Golf Glossary C

Caddie – A person who carries the golf bag of a player. In professional tournaments, caddies assist with club selection and strategy.

Callaway scoring system – A type of handicapping system that is only applied on a singular match, especially if most golfers do not have official handicap indexes.

Canadian foursomes – A variation of the foursome match in which both players on a team tee off, the better shot of the two is selected and then the ball is played alternately until holed.

Cape hole – A hole that features water along its entire length on one side and the fairway curves around the water to the green. Usually found on par-4s.

Carry – Either to clear an obstacle on the golf course; or the distance your shot travels from the point of contact with the club to the point it hits the ground.

Cart – A small powered vehicle used to transport golfers and equipment around the course.

Cart fee – The amount a golf course charges for use of a golf cart.

Cart path – A designated way in a golf course for carts.

Casual water – A temporary accumulation of water on the golf course, such as a puddle of rainwater.

Cavity back – An iron on which the clubhead features a thin face with a hollowed-out area on the back, thus distributing the weight around the perimeter. Cavity back irons are preferred by mid- to high-handicap players.

cc – The abbreviation for Cubic Centimeters, which is used to denote the volume of a clubhead. The greater the number, the larger the clubhead. Greater volume means larger sweet spot and a deeper center of gravity.

Center of gravity – The point within the clubhead at which it would be perfectly balanced. The position of the center of gravity within a clubhead can affect the trajectory of shots.

Championship – Tournaments regulated by a golfing authority recognized by the golfing governing body such as USGA in America and R&A in Europe.

Chapman system – A two-person team competition format wherein both team members tee off then they switch balls as they hit their second shot. From there, they select the best of the second shots then the players begin to player alternate shots on that ball until they hole. Also known as Pinehurst Syster or American Foursomes.

Chicago – A game format wherein players begin their rounds with negative points (based on handicaps) then positive points are added as the game progresses. The player with the highest score (even if all players are in the negative) at the end of the round wins.

Chicken stick – A slang for a play-it-safe club, when a golfer decides not to attempt a heroic shot.

Chili dip – To catch a fat shot by hitting the ground behind the ball before striking the ball itself.

Chip – A shot typically played from very close to the green, usually within a few yards of the putting surface, in which the ball is struck using the club played back in the golfer's stance. This produces a shot that is in the air very briefly before settling to the putting surface and rolling towards the cup.

Chip and run – A shot played like a chip over a greater distance.

Chipping iron – An iron club used to chip the ball onto the green.

Choke – When a golfer loses his or her nerve, making an important or hard shot badly.

Chunk – A shot in which the golfer's club strikes the ground before striking the ball, making the club dig into the turf and produce a huge divot. Such shots do not travel very far.

Cleek – A type of wooden-shafted pre-20th Century golf club that is very similar to the modern 1-iron.

Closed face – The position of the clubface relative to the target line at impact.

Closed stance – A type of stance where the leading foot is nearer to the ball at address. A position normally adopted in order to hook the ball or prevent a slice.

Closest to the pin – A contest commonly practiced in charity tournaments and other similar amateur games. On a designated par-3 hole, the tee shots are measured and the one that is closest to the hole wins a prize. The pin is referred to the flagstick.

Club – Either a shortened name for a golf course; or the equipment used to strike a golf ball.

Club face – The part of the club head that comes into direct contact with the ball.

Club head – The end of the club that includes the club face.

Clubhouse – The golf course's main building where golfers first head when arriving. The clubhouse contains a pro shop and usually include some food and drink service.

Coefficient of restitution – A measurement of the clubface's ability to rebound the ball, expressed as a percentage that is determined by a ball's speed off the clubhead divided by the speed at which it struck the clubhead.

Collar – The edge around a green or bunker.

Collection area – A depression on the side of a green whose positioning as well as the contours of the green result in many approach shots “collecting” in it.

Committee – A group whose members who set and enforce local golf course (or tournament) rules, sometimes allowing discretion in certain areas to interpret rules or implement local rulings.

Competition scratch score – The number of shots used to recalculate handicap after a competition.

Compression – The rating of the golf ball's density, or its softness/ hardness. Players with slow swing speeds generally play with softer balls while players that can swing with greater force generally play harder balls.

Consecutive nine-hole scores – A combination score of two nine-hole rounds played consecutively within seven days to arrive at a score suitable for handicap adjustment.

Conceded putt – A situation when an opponent offers the player to pick up the ball instead of putting it, signifying that the opponent thinks there is no chance that the player would miss the shot. It would be scored just like any shot. It is only legal in match play.

Cold-season grasses – Grasses that grow best in cooler conditions.

Coring – A method by which golf course turf is aerated by removing plugs from a green, thus leaving holes that help get air and moisture into the grassroots.

Country club – A social and recreational facility, usually private of semi-private. A golf course with a private country club only allows members usage of the course, while semi-private country club would allow some access to non-members.

Course – The golf course or the entire area in which a golf play is permitted.

Course handicap – A number that tells golfers how many strokes they are allowed to take during a handicap round.

Course handicap conversion chart – The stroke index of each hole on the course.

Course handicap table – The Competition Scratch Score used to recalculate a player's handicap.

Course rating – An evaluation created by USGA on the difficulty of a golf course for scratch golfers. This score plays a role in figuring a golfer's handicap indexes.

Criers and whiners – A game of do-overs wherein a player has a certain number of free re-shots (determined by his or her handicap). Two conditions on this game are that the first tee shot of the day may not be replayed, and no shot can be replayed thrice.

Criss cross – A tournament format in which the player or team gets to compare corresponding scores of paired holes (such as #1 and #10) on their scorecard and choose the lower of two scores.

Cross bunker – A type of bunker that is positioned so that it runs across the line of play in the fairway.

Cup – The hole in the green into which the ball is eventually putted.

Cut – Either the elimination of the lower half of a stroke-play field at the midpoint of the tournament; or a type of golf shot, which the player induces a fade

Cut line – The score that represents the dividing point between golfers who will continue to play in the tournament and those who would be cut from the field in a tournament.

Cut shot – A type of controlled golf shot in which a golfer induces a fade-ball flight, meaning that the ball moves from left to right while on air (if the golfer is right-handed). The opposite curve is applied for left-handed players.