Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Enough about politics, at least for a few days.

On another subject, all of us who play golf know that strange words often leak into our vocabularies.

And they usually are not words in the literal sense, nor are they used in everyday speech.  They just apply to golf.

All sports have lexicons that apply only to those sports.  Such as the word “swish” in basketball.  Doesn’t exist in golf.

Some examples of strange golf words:

• BARKIE: Hitting a tree with your shot and still managing to make par.

• FROGGIE:  Hitting a ball into the water and still making par.

• SANDIE:  Hitting a ball into a bunker and still making par.

• HOSEL ROCKET: Another name for a severe shank, caused by hitting the ball off the metal neck of the club.  And, by the way, the word “shank” should never be used as you play golf.  If you do, it’ll mean another one.  Just think “Tin Cup.”

• DEAD SHEEP: A situation where your putt is still farthest from the cup after you have already putted once.

• FRIED EGG:  A ball half-buried in a bunker?

• FROG HAIR:  The tightly mowed strip of grass that forms the fringe surrounding a green.

• CABBAGE:  Thick, high rough that swallows golf balls and makes getting back to the fairway tough.

• SNOWMAN:  Making an 8 on one hole.

• WORM BURNER:  A shot that refuses to get off the ground, hitting worms on its way to who-knows-where.

• TEXAS WEDGE:  Using a putter from off the green.

• ARMY GOLF:  When your shots go left, then right, then left all the way down the fairway, much like marching in the Army.

• BREAKFAST BALL:  When you hit a second ball of the 1^st tee if your first one is bad.  But only in friendly recreational golf because, remember, United States Golf Association rules don’t allow breakfast balls.

• DUCK HOOK:  A severe, low snap hook that curves sharply to the left for right-handed players or the other way for lefties.  Like a diving duck.

• YIPS:  A sudden loss of motor skills, usually over a putt.

So, if you are golfer, feel free to use these words, but try to avoid the bad ones.  Instead, just play the ball long and straight.

Right!