The game of golf seems to have a language all its own. The words and phrases golfers use can be confusing, especially if you are new to the game. To decipher the terms, and to help you sound like an experienced golfer, here are some of the most common golf terms and what they mean:

“Fore!” A golfer will yell “Fore!” when shouted as his or her golf ball may hit other players or spectators. When you hear this, duck your head!

Par stands for ‘Professional Average Result’. Par is the score that is given to a hole that you should aim to achieve, or beat. Each hole has a degree of difficulty, and ‘par’ is the number of shots it is believed you will need to get the ball into the hole.

Bogey… No, this does not refer to the “Casablanca” star. If you score a bogey, you have just hit your ball into the hole with one stroke over par. So, if the hole is a ‘par 3′ - it just took you 4 shots to sink your ball.

A Birdie is more desirable than a bogey, if you score a birdie, you have just sunk your ball into the hole with one shot under par. Congratulations!

If you shoot a Hole in One, sign up for the pros! This means that, through some kind of miracle, you just teed off and the ball went directly into the hole! It’s an exhilarating shot that happens to the average golfer about once in 8,000 times.

In military terms, Bunker means a below ground fortification. In golf, a bunker is something to avoid! It’s a sand trap, specially placed and designed to cause golfers problems should their ball land in the sand. It’s difficult to hit your ball out of a bunker, so you’ll most likely affect your score if your ball ends up there.

Meet you at the Nineteenth Hole! “Nineteen”, you say? Yes, it is true that an official golf course is only eighteen holes, but there is another hole left… the watering hole. Nineteenth hole refers to the pub or restaurant on or nearest the golf course. Enjoy a beverage and reminisce about the great game you just played!

Update: for more, less common golf terms, check out our post on golf slang.