Luke is an avid weekend-warrior golfer from the East Coast who plays golf more than he cares to admit.
Golfers are generally supportive people, which is one of the best parts of playing golf.
There’s usually an encouraging feeling when you’re on a golf course, so you may often hear other players wishing you luck while you play.
There are lots of ways you can wish another golfer luck on their game, but adjusting your wishes in a way that’s related to golf can help you create a connection.
You’ll learn some examples of golf sayings for luck in this post, including some phrases that should not be said during a game.
12 Golf Sayings For Luck
1. Good Luck!
This is a basic phrase, but it’s a simple and effective way of wishing a golfer a great game.
The words ‘good luck’ isn’t likely to be misconstrued, so everyone will know that your intentions are genuine.
This is also a nice phrase when you’re playing a game against an opponent. Golf matches may be competitive, but that doesn’t mean you want someone to score highly.
Every golfer will be aiming to get the lowest score they can, but as they are generally supportive people, they don’t want others to score awfully.
“Good luck” shows another golfer that you care about their performance and their overall game.
When you next notice a golfer about to take their beginning tee, you can’t go wrong with wishing them good luck.
2. Hit ‘Em Straight
A difficult element involved with golf is struggling to hit the ball straight.
Naturally, it’s very hard to hit all of your shots straight, but every golfer will be aiming to do the best that they can.
Even professional golfers find that their ball veers off to the sides occasionally.
Hitting a golf ball straight is hard to do, but as this is a common target, several people may say the phrase ‘hit ‘em straight’ as they walk to their tee.
The phrase just means that you hope the golfer’s shots end up being straight.
If somebody says this to you, you can simply respond with a quick thank you, or simply say “I always try.”
3. Keep It In The Fairway
A common goal between golfers is to keep the golf ball in their fairway as much as they can.
Keeping the ball in the fairway makes it a lot easier to obtain the following shots to the hole.
Striking an approach shot from the rough is a lot harder than doing the same from the fairway’s green.
You’ll be able to spin the ball and have it land on the green while on their fairway, but this isn’t as easy when striking from the rough.
However, keeping the ball in the fairway can be very hard to do.
Golfers need to practice their game often to keep hitting the ball straight and keeping it inside the fairway.
You can wish a golfer luck by using the phrase ‘keep it in the fairway’ before they get to their beginning tee.
The more a player drives their balls into the fairway, the likelier they are to have a lower score for that day.
4. Have A Nice Game/Round
This statement is used to wish a player a great game before they play. The phrase refers to the round of golf that they will play later.
Some players call golf a ‘golf round’, while others refer to it as a ‘golf game’. This will change based on your preferences and anything you are used to hearing.
If you say ‘have a nice game’ as they head to the tee, they will be glad about what your wishes mean for their round.
It doesn’t matter whether your golfer is a beginner or more experienced, ‘have a nice game/round’ is a suitably polite phrase to say to them.
5. Enjoy Your Game/Round
One of the reasons golf is so popular is that it’s a fun activity to do. You wouldn’t keep spending the money or time to play golf if you weren’t enjoying it.
The phrase ‘enjoy your game/round’ can help take the pressure off of the game, helping the golfer change to a more fun mindset. Golfers can often put too much pressure on their shoulders when attempting to obtain lower scores.
This is a nice wish to send someone that you don’t know as well, as it doesn’t involve the golfer’s personal score or golfing capabilities.
6. Keep It In The Short Stuff
The short grass is a huge part of golfing. The more time a golfer spends on the green or in the fairway, the better their score will be.
This phrase can be a nice thing to hear if you’re a golfer that needs to focus on keeping their ball in the short grass.
It’s best not to use this phrase for beginner golfers, as they may not be aware of all the golfing terms yet.
Still, for those who have been playing golf for a while, ‘keep it in the short stuff’ can be a well-received wish to hear.
The term ‘fairways and greens’, is also like this wish, as it mentions the same issue.
7. Fairways And Greens
This is a common wish used when playing golf.
