Golf Compendium

"Velcro," when used as a slang term in golf, refers to the speed of the putting greens on a golf course. "Velcro greens" are ones that are very slow.

What does the golf slang term "stony" mean? It means you've hit a great shot: When your golf ball comes to rest in close proximity to the hole on the green, you are "stony."

Did you know there is a right way, and two wrong ways, to take divots on the driving range? There are even terms for the right way (linear divots) and the wrong ways (scattered and concentrated).

Which golfer holds the record for the largest winning margin in the history of the Champions Tour? Actually, two golfers hold that record, because the tour plays both 54-hole tournaments and 72-hole tournaments. And Bernhard Langer and Fred Funk are those two recordholders; Langer is the overall lead in margin-of-victory for the senior set.

When did Tiger Woods first hit No. 1 in the world golf rankings? It happened less than one year after he made his debut as a professional golfer. So the answer to the question in the headline — how long did it take? — is eight months and two weeks.

In golf, the term "dance floor" is a slang term that means the putting green. If your ball is on the green, on the putting surface, you are "on the dance floor."

"Auto Win" is the name of a golf game for groups of golfers of any number — a group of two, three or four can play it. The crux of Auto Win is that holes are automatically won by a golfer who accomplishes one of three set achievements per hole. What are those three things? The standard troika is this:

"Stealies" is the name of a golf wagering game that a group of golfers can play in conjunction with a closest-to-the-pin (KP) bet. It gives the losers of the closest-to-the-pin bet a chance to steal the pot.

Who is Michelle Wie dating? Nobody, anymore: On August 10, 2019, Wie and boyfriend-turned-fiancé-turned husband got married. Wie's husband comes from basketball royalty. Her most well-known past boyfriend was also a basketball player. And her college boyfriend? A 7-footer who played in the NBA. Hey, when you're tall like Wiezy, you have a preference for tall beaus, boos and baes.

Big Break Ireland was a television series that aired on the Golf Channel in 2011. It was the 16th season in the network's The Big Break franchise. Taping took place at K Club in Kildare, Ireland. The first episode aired on Sept. 20, 2011.

In the long history of the PGA Tour, only six golfers (so far) have carded multiple rounds of 60 or lower.

This was the 40th time the Curtis Cup was played and Team USA dominated with a 14-point victory. Following this result, the overall series standing was 29 wins for Team USA, eight wins for Team GB&I, with three ties.

This was the 39th time the Curtis Cup was played, and following the Team GB&I victory the overall series standing was 28 wins for Team USA, eight for GB&I, with three ties.

The Player of the Year Award on the Champions Tour is officially named the Jack Nicklaus Award. Nicklaus, however, never won it, because he simply didn't play enough tournaments.

Team USA coasted to victory in the 38th edition of the Curtis Cup. With this result, the overall series standing was 27 wins for the USA, eight for GB&I, with three ties.

Team GB&I eked out a one-point victory in the 37th edition of the Curtis Cup. With this result, the overall standing in the series history was 26 wins for Team USA, eight wins for Team GB&I, with three ties.

A renowned ball- and clubmaker who also designed golf courses and worked as a golf instructor, Ben Sayers was an excellent golfer from the 1870s into the 19-teens. He was also a colorful character known to turn cartwheels in celebration on the golf course.

This was the 36th time the Curtis Cup was played. Following the Team USA victory, the overall series standing was 26 wins for Team USA, seven wins for Team GB&I, and three ties.

The 35th Curtis Cup match was the first one played under an expanded, three-day, Ryder Cup-style format. Team USA was the victor, and with this result the overall series standing was 25 wins for the USA, seven for GB&I, with three ties.

Here's the situation: Your golf ball is on the putting green and you are lining up your putt. The flagstick stands in the hole. Do you have to take that flagstick out before you putt? Or, at least, have someone tend the flag and remove it before your ball reaches the cup?

The 34th Curtis Cup went to Team USA by a comfortable margin. With the result here, the overall standing in the series was 24 wins for the USA, seven for GB&I, with three ties.

This was the 33rd time the Curtis Cup was played, and Team USA claimed the close victory. Following this result, the overall series standing was 23 wins for the USA, seven for GB&I, with three ties.

The United States dominated the final singles session to beat Great Britain & Ireland in the 2019 Walker Cup. Following this result, the overall standing in the series was 37 wins for Team USA, nine for Team GB&I and one tie.

The 2017 Walker Cup resulted in a runaway victory for Team USA. Following this result, the overall standing in the series was 36 wins for Team USA, nine for Team GB&I and one tie.

