Junior Golf Glossary

121 terms every junior golf family runs into, in plain English — from the registration words that decide whether your kid gets a spot, to the divisions, formats, scoring, and rules they will meet on the first tee.

Written for parents who are new to tournament golf. If you already know what a birdie is, skip ahead — the junior-specific sections are the ones nobody explains.

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Registration & Entry Tours, Divisions & How Junior Golf Is Organized Rankings & Handicaps Tournament Formats Scoring Terms On-Course Play & Rules The Course & The Bag College Recruiting A–Z index

Registration & Entry

The vocabulary of actually getting your golfer into a tournament — and the words that decide whether they get a spot.

Registration Opensalso called Entry Opens

The date and time a tournament starts accepting entries. Fields for popular junior events are often filled within minutes to hours of that moment, because most tours accept entries in the order they arrive rather than selecting a field later.

For parents: This is the date that actually decides whether your golfer plays. Tours announce it inconsistently — some post it months ahead, some never announce it at all and simply flip the button. Watching for it by hand across four or five tours is the chore TourNav exists to remove.

Entry Deadlinealso called Registration Deadline, Registration Closes, Entries Close

The last moment a tournament will accept an entry. After it passes, the field is set and late entries are refused or accepted only as alternates.

For parents: Deadlines are usually stated in the event's local time zone, which matters if you are entering from another state. A deadline is a hard stop, not a suggestion — most tours will not make an exception.

Entry Fee

What it costs to play the tournament. Junior entry fees generally scale with level and length: local one-day events sit at the low end, multi-day state and national tour stops at the high end.

For parents: The entry fee is rarely the whole cost. Budget alongside it for travel, hotel, a practice round, and in some cases a separate annual tour membership.

Related: Membership, Withdrawal

First-Come Registrationalso called Rolling Registration, First-Come, First-Served

An entry system that fills the field in the order entries are received, until it is full. Most local and regional junior events work this way.

For parents: Under this system speed beats everything — a scratch player who registers Tuesday is behind a beginner who registered Monday. Have your account, your golfer's details, and a payment method ready before the window opens.

Application

An entry request that the tour reviews rather than accepts automatically. Selective tours take applications during a window, then build the field from status, ranking, or performance criteria instead of arrival order.

For parents: An application is not a spot. Watch for a separate acceptance notice, and note the date by which you must confirm or decline — miss that and the spot can be released.

Waitlistalso called Alternate List, Wait List

The ordered list of players who entered after a field filled. As accepted players withdraw, spots pass to the waitlist in order.

For parents: A waitlist is worth joining. Junior fields move more than parents expect — withdrawals cluster in the last week as schedules, injuries, and school conflicts land. Ask the tour how late they will call an alternate so you know whether to travel.

Alternate

A player who is next in line for a spot in a full field. Alternates are called in list order when an entered player withdraws, sometimes on the morning of the event.

For parents: Ask the tournament director where your golfer sits on the list and what time they stop calling. First or second alternate is often worth showing up for; twelfth usually is not.

Related: Waitlist, Withdrawal

Withdrawalalso called WD

Pulling a player out of a tournament after entering. Tours publish a withdrawal deadline that governs any refund, and a withdrawal after play begins is recorded as WD on the scoreboard.

For parents: Withdraw as early as you know. It protects whatever refund you are owed, and it releases the spot to an alternate — which is the courtesy you will want extended to you the next time you are on a waitlist.

Related: Waitlist, Entry Fee, No Card

Fieldalso explains Field Size

The full set of players accepted into a tournament, and the cap on how many that is. Field size is set by daylight, course capacity, and format.

For parents: A small field is not a weak field. At the elite level small fields are the exclusive ones — the cap is why entry is competitive in the first place.

Related: Waitlist, Cut

Exemptalso called Exemption, Exempt Status

Holding a guaranteed place in a field without going through the normal entry contest. Exemptions are awarded for things like winning the prior year's event, a ranking position, a national-champion status, or a qualifier finish.

For parents: Exempt status is the reward that makes a strong season compound: one good result buys entry into the next tier of events, which is where the next good result is available.

Qualifieralso called Qualifying

A separate competition that awards entry into a larger tournament. A set number of spots is available and the low scorers earn them, usually over 18 holes on a single day.

For parents: Qualifiers are the ordinary way into events a junior is not yet exempt for, and the fastest way to find out where a player's game actually stands.

Performance Based Entryalso called PBE

The AJGA's entry system: players earn a priority ranking from tournament results, and fields are filled from that ranking. Results count both from AJGA events and from a published list of recognized outside competitions — national, regional, and state championships among them — so a record built elsewhere carries over.

