Birdie, bogey, bump and run, sandbagger. Plain-English definitions of the golf terms you'll hear on the course, grouped by scoring, shots, equipment, rules and slang.

A mulligan is an unofficial do-over in a casual round. Nobody knows for sure who the original Mulligan was, but the leading story points to a Montreal golf club in the 1920s.

Golfers yell "fore" to warn anyone who might be hit by a ball. The word is Scottish, short for "before," and likely tied to forecaddies or military usage.

A bogey is one stroke over par. The word comes from a British music hall song about the Bogey Man, and it originally meant the target score, not one over it.

A birdie is one stroke under par on a hole. The name comes from Atlantic City in the late 1890s, when "bird" was American slang for something excellent.

Par is the number of strokes a skilled golfer is expected to need on a hole. The word came from the stock exchange, and golf borrowed it in 1870.

The rules allow 14 clubs. Beginners play better with four. Here's what a new golfer actually needs, and how our Just the Roots starter set credits back every dollar when you upgrade.