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Glossary of Golfing Terms - N

This page of our glossary of golfing terms is for golfing terms which begin with the letter 'N'.

• Nap - A term which refers to the horiizontal growth of grass on a putting green, especially in South Africa. A ball putted against the nap will go less far than one hit with the same strength with the slope of the grass. Putting across the nap can be more puzzling.
• Natural golf course - A golf course where use has been made of the natural features of the terrain and little or nothing has been done in the way of blasting, bull-dozing and so on. In this sense, St Andrews is a natural course.
• Neck Part of the clubhead where the shaft is inserted.
• Net score - A player's score for a round after his handicap has been subtracted from his gross score.
• Never up, never in - A putt which does not reach the hole, and cannot possibly hole out.
• Niblick - Once the most lofted iron and the rough equal of a No. nine iron.
• Nine - A golf course is almost always thought of as being split into two lots of nine holes, as nearly equal in playing qualities as possible.
• Nineteenth - When the first hole is played again after a match has finished all-square after 18 holes, it is referred to as 'the 19th'. Also referred to as the bar in the clubhouse after a match, the 19th hole.
• Not enough club - An expression used to mean that a player has misjudged the distance to the green and used, say, a six-iron instead of a five.