The Course

1. Tee times may be booked 7 days in advance by Members and 2 days in advance by public players.

2. Members are required to sign in at the pro shop before beginning their round.

3. Members must register their guest(s) in the pro shop before beginning play. Members are responsible for their guests when playing at WCC.

4. Course Opening Times:

5. No Fivesomes are allowed.

6. Tee times with less than 4 players may be paired up.

7. All play must start from the first tee unless otherwise directed by staff. Foursomes have priority on the tee. Join up when possible. No more than two riders allowed in a golf cart.

8. Golfers should replace divots, smooth footprints in traps, and repair all ball marks on greens. Practice is only permitted at the designated area near the 7th hole and on the putting green.

9. Pace of Play & Ready Golf: All players should be ready to play when it is their turn. If a player is not ready, another player should play. All players must putt continuously once the ball is within 18″ of the hole. Players should play without delay and keep up with the group in front of them.

10. USGA rules govern all competitions unless modified by the tournament committee.

11. Golf etiquette and proper attire are required at all times.

12. Honor tournament commitments; failure to show may result in team disqualification.

13. Pull Cart Policy: Keep carts and bags off tees and aprons. Within 30′ of the green, keep carts and bags in the rough.

14. Handicap Flag Policy: Keep carts in the rough near greens when using a handicap flag.

15. Alcohol abuse on the course or in the clubhouse will not be tolerated.

16. The club is not responsible for loss of personal property or injuries.

17. Junior members are eligible to play after 12:00 pm on weekends and holidays.

18. Restricted members are eligible for play after 12:00 pm on weekends and holidays.

19. Please check the website and monthly calendars for specific times.

Note: Disregarding club rules may lead to verbal warnings and/or suspension of membership.

• Shirts must be worn at all times
• Sleeves with no collar, OK
• Collar with no sleeves, OK
• No sleeves, no collar, no golf

1. Safety: Prior to a stroke or making a practice swing, the player should ensure that no one is standing close by or in a position to be hit by the club, the ball, or any stones, pebbles, twigs, or the like which may be moved by the stroke or swing. Before playing a stroke, the player must ensure that the group ahead is not in range of the shot.

2. Standing still: No one should move, talk, or stand close to or directly behind the ball or the hole when the player is addressing the ball or making a stroke.

3. Keep up with the group in front of you: To be in proper position, your foursome must be in position relative to the group in front of you, not just ahead of the group following you. If there is more than one clear hole between your group and the group ahead of you, let the group behind you pass through. New players to the game should set a maximum score for each hole, and pick up on a hole when your group is out of pace.

4. Paying attention: Watch the tee shots of the other players in your foursome to save having to look for balls.

5. Play ready golf: Carry an extra golf ball in your pocket to be ready to hit a provisional ball if your original ball may be lost. As you approach your ball, be prepared for your next shot by bringing a few clubs with you.

6. Placing down bags and parking carts: Be sure to place your golf bags well off the teeing ground, out of the way of other players. Park carts in the designated area near the tee. When you get to the green, put your bag or cart near where you will exit the green so you do not delay the group behind you.

7. Replace your divots, fix all marks, and rake bunkers: Be sure to replace divots. When a ball lands on the green, it will leave a small indentation. Be sure to repair the ball mark. Before leaving a bunker, the player should carefully fill up and smooth over all the holes and footprints made by the player or other players.

8. Your ball is in the way: When your golf ball is on the green, if it is in the way of another golfer, mark its position with a coin or ball marker, placed directly behind the ball. Never walk on the intended line of putt of any golfer in your foursome.

9. Recording Scores: When a hole has been completed, immediately pick up your equipment and leave the green. Record the scores on the next tee so you do not delay play.

Ace – A hole in one.

Address – the final position taken by a golfer just before the swing.

Adjusted Gross Score – Your score after you apply your handicap stroke allowance.

Alternate Shot – Another twist of stoke play. In this format one player hits the drive and then the other player hits the next shot and so forth until the hole is completed. The score recorded is the same manner as stroke play.

Aeration – To get better air circulation into the soil underneath the turf of a golf course. This is necessary for the health of the microbes that live in the topsoil. Grass depends upon these microbes because they convert the nitrogen of fertilizer into a form that the grass can use. Aeration takes the form of poking holes (or slits) into the turf every few inches.

Approach – Normally a short or medium shot played to the putting green or pin – commonly referred to as the “approach shot.”

Attend the flag – To hold and then remove the flag while another player putts. A common courtesy performed when playing a round of golf.

