Fizzo and FISA: Golfer's Slang Explained

"Fizzo" and "FISA" are two slang terms used by some golfers that mean the same thing. And that meaning implies that a golfer needs to work or her putting.

• FISA is an acronym that stands for "fudge, I'm still away."
• Fizzo is the phonetic pronunciation of another acronym, FSO, that stands for "freakin' still out."

In both cases, the "f" actually represents a much-stronger word than "fudge" or "freakin'." We've cleaned it up for the purposes of this definition.

When would a golfer employ these terms? When would other golfers apply these words to a partner? When you've struck a putt that turns out so badly you are still the golfer who is away.

It is tradition in golf for the player whose ball is farthest from the cup to play first. If you are that player, hit your first putt, and then are still farthest from the cup, well, you just hit a very poor putt. And now you have to go again. You are freakin' still out; "fudge," you might say, "I'm still away."

A golfer who commits this putting green sin might be confronted by his buddies teasing him, "you fizzo'd that one!" You might smack your head and exclaim, "Fizzo!" Or "FISA!" Or your buddies might yell it out for you.

A golfer who committed a fizzo, when asked after the round about how he's been putting, might reply, "Well, I had two fizzos, if that tells you anything."

So fizzo and FISA have the same meanings. And what they both really mean is that you sure hit a lousy putt.

More definitions:

• Do you have a 'mouth wedge'?
• What is 'the dance floor' in golf?
• The golf score called the Abominable Snowman

Sources:
Pedroli, Hubert, and Tiegreen, Mary. Let the Big Dog Eat!, William Morrow Publisher, 2000.
TripSavvy.com. "Golf Slang: the Lingo Used on the Course," https://www.tripsavvy.com/golf-slang-and-lingo-1563963.
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