What Do You Call a Good Shot in Golf?

Yelling That's a beauty! after your playing partner stripes one down the middle is part of the fun of golf, but what does it actually mean to hit a good shot? Beyond the common slang and on-course chatter, a truly good shot is a blend of clean contact, proper distance, and smart strategy. This guide breaks down what you call a good shot in golf, what truly defines a quality shot from a coach's perspective, and how you can start hitting more of them.

The Golfer's Lexicon: What We Yell When It's Good

First, let's cover the language you hear on a Saturday morning from the first tee to the 18th green. While there are dozens of phrases, they usually fall into a few key categories that describe why the shot was so good.

The All-Stars: Celebrating Pure Contact

These terms are all about the quality of the strike. When the ball meets the clubface perfectly in the center, it produces a sound and feel that golfers chase endlessly. That's when you'll hear these:

• Pured / Flushed: The quintessential terms for a perfectly struck shot. It felt effortless, sounded crisp, and the ball flew exactly as intended. This is the feeling we're all looking for.
• Stripeshow / Missile / Rocket: Reserved for tee shots, usually with a driver or fairway wood, that are hit both straight and far. It describes a ball that flies on a penetrating trajectory with no wasted energy.
• Caught it Clean / Hit it on the Screws: A more old-school way of saying you hit it perfectly. "The screws" refers to the old persimmon woods that were literally held together with screws on the sweet spot.

The Artist's Palette: Admiring Shape and Trajectory

A good golf shot isn't always laser-straight. Sometimes, the beauty is in the movement. Advanced players who can control the ball's flight earn these compliments.

• High Draw: A shot that starts slightly to the right of the target (for a right-handed player) and gently curves back toward the pin, flying on a high arc. It's often considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing shots in golf.
• Stinger: A controlled, low-trajectory shot, famously popularized by Tiger Woods. It's designed to bore through the wind and run out a long way after it lands. It's a shot of pure control and intention.
• Butterfly with a Sawed-off: A bit of colorful old golf slang for a soft, high fade that lands gently on the green. The "butterfly" is the soft flight, and the "sawed-off" shotgun imagery describes its abrupt stop.

The Course Manager's Nod: Praising Smart Plays

Not every good shot is a highlight waiting for social media. Some of the best shots are the boring, smart ones that keep you out of trouble and set up an easy next shot.

• A Good Miss: Perhaps the most important type of "good shot." It’s an imperfect shot that ends up in a perfect place - like hitting a fade that holds the left side of the fairway away from the out-of-bounds stakes on the right.
• Dead / Stiff: Describes an approach shot that finishes very close to the hole. As in, "He hit it stiff" or "That's dead." It means the next putt is likely a tap-in.
• In the Hoof: A funny term implying a shot is so close to the hole you could walk up and kick it in with your foot (hoof). Same meaning as "gimme" or "inside the leather."

Beyond the Slang: The Real Ingredients of a Quality Golf Shot

Now that you know the lingo, let's get to the important part: what a coach means when they say, "That was a great shot." It almost always comes down to a combination of three core elements.

Ingredient #1: Solid, Predictable Contact

A perfectly "flushed" iron shot wasn't an accident. It's the result of achieving a specific impact condition: hitting the ball first, and then the turf.

Amateur golfers often try to "lift" or "scoop" the ball into the air, which leads to thin shots (hitting the ball's equator) or fat shots (hitting the ground first). A quality shot is exactly the opposite. The club is traveling on a slight downward arc as it meets the ball. This downward strike compresses the ball against the clubface, and the club's loft is what launches it into the air. The divot, therefore, is created after the ball is gone.

To start hitting the ball more cleanly, you have to trust the club to do its job. A simple way to practice this is to place an object - like a tee or a poker chip - an inch or two in front of your ball when you're at the practice range. Your goal isn't just to hit the ball, your goal is to have the club head strike the ball and then continue through to brush the object away. This forces you to get your impact point in the right spot, creating that "ball-then-turf" contact that defines a pure strike.

Ingredient #2: Consistent Distance Control

Yelling "missile" at a 300-yard drive is fun, but pureeing a 9-iron 20 yards over the green isn't a good shot. Quality golf is less about maximum power and more about predictable power. A good shot travels the distance you intended it to travel.

This comes from having a controllable, repeatable swing speed. Many golfers make the mistake of having different swing speeds - a "careful" half-swing, a "regular" swing, and a "let's kill it" swing. This creates massive distance gaps and tons of inconsistency.

The goal is to have one smooth, balanced tempo that you can rely on. Think about the golf swing as a rotational action, powered more by the turn of your body than a violent lunge with your arms. By turning your hips and shoulders back, and then unwinding them through the ball, you create effortless power that is much easier to time. You develop a "stock" distance for each club that you can count on. Hitting more good shots means knowing that your stock 8-iron goes 150 yards, not "somewhere between 140 and 165."

Ingredient #3: A Clear, Strategic Intent

This is what separates low-handicappers from everyone else. A truly great shot starts before you even swing - it starts with a plan.

• Where do you want to miss? Every hole has a safe side and a dangerous side. A good plan always accounts for the miss. If there's water on the right, aiming down the left-center of the fairway and hitting a little fade that ends up in the middle is a brilliant golf shot. It’s a "good miss."
• What's the smart club? The longest club isn't always the best one. Sometimes, the goal isn't to get as close to the green as possible. An excellent strategic shot might be hitting a 5-iron off the tee on a short par-4 to leave yourself a full wedge into the green - your favorite club - instead of risking driver and having a tricky half-shot from the rough.
• What's the target on the green? You don't have to aim for every pin. If the flag is tucked behind a deep bunker, the smart shot - the good shot - is to play to the center of the green, leaving yourself a 30-foot putt. It takes discipline to ignore the flag and play for the fat part of the green, but it’s the an essential skill for scoring well.

Hitting a shot with strategic intent - even if it's "just" a layup - is one of the most satisfying parts of the game. It shows you're not just playing golf, you're thinking your way around the course.

Final Thoughts

So, what do you call a good shot in golf? You can call it flushed, pured, a beauty, or a missile. But now you know the real definition: a quality shot is an intentional act that combines clean contact, predictable distance, and a sound strategy that puts you in a better position for your next shot.

We built Caddie AI on the belief that better decision-making is the fastest path to better golf. We give you on-demand access to the kind of course management advice and situational knowledge that helps you play with more confidence. When you're standing over a tough shot and unsure of what to do, our AI-powered golf coach can analyze the situation, recommend the smart play, and help you commit to every swing like a pro would.