For parents: A player with no ranked results usually starts at AJGA qualifiers and junior-level events and works upward. Before assuming that is you, check your golfer's existing results against the AJGA's recognized-event list — a good state or national finish may already have earned status. The AJGA publishes the current criteria, and they change.

See the AJGA's published entry criteria for current details.

Related: Performance Star, AJGA, Exempt

Performance Staralso called Stars

A credit the AJGA awards for strong finishes — in its own qualifying and junior-level events, and in recognized outside tournaments. Accumulating stars raises a player's entry standing and can earn exemption into AJGA Open events.

See the AJGA's published entry criteria for current details.

Membership

An annual fee paid to a tour or association, separate from any individual tournament's entry fee. Membership is what makes a player eligible to enter that tour's events, and often carries ranking or points eligibility with it.

For parents: Budget for it separately and check whether it is required before your golfer's first event of the season — a membership lapse can block an entry at the worst possible moment.

Open Event

A tournament open to any player who meets the basic eligibility requirements — typically age and gender division, and sometimes membership. It does not mean unlimited: an open event still has a field cap.

Related: Invitational, Field, Age Division

Invitational

A tournament whose field is selected by the host rather than filled by open entry. Invitations go out based on ranking, past performance, or the host's own criteria.

Related: Open Event, Exempt, Junior Major

Priority Registration

An early entry window offered to a defined group — often members, returning players, or a host club's juniors — before general registration opens.

For parents: If your golfer qualifies for a priority window, use it. On a first-come tour it is worth more than any amount of refreshing on general-open day.

Confirmationalso called Acceptance

The tour's notice that a player is actually in the field, as distinct from having submitted an entry or payment. Selective events send it after the field is set.

For parents: Do not book travel off a payment receipt. On an application-based tour, the receipt means you asked; the confirmation means you are in.

Related: Application, Waitlist

Tee Time Request

An option some tours offer at entry to ask for an early or late starting time. It is a request, not a guarantee, and is usually honored only as the draw allows.

Related: Tee Times, Pairings

Tours, Divisions & How Junior Golf Is Organized

Junior golf is not one league. It is dozens of tours stacked from beginner to elite, each with its own divisions and its own schedule.

Junior Golf Association

An organization that runs a schedule of tournaments for junior players, sets its own divisions and eligibility rules, and typically maintains its own rankings. Most operate at state or regional level.

For parents: Your state's junior association is usually the right home base: the fields are strong, the travel is manageable, and results there are recognized by the national tours.

State Junior Golf Association

The primary junior tournament body for a single state, often affiliated with that state's golf association. Its events are generally the highest level of in-state junior competition and are played on longer, more demanding setups.

For parents: State association events are the natural step up from local tours, and the first place college coaches will look for a player's results.

PGA Section

One of the regional divisions of the PGA of America. Sections run their own junior tours and junior championships alongside their professional-member programs.

AJGAalso called American Junior Golf Association

The American Junior Golf Association, the leading national tour for elite junior golfers. Entry is earned through its performance-based entry system rather than open registration, and its events draw the heaviest college-coach attendance in junior golf.

U.S. Kids Golf

A national organization for younger junior golfers, built around local tours, regional events, and age-appropriate equipment. Its local tours use shorter yardages and tight age divisions, and are a common entry point into tournament golf.

For parents: This is where a lot of families start, and it is designed to be startable — short courses, 9-hole formats, and a low-pressure tone.

Related: Age Division, Yardage, Local Tour

PGA Jr. League

A team-based junior golf program run under the PGA of America, played in a scramble format with jerseys, coaches, and a season of matches against other local teams. It is organized as a season rather than as one-day tournaments.

For parents: The team format takes the pressure off a beginner: nobody posts an individual score, and a bad hole is absorbed by a teammate.

Related: Scramble, PGA Section, Season

Hurricane Junior Golf Touralso called HJGT

A national junior tour running multi-day tournaments across many states with open entry. It sits between local tours and the most selective national events in both competition level and cost.

Related: National Tour, Open Event

National Tour

A junior tour that runs events across many states and draws a field from across the country. National tours generally cost more, travel further, and attract more college-coach attention than state or local play.

Local Tour

A junior tour whose events sit within a metro area or a small region, usually one day and often nine holes for younger divisions. Local tours are where most junior golfers play their first tournaments.

Related: National Tour, U.S. Kids Golf

Age Division

The bracket a player competes in, set by age and usually by gender. Divisions determine which tee a player uses and who they are scored against, and each tour defines its own brackets and its own cutoff date for calculating age.

