Eagle - Unusually low score on a hole achieved by a golfer with an exceptionally good drive and one or two exceptionally good follow-up shots, or by a golfer with an exceptionally poor memory. See HOLE-IN-ONE.

Egg The ball, but only within the context of putting. You can putt, broom, or roll the egg, but you don't want to chip, pitch, or hit it.

Elephant burial ground Collective term for the huge mounds found on the greens of certain golf courses. Where good scores often go to die.

Elephant's ass A poorly struck shot that is "high and stinky." Usually applied to a popped-up drive that is higher than it is long. An elephant's ass might also prompt a comment such as, "Except for distance and direction, that was a good shot."

Equipment - According to the rules of golf, equipment is "anything that can be thrown, broken, kicked, twisted, torn, crushed, shredded or mangled; or propelled, driven or directed, either under its own power or by means of a transfer of momentum, into underbrush, trees or other overgrown terrain; or over the edge of a natural or artificially elevated area; or below the surface of any body of water, whether moving or impounded."

Etiquette - The rules of behaviour in golf. There isn't room here for a complete list, but a few of the more important ones are:

• Never put tees in your nose.

• Never sneeze into your glove.

• Never concede a chip shot.

• Never hold a ball for another player to hit.

• Never practice drives against a backboard.

• Never wear golf shoes to a dance.

Explosion Shot - A shot in which, after a poorly swung sand wedge fails to contact enough sand, the ball flies off the face of the club and the player flies off the handle.