Attest – If you play in a tournament, you will submit your score card at the conclusion of each round. You will sign your score card as testimony that you stand behind the accuracy of those numbers you wrote onto the card. But there is another person who must also sign your score card. And that is one of the golfers who played with you and will vouch for the accuracy of your score card. To “attest” means to say that you were a witness to the score that someone else posted

Away – The nature rule of golf where the player farthest from the hole is the first to play, as in “Who’s away?” In certain circumstances on the putting green, however, particularly in medal competition, a player who has already putted once may hole out before her partner, who may be further from the hole, takes her shot.

Backspin – Reverse spin applied to the ball and prevents it from bouncing forward after landing; same as ‘bite’.

Back Foot – Refers to the golfer’s foot, farthest from the target when addressing the ball. In this illustration, the back foot would be the one to the right. The “front foot” is the left one, closest to the target.

Back in the Stance – At address means that you stand with the ball closer to your right foot than to your left foot (right-handed golfer). When hitting a wedge, for instance, it is generally accepted that you should have the ball back in your stance.

Barber – Someone in your foursome who talks a lot during the round.

Barkie – when your ball hits any part of a tree and you still complete the hole with a par.

Beach – Slang for sand trap.

Bell – Used on fairways that are designed to provide blind shots during the course of normal play, it is common to see a ship-style bell on the cart path near the green. The bell is to be rung when the group ahead leaves the green so as to alert the group playing behind that it is now safe for them to hit their approach shots. At WCC, they are used on the 14th and 16th holes.

Best Ball – A match in which one player plays against the better or two balls or the best ball of three players. Also the better score of two partners in a four-ball or best-ball match.

Birdie – A score of one under par on any given hole.

Bite – The backspin imparted on the ball that makes the ball stop dead, or almost so, with little or no roll.

Bogey – A score of one over par on any given hole.

Break – In reference to putting. It is the curve due to the slope of a green.

Bunker – A crater or hole in the ground filled with sand; derived from a Scottish word for a store place or receptacle. The American term is ‘trap’. A bunker, as laid down by the rules of golf, is a hazard in which a player must not ground their club before striking the ball.

Bye – A term used in tournaments. The player who draws a “bye” is allowed to advance to the next round without playing an opponent. In match play, it is the hole or holes still left to play if the match is won before the 18th hole.

Caddie – A person who carries clubs for a golfer. Could also be defined as a person who gives a golfer advice — with club selection and course strategy.

Carry – The distance a golf ball must travel from impact (the moment the golf ball leaves the clubface) to the point where it first hits the ground. Carry is especially important when judging the distance to the green over a hazard (water, bunker, etc.).

Casual Water – Any temporary accumulation of water which is visible before or after a player takes her stance and which is not a hazard of itself or is not a water hazard. The most common is flooding after heavy rain.

Chip – A short, lofted shot, from around the green.

Choke – To grip down farther on the club handle. Also a slang term used to indicate a collapse under pressure.

Closed Face – When the clubface is pointed to the left of the target when you address the ball.

Course rating – The comparison of playing one course, as opposed to another, in terms of difficulty, used in U.S.G.A. handicapping. It is expressed in strokes or decimal fractions of strokes. The yardage of the course and the ability of a scratch golfer are the basis for determination.The higher the rating, the more challenging a course. At WCC, Ladies rating = 65.0 and Men’s rating = 62.6.

Divot – A piece of turf removed with a golf shot. It is proper etiquette to always replace the divot, and to step the turf back in its original place. No relief is allowed for a ball coming to rest in a divot mark. Many courses provide a container of sand in golf carts or at the tee box to fill your divots.

Dogleg – A left or right bend in the fairway. The 8th green has a slight dogleg left.

Double Bogey – A score of two over par for a single hole.

Down – Number of strokes or holes you are behind your opponent(s).

Downhill Lie – When addressing the ball and your right foot is higher than your left (for right-handed players).

Draw – The pairing of golfers for a match play tournament.

Draw Shot – A controlled ‘hook’ used to get in position for the next shot or get out of trouble. A shot that curves from left to right. Conversely from right to left for a left-handed player.

Drive – To hit the ball with maximum force and full stroke. Usually with a driver from the tee.

Drop – To deposit the ball on the course after which you put the ball back in play after it has been declared unplayable or after the ball has been lost.

Dub – A missed or badly-hit shot .

Duff – To miss-hit a shot by hitting the ground behind the ball and then top the ball.

Duffer – An unskilled golfer. Also called a hacker.

Eagle – A score of two under par on any given hole.

Fade – The opposite of draw, a shot moving slightly from left to right towards the target. Can be deliberate and controlled, unlike a slice.

Fairway – The area defined on a golf course where the grass is cut at a shorter length than the rough. The rough is usually along both sides of the fairway. Playing a golf shot from the fairway typically makes for an easier shot.

