Hey, Team Titleist.
The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is here, the only official event on the PGA Tour schedule that features competition between two-man teams. Last year Pro V1x loyalist Billy Horschel (above left) and Titleist Brand Ambassador Scott Piercy (above right) won the partners event. After the victory, the guys said that they "dinged and donged" very well together, meaning that when one of them played a hole poorly, the other played it well. And vice-versa. Close cousin to "dinging and donging" is "ham and egging" , which also means playing alternating holes well with a partner.
That got us to thinking — are terms like this used anywhere else besides golf? At work, has your boss ever complimented you for the way that you and your co-workers dinged and donged? Juggling kids, do you and your spouse ever high-5 each other and take pride in the way you ham and egg it?
Golf is full of interesting lingo, which got us thinking even further — what's your favorite slang term in golf? Or maybe the oddest lingo you've heard used?
My favorite is "Chandelle". Sam Snead used it to describe a high pull fade that he used to hit. It's a term he borrowed from aviation referring to an "abrupt climbing turn, almost to the point of stalling"— which is just how his high fade probably appeared in flight.
The oddest term I've heard is "Australian Draw". It may be a myth and I'm sure our scientists down in R&D would say it's not possible with a conforming golf ball, but I had a buddy in California who claimed that he knew an old pro who could hit an Australian Draw, a shot that started out to the right, drew to the left, and then suddenly faded on its descent, moving left to right in the final leg of its trajectory. Crazy right? But I have to say, I have seen something remarkably like this at the driving range when you get an occasional extremely worn, almost bald range ball.
How about you? Please share your favorite nuggets from our rich golf lexicon.
Thanks!
Rick