For parents: Check the cutoff date, not just the age. Tours differ on whether they use age at entry, age on the first day of the event, or age as of a fixed date in the season — and that difference can move your golfer a whole division.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: U-Division, Yardage, Eligibility

U-Divisionalso explains U12, U14, U16, 13 & Under

A division named for its age ceiling, written "U" plus a number. U14 means under 14 — players who have not reached their 14th birthday by the tour's cutoff date. The equivalent phrasing "13 & Under" describes the same group.

For parents: U14 and 14 & Under are not the same bracket, even though they look alike. Read the tour's own definition before assuming which one your golfer is in.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Age Division, Eligibility

Eligibility

Whether a player is permitted to enter a given event, based on the tour's criteria — age, division, gender, membership, residency, ranking, or amateur status.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Amateur Status

A player's standing as a non-professional under the Rules of Amateur Status. Nearly all junior and college golf requires it, and it governs what prizes a player may accept.

For parents: The practical rule for families: be careful with cash and high-value prizes. Accepting the wrong prize can cost amateur status, and with it college eligibility.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Yardagealso explains Tee Assignment

The total length a division plays, set by which tees that division uses. Junior tours assign shorter yardages to younger divisions so course length scales with the player.

Related: Tee Box, Age Division, U-Division

Seriesalso explains Points Race, Order of Merit

A set of tournaments across a season whose results feed a cumulative points standing. That standing — often called the order of merit or the points race — commonly determines season awards and entry into a season-ending championship.

Related: Tour Championship, Season

Tour Championship

A season-ending event limited to players who earned their way in through a series or points standing.

Related: Series, Exempt

Junior Major

An informal label for the most prestigious junior championships — the events whose winners are recognized nationally. Which tournaments count is a matter of convention rather than an official list.

U.S. Junior Amateur

The USGA's national junior championship, contested by players under 19 and decided by match play after a stroke-play qualifying phase. Most players reach it through qualifying rounds held around the country, and some are exempt from qualifying.

For parents: Qualifying is open entry, so a player does not need to be ranked or invited to try. Entry windows are short and fill, which makes this one of the deadlines worth watching for.

See the USGA's championship entry criteria for current details.

Junior All-Star Series

The AJGA's competition tier for its younger members, run at a level below its Open events. It is the usual route by which a middle-school-age player begins earning AJGA entry standing.

Drive, Chip and Putt

A free national skills competition for boys and girls aged 7–15, scored on driving, chipping, and putting rather than on playing a round. It advances through local, subregional, and regional qualifying to a national finals.

For parents: It costs nothing to enter and requires no tournament experience, which makes it one of the easiest ways to find out whether your kid likes competing at all.

Related: First Tee

First Tee

A youth development organization that teaches golf alongside character and life-skills curriculum through local chapters. It is a development program rather than a competitive tour, though many chapters run their own events.

High School Golf

Golf played for a school team under a state athletic association's rules, on a season that runs in either fall or spring depending on the state and the division.

For parents: The high school season routinely collides with junior tour season. Map both calendars in one place before you commit to either, and check your state association's rules on playing outside events during the school season.

Related: Season, Recruiting Video

Season

The span of a tour's schedule. Junior golf seasons vary by region — some tours run year-round in warm states, while northern tours compress into a summer.

Related: Series, High School Golf

Rankings & Handicaps

How junior golfers are measured, ranked, and compared — the numbers that follow a player from event to event.

Junior Golf Scoreboardalso called JGS

A widely used national junior ranking service that collects results from junior tournaments across many tours and produces player rankings from them. College coaches commonly use it as a first screen.

For parents: Check early that your golfer's results are actually being picked up, and that they are filed under one spelling of their name. Split or missing records are common and quietly cost a player ranking.

Rolex AJGA Rankings

The AJGA's own player ranking, computed from performance in AJGA and other recognized junior competition.

Related: AJGA, Junior Golf Scoreboard

WAGRalso called World Amateur Golf Ranking

The World Amateur Golf Ranking, the global ranking of amateur golfers maintained by the USGA and The R&A. Only designated events count toward it, so most junior tournaments do not.

For parents: A WAGR number is an elite-level concern. If your golfer is still playing local and state events, its absence means nothing.

Handicap Index

A number representing a player's demonstrated scoring ability, calculated under the World Handicap System from the best of their recent posted scores. It allows players of different abilities to compete fairly.

For parents: Most junior tournaments are played at gross score, so a handicap does not affect results there. It still matters — some events require one for entry, and it is the cleanest way to track improvement over a season.

GHIN

The Golf Handicap and Information Network, the USGA's handicap service. A GHIN number identifies a player in the system where their scores are posted and their Handicap Index is maintained.