It was a seven-point victory for Team USA at the 2009 Walker Cup, which was the 42nd time the tournament was played. With this result, the overall standing in series history was 34 wins for Team USA, seven for Team GB&I, and one tie.

At various points in the rules of golf, golfers are told to measure one "club-length" or two "club-lengths" in order to conduct a drop. The drop might be free relief from, for example, abnormal course conditions, or it might be a penalty drop. Either way, the rules tell us to use "club-lengths." That means taking out a golf club and laying it on the ground to measure from where your ball is to where the drop area is. Which brings us to the question in the headline: Can you use any club in your bag to measure a club-length? Can you use a long putter?

Team USA eked out the one-point victory in the 2007 Walker Cup, the 41st time this tournament was played. Following that result, the overall standing in the series was 33 wins for Team USA, seven for Team GB&I and one tie.

The 2011 Walker Cup was the 43rd time the tournament was played. Following the GB&I victory, the overall record in the event was 34 wins for Team USA, eight for Team GB&I, and one tie.

An 8-point win was Team USA's largest since the 1997 Walker Cup. Following this result, the all-time standing in the tournament was 35 wins for Team USA, eight for Team GB&I, and one tie.

We often run into two different spellings of the golf word for a person who carries the golf bag for a golfer: "caddie" and "caddy." Which is correct? It's "caddie." The proper spelling, in a golf context, of this word is always with the "ie" on the end, never with the "y" on the end.

This was the 40th time the Walker Cup was played, and Team USA eked out a one-point victory. Following this result, the overall standings in tournament history were 32 wins by the United States, seven by GB&I and one tie.

Team GB&I posted its largest margin of victory yet at the 2015 Walker Cup, winning by seven points. After this result, the overall standing in the match was 35 wins for Team USA, nine for GB&I and one tie.

What are the lowest scores for a round of golf ever recorded on the Champions Tour? So far, there has been only one sub-60 round, but also 16 rounds of 60. Let's find out which 50-and-over golfers have gone the lowest on the world's top senior circuit.

For the third consecutive Walker Cup, the winner was Team GB&I. (GB&I had never won consecutively prior to the 2001 Walker Cup .) Following this result, the overall standings were 31 wins by the United States, seven wins for GB&I and one tie.

Team GB&I defeated Team USA in the 2001 Walker Cup, making it two wins in a row for the GB&I side — the first time in Walker Cup history that happened. With this result, the overall standing of the series was 31 wins for Team USA, six wins for Team GB&I and one tie.

Team Great Britain & Ireland defeated Team USA for just the fifth time in tournament history at the 1999 Walker Cup. After the GB&I victory, the overall standings were 31 wins for Team USA, five for Team GB&I, and one tie.

This was the 36th time the Walker Cup was played, and it resulted in the second-largest winning margin (12 points) to this point in the tournament's history. Following Team United States' victory of Team Great Britain & Ireland, the USA had 31 wins in the Walker Cup, GB&I four, with one Cup halved.

Sixes is a game for groups of four golfers, who pair off for 2-vs.-2 play. The catch: Players rotate partners after every six holes so that each member of the group, over the course of the round, partners with every other member.

Which golfers from the senior set have posted the lowest winning scores in the history of the Champions Tour? The PGA Tour Champions golfers play both 72-hole and 54-hole tournaments, so we've included the records for both in the lists below.

Walter Hagen is one of the all-time great golfers. The 1920s were his decade, but he won his first majors in the 1910s and won his last PGA Tour title in the 1930s. He was one of the biggest stars in all of sports in the Roarin' '20s and, according to some sports historians, the first professional athlete to become a millionaire. Which makes one of his quotes — "I never wanted to be a millionaire. I just wanted to live like one" — even better. "No one remembers who came in second," Hagen would say. And sometimes, arriving to a tournament site, he would ask the other golfers, "Who's going to come in second this week?" Hagen thrived on attention and pressure. At the 1919 U.S. Open , trailing Mike Brady by one stroke on the final hole, Hagen called for Brady to come out of the clubhouse and watch Hagen's attempt at a tying putt. He made the putt, then beat Brady in the playoff. Another time, facing a 10-foot putt to win a tournament, ...

The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles is a golf tournament that was played on the European Tour 14 times in the early 21st century. The tournament was discontinued after it was skipped in 2014 so that the host facility could play host to the Ryder Cup instead.

The 1916 PGA Championship was the very first time this major was played.

Following a two-year break, the PGA Championship returned in 1919 for just its second playing.

The 1920 PGA Championship was the third time this major was played.