P

Pace: The speed at which a putt should be moving to get to the hole. Pace and break are the two components of green-reading.

Par (apocryphally an abbreviation for "professional average result"), standard score for a hole (defined by its length) or a course (sum of all the holes' pars).

PGA: Any Professional Golfers' Association, especially the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

Pin-high: At the same level as (distance to) the hole.

Pitch: A short shot (typically from within 50 yards), usually played with a higher lofted club and made using a less than full swing, that is intended to flight the ball towards a target (usually the hole) with greater accuracy than a full iron shot.

Pitch mark: Another term for a divot on the green caused when a ball lands. Players must repair their pitch marks, usually with a tee or a divot tool.

Plugged Lie: A bad lie (typically in a bunker) where the ball is at least half-buried in sand. Also known as a "buried lie" or a "fried egg".

Pop-up: A poor tee shot where the top of the clubhead strikes under the ball, causing it to go straight up in the air. In addition to being bad shots, pop-ups frequently leave white scuff-marks on the top of the clubhead, or dents in persimmon clubs. Also known as "sky shots".

Pro: A professional is a golfer or person who plays or teaches golf for financial reward, may work as a touring pro in professional competitions, or as a teaching pro (also called a club pro).

Punch shot: A shot played with a very low trajectory, usually to avoid interference from tree branches when a player is hitting from the woods. Similar to the knock-down, it can also be used to avoid high winds.

Push: A shot played severely to the right; as opposed to slices, which curve from left to right, a pushed shot goes directly right. Similar to the "block". Also, term used in Match Play where neither competitor wins the hole.

Putt: A shot played on the green, usually with a putter.

Putter: A special golf club with a very low loft that makes the ball roll.

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Q Q-School: PGA or LPGA Tour Qualifying School, a week-long, six-round tournament in which the Top 30 finishers (of nearly 200 entrants) earn their "Tour Cards", making them exempt for the following year's tour. Aside from the major championships, Q-School may be the most pressure-filled tournament in golf.

R

Release: The point in the downswing at which the wrists uncock. A late release (creating "lag") is one of the keys to a powerful swing.

Rough: The grass that borders the fairway, usually taller and coarser than the fairway.

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All golf term definitions are taken from Wikipedia ®