Related: Handicap Index

Score Differential

How far a single round stood relative to the difficulty of the course and tees played, computed from the score, the Course Rating, and the Slope Rating. A Handicap Index is built from a player's best recent differentials.

Scoring Average

The mean of a player's tournament round scores over a defined period. Ranking services and college coaches use it as a summary of competitive form.

For parents: It is the number most coaches ask for first, and it is only meaningful next to the courses and yardages it was posted on.

Course Rating

The expected score for a scratch golfer on a specific set of tees, expressed in strokes. It measures how hard the course plays for a strong player.

Slope Rating

A number expressing how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. Higher slope means difficulty rises faster as ability falls.

Tournament Formats

How an event is actually played and how a winner is decided.

Stroke Playalso called Medal Play

The format in which a player counts their own strokes over the round rather than playing holes against an opponent; in its ordinary form the lowest total wins. It is the standard format for junior tournament golf.

Match Play

A format scored hole by hole between two players: whoever takes fewer strokes on a hole wins that hole, and the player ahead by more holes than remain wins the match. A blown-up hole costs one hole, not a whole round.

For parents: You will hear scores like "3 and 2" — three holes ahead with two left to play, so the match ended on the 16th green.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Scramble

A team format in which every player hits a shot, the team picks the best one, and everyone plays their next shot from there — repeating until the ball is holed. The team posts one score per hole.

For parents: This is the friendliest format in golf and the reason PGA Jr. League works for beginners: a bad shot is erased by a teammate's good one.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Best Ballalso called Four-Ball

A team format in which each player plays their own ball where it lies and the side's score on the hole is the lowest of them. Unlike a scramble, nobody plays from a partner's spot.

For parents: Best ball and scramble get used interchangeably in casual conversation, but they are different games: in a scramble everyone plays from the same spot, in best ball everyone plays their own. Once a partner's score can no longer count, they can pick up — juniors often grind out an 8 that was never going to matter, which only slows the group down.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Alternate Shotalso called Foursomes

A team format in which two partners play one ball and take turns hitting it, alternating shots until the hole is finished.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Scramble, Best Ball

Stableford

A scoring system that awards points per hole against par instead of counting total strokes, so the highest point total wins. The point values are set by the event; on the usual scale a bad hole simply scores zero, which caps the damage of a disaster.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Par, Stroke Play

Shotgun Start

A start in which every group begins at the same time from a different hole, so the whole field finishes at roughly the same time. A group starting on the 7th tee plays through to the 6th.

For parents: Shotgun starts make the day predictable — one arrival time, one finish time — but check which hole your golfer starts on, because it is not always near the clubhouse.

Related: Tee Times, Pairings

Tee Times

Staggered starting times in which groups go off the first tee (and sometimes the tenth) a few minutes apart. A tee-time field can span several hours from first group to last.

For parents: Times are usually posted the evening before. A late tee time can mean finishing near dark, which matters for travel plans.

Cut

A reduction of the field partway through a multi-round event, in which only players at or better than a set score or position continue. Many junior events have no cut and let every entrant play all rounds.

For parents: Check before you book the hotel. In a no-cut event your golfer plays every round regardless of the first-round score.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Multi-Day Event, Field

Playoffalso explains Sudden Death

Extra holes played to break a tie for a position that must be decided. In sudden death the first player to win a hole outright wins.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Match Play, Qualifier

Multi-Day Eventalso explains 36-Hole, 54-Hole

A tournament played over more than one round, with the scores added together — 36 holes over two days or 54 over three being the common junior formats. The total, not any single round, decides the result.

For parents: Multi-day events are the real test of a junior's stamina and recovery, and the ones college coaches weigh most heavily. They are also the ones that require hotel nights.

Related: Round, Cut, Stroke Play

Practice Round

A round played on the tournament course before competition begins, to learn the layout. Larger events schedule an official practice day; smaller ones leave it to the family to arrange with the course.

For parents: On an unfamiliar course this is usually worth the greens fee, particularly for a multi-day event. Call the pro shop early — practice-round tee times go fast in tournament weeks.

Related: Yardage Book, Multi-Day Event

Scoring Terms

The everyday scoring language you will hear on a range, on a leaderboard, and in the car on the way home.

Par

The number of strokes a hole is expected to take — typically 3, 4, or 5 — and, added across all holes, the expected score for the course. Par is the baseline every other scoring term is measured against.

Related: Birdie, Bogey, Even Par

Birdie

A score of one stroke under par on a hole — a 3 on a par 4.

For parents: For most junior golfers a birdie is a genuinely big deal. It is fine to make a fuss about it.

Related: Par, Eagle, Bogey

Eagle

A score of two strokes under par on a hole — a 3 on a par 5.

