handicap
- Fade
- Birdie
