Golf Glossary F

Face – The part of a golf club that comes into direct contact with the ball.

Face angle – The angle of the clubhead's face relative to the target.

Facing – A grassy incline out of a bunker towards the green.

Fade – The trajectory or ball flight wherein, in the case of right-handed golfers, the golf ball comes off the clubface moving to the left of the target before curving gently back to the right. Reverse action happens for left-handed players.

Fairway – A closely-mown area that usually runs in between the tee box and green of a golf hole. This area is usually the target of golfers on all holes except for par-3s.

Fairway hit – When the ball lands and stops on the fairway from the tee on holes greater than par-3.

Fairways and greens – A betting game applicable for a group of golfers with similar handicaps, wherein the object is for the player to be the only one to hit the fairway or hit the green to win an agreed-upon bet..

False front – The front part of a green that slopes down towards the fairway. A golf ball that would land here would most likely roll down into the fairway.

Fat shot – A shot in which the golfer's club hits the ground before making contact with the ball, resulting in a much shorter distance.

Featherie – Historical golf balls with a core made of compressed feathers inside a leather outer layer.

Ferrule – The plastic ring or cover over the hosel at the point where the shaft enters the clubhead.

Fescue – A type of grass on golf courses, usually found in the second cut of rough or beyond. It is common on golf courses in US coastal regions and Great Britain.

Field – The players in a tournament.

Finishing hole – The last hole a golfer plays during a round of golf, mostly referring to the No. 18 however this would also be referred to Hole No. 9 if it's a 9-hole course, or a different hole in certain tournaments.

First cut – The grass that is immediately alongside the closely-mown fairway. It is grown higher than the fairway grass, but not as high as the primary rough.

Fish – A betting game for group of golfers wherein there are three bets: the one who makes the first birdie, the one who makes the longest birdie, and the one who makes the most birdies.

Flag event – A team player carries their flag until their net score has fallen behind the course using the hold stroke indexes.

Flags – A competition format in which golfers begin the round with an allotment of strokes, then play the course until their strokes run out.

Flagstick – A long-staffed flag that marks the location of the hole. Its color or position would sometimes define the hole's location on the green. Also called a Pin.

Flange – A part of the clubhead that juts out from the rear, usually applies to putters. The part of the club that lies on the ground when being used.

Flatstick – Slang term for putter, derived from a wrong notion that all putters have flat faces (where in fact most putters have 3 to 4 degrees of loft).

Flex – A rating of a golf club shaft's ability to bend during the golf swing. Flex ranges from Extra Stiff, Stiff, Regular, Senior, and Ladies.

Flex point – The part where the golf club shaft bends the most.

Flier – A shot that travels farther than intended, often causing the golfer to overshoot the target.

Flight – A situation where the golf ball travels through the air after getting struck by a golf club.

Florida scramble – A variation of the Scramble match, wherein the team player whose shot is selected on the first hole doesn't get to play the next hole.

Flush – Perfect contact between the clubhead and golf ball in a swing.

Follow through – A phase in a golf swing that is done after the ball has been struck.

Footprinting – Creating undesirable footprints on the course, such as stepping on frosted grasses or on wilted areas.

Forced carry – A situation that requires a golfer to hit the shot over a hazard in order to advance the ball.

Fore – A word of warning being yelled out by players who has hit an errant shot, warning other players and the crowd, to watch out and they may be hit.

Forged – A club where the head is made from on pieces of light alloy or metal. A forged club gives the player more feeling when striking the ball.

Forecaddie – A caddie who does not carry the player's clubs, but keeps track of all balls in play and lets each player in the group know where his or her ball is. A forecaddie would also search for the ball if it lands on a high rough, then pointing it out to the player so that play continues without delay.

Four ball – A type of match between two teams of two members each, wherein all four players play their own ball throughout the hole. At the end of each hole, the low score among the two partners on each team is considered as the team's score.

Four-man Cha Cha Cha – A tournament format wherein each member of the team plays his or her ball throughout, but a 3-hole rotation exists for determining how many scores are used to create the team score. On the first hole, the lowest ball counts as the team score; on the second hole, the low lowest balls count as the team score; and on the third hole, the three low balls count as the team score. The rotation starts over on the fourth hole.

Foursomes – A competition format wherein teams are composed of two players each. The players alternately hit the same ball until it is holed.

Frequency matching – The process of ensuring that the shaft vibrations of all clubs in a given set match in frequency when struck, so that the feel is the same for each club.

Fried egg – A situation where the golf ball lands on the same spot after hitting it from the bunker.

Fringe – A closely-mowed area of grass immediately off the putting surface and surrounding the green. It is higher than those on the green, but much lower than the rough.

Frog hair – Slang term for fringe.

Front nine – The first nine holes of a golf course.