Related: Birdie, Albatross, Par

Albatrossalso called Double Eagle

A score of three strokes under par on a hole — a 2 on a par 5. It is rarer than a hole-in-one.

Related: Eagle, Ace

Acealso called Hole-in-One

Holing the tee shot — one stroke on the hole, almost always a par 3.

Related: Albatross, Par

Bogey

A score of one stroke over par on a hole — a 5 on a par 4.

For parents: Bogey is not a bad hole for a developing player. A round of all bogeys is 90 on a par-72 course, which beats most adults.

Related: Par, Double Bogey, Birdie

Double Bogeyalso explains Triple Bogey

Two strokes over par on a hole. Three over is a triple bogey, and beyond that players usually just name the number.

Related: Bogey, Par

Even Paralso called Ealso explains Under Par, Over Par

A score equal to par, shown on leaderboards as E. Scores are posted relative to par: "-3" is three under, "+5" is five over, and lower is always better.

For parents: Junior leaderboards mix formats and yardages. Read the number against the division's par and tees before comparing two players.

Related: Par, Gross Score, Leaderboard

Round

One trip through the course — 18 holes, or 9 for younger junior divisions. A tournament is one or more rounds.

Related: Multi-Day Event, Front Nine

Front Ninealso called Out

Holes 1 through 9. Scorecards label it "out," a holdover from courses that ran out away from the clubhouse before turning back.

Related: Back Nine, Round, Scorecard

Back Ninealso called In

Holes 10 through 18. Scorecards label it "in," for the stretch that ran back in toward the clubhouse.

For parents: Junior events for younger divisions are often nine holes, and which nine they play depends on the course's setup that day — check the pairing sheet rather than assuming the front.

Related: Front Nine, Round, Scorecard

Gross Score

The actual number of strokes taken, with no handicap adjustment.

For parents: Junior tournaments are almost always decided on gross score. Net divisions show up mostly in club and charity events.

Net Score

A player's gross score minus their handicap strokes, which lets players of different abilities be compared on one list.

Related: Gross Score, Handicap Index

Scorecard

The card recording a player's strokes on each hole. In tournament play a player does not keep their own card — a fellow competitor keeps it, and the player checks it.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Attest, Marker, No Card

Attest

To certify a scorecard as correct. After a round the player checks each hole's score and signs the card, and the marker who kept it signs as well, before it is returned to scoring.

For parents: Teach this early, because it is the highest-stakes two minutes of the day: returning a card with a hole score lower than what was actually taken carries the game's most serious penalty, and the mistake is almost always careless rather than dishonest. Check hole by hole, out loud.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Disqualificationalso called DQ

Removal from the competition, the most serious penalty in golf. It is reserved for a small set of breaches, most of which involve the scorecard rather than anything that happened to the golf ball.

For parents: Nearly every junior DQ comes from paperwork. The scorecard is the thing to drill: check each hole before signing. If your golfer is unsure whether something they did carries a penalty, the answer is to ask a rules official during the round, not to guess and find out in the scoring tent.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Attest, Rules Official, No Card

No Cardalso called NC

A leaderboard notation for a player who started but returned no valid score for the round. It sits alongside WD for withdrawal and DSQ or DQ for disqualification.

Related: Withdrawal, Disqualification

Leaderboard

The live standing of the field, ordered by score relative to par. Most junior tours publish one online during play, updated as groups finish or as scores are entered hole by hole.

Related: Even Par, Scoring Average

On-Course Play & Rules

What happens between the first tee and the scoring tent — including the rules that most often surprise new tournament families.

Heads up: For an actual ruling, ask a rules official at the event or see the Rules of Golf.

Pace of Play

The speed at which a group is expected to complete its round, enforced against a published time allowance. Groups or individuals falling behind can be timed and penalized strokes.

For parents: Slow play is one of the few penalties a well-behaved junior actually collects. Rules officials will warn first, but the warning is real — practice playing at a steady clip.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Ready Golf

Playing when you are ready rather than strictly in order of who is farthest from the hole, to save time. It is encouraged in stroke play; in match play order of play still matters, though opponents can agree to play out of turn.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Pace of Play, Honor

Honoralso explains Away

The right to play first from the teeing area, held by whoever scored lowest on the previous hole. It is a tee-only idea: once everyone is on the hole, the ball farthest from the hole plays first and that player is said to be away.

For parents: Neither one is a rule your golfer has to police. In stroke play, playing out of order on its own costs nothing — the exception is agreeing to a different order to help someone's score, like putting first so a friend can see the line — and pace matters more; see ready golf.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Ready Golf, Pace of Play

Rules Official

A tournament staff member who rules on questions of the Rules of Golf during play, monitors pace, and administers penalties. Players may call for one when they are unsure of a ruling.