Fat – Hitting the ground before the ball, usually resulting in the ball not going as far as intended. Also called: chunky, fat, thick, heavy.

Fescue – Grass of the genus Festuca, widely used for rough on golf courses.

Flash Trap – A shallow and small sand bunker.

Flight – In tournament play, the division of players with players of equal ability being placed in the same flight. Sixteen is usually the number of players in a flight however any number of players may be placed in a flight.

Fore! – A warning call/shout yelled out by a player when their shot threatens another player.

Four ball – A match in which the better ball of two players is played against the better ball of their opponents.

Foursome – Four golfers playing together. Also a match in which two players play against another two players with each side playing one ball.

Fried Egg – A ball half-buried in the sand.

Get Legs – A term used by golfers to encourage the ball to keep rolling when they suspect it may stop short.

GHIN – Golf Handicap Information Network. The governing body of the handicapping system in the US. Learn more at www.ghin.com.

Gimme – A short putt so close to the hole that your playing partners allow for you to simply pick it up – without taking the time to actually putt the ball into the hole. A “gimme” still counts as a stroke. It is just typically used as a time-saving and friendly gesture — that is offered by your fellow playing competitors.

Grain – This term is important when determining your putting strategy on the green. It is the direction in which the blades of grass point on the green shortly after it has been cut, which contributes to the speed and direction of your putt.

Grand Slam – The four major men’s championships: the British Open, the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and the Masters.

Green – The whole golf course according to golf rules. However, in popular usage, it refers to the putting surface.

Grip – The top part of the club held by the golfer, usually made from leather or rubber. Also, commonly used in reference to the manner in which the club itself, is held. The two most common grips are the “Vardon”/overlapping grip, and the “Interlocking” grip.

Gross – The actual number of strokes taken by a player for a hole or round before the player’s handicap is deducted, when the number then becomes net.

Ground Under Repair – An area of the course from which the player is allowed to remove her ball without penalty, usually a temporary concession as a result of re-turfing, re-seeding and repairs.

Grounding the Club – To place the club on the ground prior to striking the ball when addressing it.

Halved – When a match is played without a decision. A hole is ‘halved’ when both sides play it to the same number of strokes.

Handicap – The rating of amateur players based on the average of their scores designed to allow golfers of all playing levels to compete together on an equitable basis.

Hazard – Any obstructive or difficult feature of a golf course. This may include lakes, ponds, fences, molehills, bunkers, etc.

Hit a Brick – A direct request to a ball rolling rapidly towards the hole in a fashion that it appears it will go substantially past the desired resting place.

Hit a House – see Hit a Brick!

Hole – A 4 1/2″ round receptacle in the green – at least 4″ deep. Also refers to one of the nine or eighteen areas between the tee and the green.

Holing Out – The complete the play for one hole by hitting the ball into the cup.

Honor – The honor on the tee goes to the last player to win a hole. The player with the honor tees off first.

Hook – For the right-handed golfer, it is a golf shot that curves strongly from right to left. Note: a lesser hooking action is commonly referred to as a “draw”.

Lie – The position in which the ball rests on the ground. Also refers to the number of strokes a player has already played on a hole.

Local Rules – A set of additional rules for a club determined by the members.

Loft – The angle on the face of a golf club. Also, the elevation of the ball in flight.

Loose Impediments – Any natural object that is not fixed or growing. This can include stones, twigs, branches, molehills, etc.

Lost Ball – A ball is lost if it is not found and identified within five minutes of the player’s search of it.

LPGA – Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Marker – A small object, like a coin, that is used to mark the spot of the ball when it is lifted off the putting green.

Markers – The objects placed at the tee box that indicate the area in which players must tee their balls.

Match Play – A competition played with each hole being a separate contest. The team or player winning the most holes is the winner.

Medal Play – A competition decided by the overall number of strokes used to complete the round or rounds. Same as ‘stroke play’.

Mixed Foursome – A foursome with each side has a male and female player.

Mulligan – The chance to replay your last shot – penalty free. A mulligan is not within the actual rules of golf.

M.Y.O.F. – Make Your Own Foursome.

Net Score – A players score when her handicap has been deducted.

Ninety Degree Rule – A practice where golf cars are allowed to drive on the fairway only perpendicularly (90°) to the hole being played.

O.B. / Out of Bounds. – The area lying outside of the defined golf course. A player is penalized stroke and distance.

Offset – A club with the head set behind the shaft.

One Up – Used in match play to mean having scored one hole more than your opponent.

Open Stance – The left foot is dropped behind the imaginary line of the direction of the ball.

