A few days ago, the internet was taken by storm following a stellar approach shot from Abraham Ancer, allowing him to pencil in a two on a Par 5 at the CJ Cup. Dustin Johnson nearly shared a moment in the spotlight with him as his second shot rung square of the pin from 283 yards out, leaving a simple one-foot putt for birdie.
While these were excellent shots, struck pure, with tremendous accuracy and finesse, they are not the reason why everyone ran to Google. One of the most searched terms following these strikes was not video search to see it happen, but to find out what in the world an “Albatross” is in golf.
So I thought I would throw together a few oddball jargon terms that you may hear while watching or playing golf but have never heard prior.
- Albatross – also known in the U.S. as “Double Eagle” the Albatross is when a player can finish a Par 5 in two shots. The first shot off the tee and the second in the hole!
- Condor – This shot is unlikely, but the term still exists. A Condor occurs when a player can complete a Par 5 in just a single stroke. Without a doubt, it’s the rarest word in golf because of the likelihood of it occurring.
- Gilligan – While many people have heard of the “Mulligan,” many have not heard of the Gilligan. The term is used in a recreational match to force a player to repeat a shot. If your playing mates decide to allow Gilligan’s at the beginning of your round, they can make you recreate any shot if they deem it was a fluke and not based on skill.
- Shiperio – Recreational golfer might be more familiar with the term “provisional.” The player hits a second ball from the exact location; if they predict, they will not find the ball they had just drilled.
While there is a massive list of jargon terms that date back to when golf started up till new jargon that has started circulating courses, I felt that these were the ones that stood out.