For parents: Teach your golfer that asking for an official is normal and costs nothing. Guessing at a ruling is what gets expensive.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Rules of Golf

The unified rulebook governing play, written and maintained by the USGA and The R&A. It applies to essentially all tournament golf, junior events included, and it is revised periodically — the bunker and dropping rules both changed in 2019.

For parents: Your golfer does not need to have it memorized. Knowing when to stop and ask a rules official matters far more than knowing the answer, and asking never costs anything.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Local Rules

Additional rules a committee adopts for a specific course or event, published on the hard card or notice board — course-specific relief, out-of-bounds definitions, and preferred-lie conditions being typical.

For parents: These are posted, not announced. Read the sheet at registration; it takes two minutes and it is where the course's surprises live.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Marker

The person responsible for keeping a player's score in stroke play, normally a fellow competitor in the same group. Distinct from a ball marker, the coin used to mark a ball's position on the green.

Related: Scorecard, Attest, Ball Mark

Pairingsalso called Draw, Groupings

The published assignment of players into groups with their starting hole and time. Tours usually post pairings the day before play.

Related: Tee Times, Shotgun Start

Caddie

A person who carries a player's bag and may advise them during the round. Junior tours differ sharply on caddies — some allow a parent, some allow only a peer caddie, and many prohibit them entirely.

For parents: Read the caddie rule before you show up expecting to walk with the bag. Where caddies are banned, giving advice from outside the ropes can penalize your own golfer.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Spectator, Advice

Advice

Guidance on how to play a shot or make a decision. Golf restricts who a player may take it from during a round, which is why coaching from outside the ropes is generally not allowed.

For parents: This is the rule most often broken innocently by well-meaning parents, and the penalty lands on your golfer, not on you. Encouragement is fine; club selection and read-the-putt are not.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Caddie, Spectator, Penalty Stroke

Spectatoralso called Gallery

Anyone watching play who is not a player, caddie, or official. Junior tours publish spectator policies covering where parents may walk, how far from play they must stay, and whether any contact with a player is allowed.

For parents: Assume the policy is stricter than you expect and read it before the first round. Cart use, in particular, is frequently restricted or prohibited.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Caddie, Advice

Penalty Stroke

A stroke added to a player's score for a rules breach, most commonly one or two strokes depending on the rule.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Out of Boundsalso called OB

Ground outside the boundary of the course, marked by white stakes or a fence line. A ball that comes to rest out of bounds cannot be played, and the recovery costs both a penalty stroke and the distance already gained.

For parents: This is the penalty most likely to wreck a junior's hole, and it is why the provisional ball exists — playing one saves the long walk back.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Penalty Areaalso called Water Hazardalso explains Hazard

An area marked with red or yellow stakes or lines — water and other designated ground — where a ball can be played as it lies or, more often, dropped elsewhere for a penalty stroke. People still call it a water hazard, its former name; the older word hazard was broader and covered bunkers too.

For parents: The stake colour changes which relief options are available, which is worth knowing before your golfer is standing in the mud deciding. Red and yellow are not interchangeable.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Relief, Penalty Stroke

Provisional Ball

A second ball played immediately when the first may be out of bounds, or lost somewhere other than a penalty area. It saves the walk back if the original cannot be found, and is abandoned if the original turns up in play.

For parents: Two things juniors get wrong here. The player must announce it as a provisional before hitting — "I'll hit another" is not enough. And a ball that clearly went into a penalty area is not a provisional situation at all: playing one there gives up the relief options they were entitled to.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Reliefalso explains Drop, Free Relief

Permission to move the ball to a defined spot and play from there, sometimes free and sometimes for a penalty stroke. Taking it correctly involves a specific dropping procedure and a defined area.

For parents: The dropping procedure has changed within recent memory, so a well-meaning parent or older sibling coaching from memory is a real source of junior errors. If it matters, ask a rules official.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Mulligan

A do-over — replaying a shot without counting the first one. It is a casual-golf custom with no standing under the Rules of Golf.

For parents: Worth saying plainly to a new tournament player: there are no mulligans. Every stroke counts, including the one off the first tee in front of everybody.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Gimme

A short putt conceded without being holed. Concessions belong to match play; in stroke play there is no such thing, so nobody can give your golfer a putt.

For parents: Kids used to family golf lose real strokes to the two-footers nobody ever made them putt. In ordinary stroke play the hole has to be finished — though a few formats do let a player pick up once the hole can no longer help their score, so check which one your golfer is playing.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Mulligan, Match Play, Stroke Play

14-Club Rule

The limit of 14 clubs a player may carry during a round. Carrying more brings a penalty, and how bad it gets depends on whether the player takes the extra club out of play as soon as they notice.