Par – The set score, in strokes, assigned to each hole on the golf course.

Pawky – A Scottish term meaning cunning or tricky.

Penalty stroke – An additional stroke added to a player’s score for any of the many possible rules violations.

PGA of America – The Professional Golfers Association of America.

Pick & Drop – The act of picking the ball out of a ditch or puddle and dropping it as allowed by the Rules of Golf.

Pick Up – To take up one’s ball before holing out. In match play this concedes the hole.

Pin – Slang for the flagstick.

Pin High – Reference to a ball on the green that is even with the pin, but off to either side.

Pitch – An approach shot to the green shorter than a normal swing, but longer than a chip shot.

Play Through – When a group or player will pass a group of slower golfers playing on the same hole, or the hole ahead.

Preferred Lie – Only in effect when posted by the Pro Shop. Allows a player to lift, clean and place their ball within one club length without penalty.

Pro Shop – The golf course shop operated by the head professional where equipment is sold.

Provisional Ball – The playing of a second ball from the same place as the first because the player is unsure if the first is lost or OB.

Pull – A ball that goes to the left of the target with little curve as hit by a right-handed player.

Punch – Low, controlled shot into the wind made with a short swing.

Push – A ball that goes to the right of the target with very little or no curving for a right handed player.

Putter – The club specifically designed for putting with very little loft.

P.Y.O P. – Pick Your Own Partner

Reading the Green – Determining the path which the ball will take to the hole by analyzing the contour and texture of the green.

Ready Golf – A method of play where each player hits when ‘ready’ rather than following ‘away’ etiquette to promote pace of play.

Relief – A rules term meaning “to move your ball away from” situations like cart paths or ground under repair without penalty.

Rough – The area adjacent to the fairway where the grass is longer and thicker.

Rub of the Green – Any accident, not caused by a player or caddie, that moves or stops a ball in play and for which no relief is given.

Sandbagger – A player who understates their ability in order to win in competition.

Sandy – Making par on a hole after landing in a bunker.

Scramble – A format where the best ball position is selected after each team shot until the ball is holed out.

Scratch – A scratch golfer is a player who has a 0 handicap.

Shamble – Select the best shot off the tee, move all balls to that spot, then play individual stroke play until holed out.

Shank – A shot struck on the clubs hosel that travels dead right (for a right-handed player).

Shiperio – Similar to a mulligan but allowing the player to choose between the first or second shot played.

Short game – The part of the game that is made up of chip shots, pitching and putting.

Shotgun Start – A tournament that starts all players at different holes at the same time.

Slice – A shot that curves violently to the right (for a right-handed golfer).

Slope – Used by the U.S.G.A to measure the relative degree of difficulty for the average golfer.

Stableford – A method of scoring that uses points instead of strokes.

Stance – The position of your feet when addressing the ball.

Starter – Person who determines the order of play at the 1st tee.

Stimpmetre – A device used by superintendents to measure green speed.

Stroke Play – A competition in which the total number of strokes determines the winner.

Swale – A moderately contoured depression or dip in terrain.

Tee – A wooden peg on which the golf ball is placed for striking at the beginning of any given golf hole.

Tee Box / Teeing Ground – The area reserved at each hole for the initial shot to be taken.

Temporary Green – A green used in the winter to save the permanent green.

Tending the Flag – To hold the flagstick and then remove it as the ball approaches the hole.

Threesome – Three players playing a round of golf together.

Tiger Tee – A slang expression for the back tee.

Toe – The part of the club farthest from where it joins the shaft.

Top/topped – To hit the golf ball above its center, causing it to roll or hop along the ground.

TPC/Tournament Players Club – Golf courses designed specifically for holding Tour events.

Turn – To start the back nine holes.

Twosome – Two golfers playing together.

Unplayable Lie – A lie in which the ball is impossible to play such as in a thicket.

Up – A specified number of strokes you are ahead of your opponent in match play.

Uphill Lie – Ball resting on a slope where a ball rolling downhill will move away from the hole.

Up and Down – Getting out of trouble or a hazard and into the hole in two strokes.

U.S.G.A. – United States Golf Association, the governing body since 1894.

W.G.A.M. – Womens Golf Association of Massachusetts, founded in 1900.

Waggle – Movement of the club head prior to swinging.

Wedge – An iron used for short shots that has a high-loft.

Whiff – To swing and miss the golf ball completely; counted as a stroke.

Windcheater – A shot played low against the wind with strong backspin.

Worm Burner – A shot which rolls along the ground.

Yip – To miss-hit a putt due to nervousness.

Yips – Shakiness or nervousness in making a shot.

Zoomie – A drive that goes significantly further than a golfer’s average drive.