People who have been playing golf for several years, including those working in the golf industry, will appreciate the phrase.
The notion driving this statement is that you are wishing the golfer to hit as many fairways and greens as they can.
The more a golfer spends in the rough, attempting to get back to the green, the higher their score will be at the end.
When you first begin to track your golf statistics, you will soon find out that the two most important statistics golfers look at are greens hit and fairways hit.
Wishing ‘fairways and greens’ to a golfer as they head to their first tee can help them shift their mind on their goals for that day’s game.
8. Good Shots
The statement ‘good shots’ is another way of wishing a golfer luck when they play.
This is an impersonal phrase that is suitable for family, friends, and other players you see that day.
You can either say:
“Good shots!”
“Good shots on your game.”
A point to be aware of is when you are in a clubhouse after your game.
If you meet other golfers who had good shots during their game, the term “good shots” may be confusing.
The statement now seems like a compliment on their game, instead of a good luck wish for their upcoming one.
You can prevent this confusion by using the statement ‘good shots’ as a way of wishing good luck and as a complement, interchangeably.
9. Go Low
Unlike other sports, golfing involves scoring as low as possible. The lower somebody scores, the better their game will have been.
A nice way of wishing someone luck for their game is to say ‘go low.’ This simply means that you hope that this golfer scores lower on their game.
However, it’s best to save this phrase for golfers that usually have good scores. If someone normally shoots around 110, use another phrase until their scores start to improve.
For example, if one of your friend’s goals is to break par, they may like to hear the ‘go low’ phrase, as it reminds them of their target.
10. Enjoy The 19th Hole
“Enjoy the 19th hole’ is another common phrase you may hear when playing golf.
This statement is a nice way of wishing another golfer good luck on their game, as the 19th hole is a general name for the clubhouse once all 18 holes have been played.
Here are some other examples related to the phrase:
“Looking forward to seeing you at the 19th hole!”
“Will see you at the 19th hole later, have a nice round of golf!”
11. Avoid The Rough
The statement is a simple way of wishing a golfer good luck, as it hopes that the golfer will avoid hitting their balls in the rough.
If the day is particularly sunny or hot, a golf course can be harder to play on as the rough is denser. If a golfer is having a tough game, you can also use the phrase to encourage them to play on.
It’s a nice way of helping the person feel less pressure and concerns over hitting the ball into these areas.
12. May The ‘Fores’
This fun phrase is related to Star Wars, as the statement is uttered whenever the characters have a hard mission to do.
The phrase ‘may the fores’ plays on the word ‘force’, as ‘fores’ is a golf term that warns when someone is in the golf ball’s path.
This is an amusing phrase that can help take the pressure off of the game ahead.
What You Shouldn’t Say To Golf Players For Luck
The phrase ‘good luck’ does have weight in golf, but it does have other meanings.
It’s often used to welcome someone, particularly someone new that you haven’t met yet.
However, there are some phrases that you shouldn’t say to other golfers.
These have other meanings regarding relationships and friendships, so you should avoid using them to wish luck to others.
Here are some examples of statements that you shouldn’t say:
1. Avoid Hitting It In Water
This phrase can be misconstrued as the golfer may believe you think that they are a terrible golfer, regularly missing or hitting the balls in water.
2. Break His Heart, Why Don’t You
This statement means that you don’t want the other player to hurt your feelings. This is not a friendly wish, as the other golfer may feel additional pressure before they play.
3. Don’t Shoot
This is a sarcastic statement that’s used to wish good luck to another golfer on their game.
4. Don’t Hit Near Me
This statement means that you are worried about the other person’s shot. This can add more pressure and throw the person off of their game.
The Bottom Line
There are lots of ways to wish a golfer good luck, so as long as your intentions are genuine, the golfer is likely to appreciate your wishes.
Golf is a supportive game, so encouragement is often valued before someone plays a game.
Now that you know some popular golf good luck phrases, along with some that you shouldn’t use, you can begin wishing luck to your golfing friends in several different ways.