For parents: Count the bag in the parking lot, every time — a forgotten extra wedge from a lesson is one of the most common ways a junior gets penalized before hitting a shot. If you spot it mid-round, say so immediately and take it out of play. Staying quiet is what turns a survivable penalty into a lost round.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Dress Code

The clothing standard a tour or host club requires — typically a collared shirt, tailored shorts or pants, and golf shoes, with denim and athletic shorts prohibited.

For parents: Codes are enforced at junior events and vary by host club. Check the hosting course's rule, not just the tour's, and pack a spare collared shirt.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Related: Spectator

The Course & The Bag

Parts of a golf course, and the gear a junior actually needs to carry.

Tee Boxalso called Teeing Area, Tees

The area a hole is started from. A hole has several sets of tees at different distances, and a player's division determines which set they play.

Related: Yardage, Age Division

Fairway

The mown corridor between tee and green, cut short enough to give a clean lie.

Related: Rough, Green

Rough

The longer grass bordering the fairway. Tournament setups often grow it out, which is one reason a familiar course plays harder in an event.

Related: Fairway

Greenalso called Putting Green

The closely mown putting surface containing the hole.

Related: Flagstick, Ball Mark, Fairway

Bunkeralso called Sand Trap

A prepared area of sand. Touching the sand before your stroke is restricted, so a player is careful with practice swings and with grounding the club, and the sand is raked smooth afterward.

For parents: The restriction is narrower than the range-talk version ('never touch the sand') but wider than a junior tends to assume, and practice swings are where it usually bites. Have your golfer take practice swings outside the bunker.

See the Rules of Golf for current details.

Related: Penalty Stroke, Rules of Golf

Flagstickalso called Pin

The marker standing in the hole. Its position on the green — the pin placement — is moved between rounds and changes how a hole plays.

Related: Green

Yardage Book

A printed guide to a course's holes with distances to hazards and greens, used to plan shots.

For parents: Many junior events sell one at registration. For a first visit to a demanding course it is usually money well spent.

Related: Practice Round, Rangefinder

Rangefinderalso called Distance-Measuring Device, DMD

A device that measures distance to a target. Many models also read elevation change — "slope" — which is treated differently from plain distance, and some events restrict or ban the devices outright.

For parents: Read the event's hard card before the round rather than assuming last event's answer carries over. The safe habit for a junior is to use it for distance only and leave the slope feature alone entirely.

See your event's own rules or hard card for current details.

Divot

The piece of turf displaced by a stroke, and the scar it leaves. Players are expected to replace it or fill it with the sand provided.

Related: Ball Mark, Fairway

Ball Markalso called Pitch Markalso explains Ball Marker

The dent a ball makes landing on a green, which players are expected to repair. A ball marker is the separate small coin or token used to mark a ball's spot before lifting it.

Related: Green, Marker, Divot

Push Cart

A cart a player pushes to carry their bag while walking, usually three- or four-wheeled. Junior tournaments are generally walking events, and push carts are usually permitted where riding carts are not.

For parents: For a young player walking 18 holes, this is the single most useful purchase after clubs and shoes.

Related: Caddie

College Recruiting

The terms that start mattering somewhere around a player's sophomore year of high school.

Heads up: College recruiting rules change often and differ by division and sport. Treat these as orientation, then verify the current rule with the NCAA, NAIA, or the school itself before acting on it.

Verbal Commitment

A player's spoken agreement to attend a school, made before signing anything. It is not binding on either side and can be withdrawn by the player or the program.

See the NCAA's recruiting rules for current details.

National Letter of Intentalso called NLI

The long-standing name for the binding paperwork that commits a recruit to a school in exchange for athletics aid. What that paperwork is has changed in recent years, but families and coaches still use the term loosely for signing day.

For parents: Because this changed recently, read whatever document is actually in front of you rather than assuming it works the way an older sibling's did — and have someone who is not the recruiting coach explain what it binds you to.

See the NCAA's recruiting rules for current details.

NCAA Eligibility Center

The body that certifies whether a prospective college athlete meets the academic and amateurism requirements to compete at Division I or II. Players register with it and submit their records for certification.

For parents: Register earlier than feels necessary — typically in the sophomore or junior year. It is paperwork, and it blocks recruiting steps when it is not done. Get the current document checklist from the Center itself rather than from a coach's memory or an old blog post; what it asks for has changed.

See the NCAA Eligibility Center for current details.

