If you grew up in a chillier climate, a snowman probably conjures positive memories of snow days in your youth. For golfers however, a snowman is something less than desirable. In golf lingo, a snowman refers to a score of 8 on any individual hole. Most holes are rated around par 3 or par 4, which makes a snowman even worse than the dreaded triple bogey. It doesn’t take a pro player to realize that’s not good.

The concept of a golf snowman has since been extrapolated into other terms such as a blizzard. Let’s take a look at this frigid golf slang and how to keep your scorecard away from subzero territory.

2 Snowmen = 1 Blizzard

The term snowman is so popular that it has spawned even more golf lingo. For example, if you’re really struggling through the course you might end up with a full blizzard instead of a snowman. Depending on who you ask, a blizzard is either a score of 88 for the round, two or more back to back snowmen, or two golfers scoring snowmen on the same hole.

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Regardless of which definition you use, scoring a blizzard is the sign of a rough round. And while winter themed wordplay is a way of making the game fun when you’re struggling, it might get old when your friends start calling you “frosty” on the course.

You can melt snowmen with chicken sticks

So, what can you do to avoid snowmen and keep your strokes at par or better? The answer lies in another piece of golf lingo: chicken sticks. A chicken stick refers to when a player uses a safer club to complete a difficult shot.

If you’re having trouble staying on the fairway, you may be attempting shots that are too ambitious. Instead of trying to make a difficult shot, focus on selecting the best club for the circumstances. Your friends might rib you a little and call you “chicken”, but they won’t be laughing when your score improves.

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If all this golf slang has your head spinning, don’t worry; you won’t be laughed off the course for flubbing a few terms. However, if you’re nervous about making a faux pas on the green, we have plenty of resources for you. Visit our blog to learn about basic golf etiquette for first time players and what to expect on the golf course. Before you know it, you’ll know golf terms A to Z.