Dead Periodalso explains Contact Period, Quiet Period

A window in the NCAA recruiting calendar when in-person contact between coaches and recruits is prohibited. Contact and quiet periods are the windows that permit it, under different limits.

For parents: If a coach watches your golfer but never says a word, check the rules before reading anything into it. Until a set point in high school, coaches are not allowed to speak with recruits at all — and during a dead period they cannot attend to evaluate recruits.

See the NCAA's recruiting rules for current details.

Official Visitalso explains Unofficial Visit

A campus visit paid for by the school, governed by NCAA rules on when it can happen and how often. An unofficial visit is one the family pays for, with far fewer restrictions.

For parents: Do not turn down a visit on an assumption about limits — these rules have changed in recent years, and the version you heard from another parent may be the old one. Ask the school's compliance office what is currently permitted.

See the NCAA's recruiting rules for current details.

Related: Dead Period, Verbal Commitment

Division I, II, III

The NCAA's three competitive divisions. Division I and II programs may award athletics scholarships; Division III programs may not, and use academic and need-based aid instead.

For parents: Division III schools still recruit hard and still field strong golf teams. Ruling them out because there is no golf scholarship line item is a common and expensive mistake.

See the NCAA's recruiting rules for current details.

NAIA

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a separate governing body from the NCAA for mostly smaller colleges. It runs its own eligibility process and permits athletics scholarships.

For parents: Because it is a separate body, NAIA eligibility is separate paperwork — registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center does not register you here.

See the NAIA Eligibility Center for current details.

Related: Division I, II, III, JUCO

JUCOalso called Junior Collegealso explains NJCAA

Two-year college athletics, governed largely by the NJCAA. It is a common route for players who need development time or academic runway before a four-year program.

See the NJCAA for current details.

Related: Division I, II, III, NAIA

Recruiting Videoalso called Swing Videoalso explains Player Profile

A short video of a player's swing from standard angles, usually paired with a written profile of scores, rankings, and academics. Coaches use it as an early screen before seeing a player compete.

For parents: Coaches care far more about tournament scoring average and the strength of the fields played than about production quality. Keep the video plain and the results accurate.

A–Z index

Every term on this page, alphabetically.

AAce ·Advice ·Age Division ·AJGA ·Albatross ·Alternate ·Alternate Shot ·Amateur Status ·Application ·Attest

BBack Nine ·Ball Mark ·Best Ball ·Birdie ·Bogey ·Bunker

CCaddie ·14-Club Rule ·Confirmation ·Course Rating ·Cut

DDead Period ·Disqualification ·Division I, II, III ·Divot ·Double Bogey ·Dress Code ·Drive, Chip and Putt

EEagle ·Eligibility ·Entry Deadline ·Entry Fee ·Even Par ·Exempt

FFairway ·Field ·First Tee ·First-Come Registration ·Flagstick ·Front Nine

GGHIN ·Gimme ·Green ·Gross Score

HHandicap Index ·High School Golf ·Honor ·Hurricane Junior Golf Tour

IInvitational

JJUCO ·Junior All-Star Series ·Junior Golf Association ·Junior Golf Scoreboard ·Junior Major

LLeaderboard ·Local Rules ·Local Tour

MMarker ·Match Play ·Membership ·Mulligan ·Multi-Day Event

NNAIA ·National Letter of Intent ·National Tour ·NCAA Eligibility Center ·Net Score ·No Card

OOfficial Visit ·Open Event ·Out of Bounds

PPace of Play ·Pairings ·Par ·Penalty Area ·Penalty Stroke ·Performance Based Entry ·Performance Star ·PGA Jr. League ·PGA Section ·Playoff ·Practice Round ·Priority Registration ·Provisional Ball ·Push Cart

QQualifier

RRangefinder ·Ready Golf ·Recruiting Video ·Registration Opens ·Relief ·Rolex AJGA Rankings ·Rough ·Round ·Rules of Golf ·Rules Official

SScore Differential ·Scorecard ·Scoring Average ·Scramble ·Season ·Series ·Shotgun Start ·Slope Rating ·Spectator ·Stableford ·State Junior Golf Association ·Stroke Play

TTee Box ·Tee Time Request ·Tee Times ·Tour Championship

UU-Division ·U.S. Junior Amateur ·U.S. Kids Golf

VVerbal Commitment

WWAGR ·Waitlist ·Withdrawal

YYardage ·Yardage Book

Knowing the words is the easy part. Catching the deadlines is not.

Registration windows open and close across dozens of separate tour sites, often with no announcement. TourNav tracks every one of them and texts you the moment a window opens or closes, so your golfer never misses an entry.

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Spotted a term we should add, or one we have explained badly? Tell us — this page is meant to be the one a new junior golf parent can actually use.