golf course
B1neutral
Definition
Meaning
A large outdoor area of land with a series of 9 or 18 holes, each with a tee, fairway, and putting green, specifically designed and maintained for playing the game of golf.
Any facility designed for playing golf, including the clubhouse and other amenities. It can also be used metaphorically to describe an area or situation that is meticulously managed or prepared for a specific activity, or as a simile for something expansive and green.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A 'links' or 'links course' is a specific type of golf course built on sandy coastal land, but the term 'golf course' is the general hypernym. 'Golf club' can refer to the organization, the facility (including the course), or the equipment; context is needed to disambiguate.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. 'Course' is universally used. The British might more readily use the specific term 'links' for coastal courses. US English may more frequently use 'country club' to refer to a private golf course facility with social membership.
Connotations
Similar in both varieties, often associated with leisure, business networking, and affluence.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
on the golf courseat the golf courseadjacent/near/next to the golf courseVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's a golf course out there (describing very dry, brown grass)”
- “Treated like a golf course (meticulously maintained).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in contexts of leisure industry, real estate (e.g., 'properties on the golf course'), tourism, and corporate networking ('a deal made on the golf course').
Academic
Appears in geography (land use), sports science, and tourism studies.
Everyday
Common in discussions of hobbies, weekend plans, and local amenities.
Technical
In sports engineering, agronomy (turf management), and landscape architecture.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The field was completely golf-coursed after the redesign.
- They plan to golf-course the entire estate.
American English
- The developer golf-coursed the land to increase property values.
- They're golf-coursing the old farmland.
adverb
British English
- The grass was mown golf-course neatly.
- The land stretched out golf-course flat.
American English
- The lawn was kept golf-course perfect.
- The terrain was shaped golf-course smooth.
adjective
British English
- We stayed in a golf-course-view apartment.
- It was a typical golf-course community.
American English
- They bought a golf-course-front lot.
- The resort has a golf-course vibe.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- There is a big golf course near my town.
- My dad plays golf on Saturday at the golf course.
- The hotel has its own 18-hole golf course for guests to use.
- They are building a new golf course on the edge of the village.
- The championship golf course was designed by a famous architect and is notoriously challenging.
- Environmentalists have raised concerns about the water consumption required to maintain the golf course.
- Negotiations that began in the boardroom were finally concluded on the sun-drenched fairways of the prestigious golf course.
- The proliferation of golf courses in the region has significantly altered the local hydrological system.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the GOALF: Ground Organised For Long Fairways. The word 'course' suggests a defined path or route you follow from hole to hole.
Conceptual Metaphor
A GOLF COURSE IS A MANICURED GARDEN; A GOLF COURSE IS A BATTLEFIELD (against par/the elements); BUSINESS IS A GAME OF GOLF (conducted on a course).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calques like *'гольф поле' (golf pole). The correct equivalent is 'гольф-поле' (golf-pole) or, more commonly, 'гольф-корт' (golf-kort) from English 'court'—but this is a borrowing, not a translation. The standard term is 'гольф-поле'.
- Do not confuse 'golf course' with 'golf club' (клуб or клюшка).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'play golf' with 'in' (*I play golf in a golf course). Correct: 'on' or 'at'.
- Omitting the article: *'He works at golf course.' Correct: '...at a/the golf course.'
- Confusing 'golf course' (the playing area) with 'golf club' (the organisation or the equipment).
Practice
Quiz
What is a specific term for a traditional type of golf course built on coastal sandy land?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A 'golf course' is the physical area of land with holes for playing golf. A 'golf club' can mean: 1) the organisation that owns/manages a course (e.g., 'I'm a member of the golf club'), 2) the whole facility including clubhouse and course, or 3) the equipment used to hit the ball (e.g., a 'driver' is a type of golf club).
The preposition 'on' is used for surfaces and large, defined areas intended for activities (on the field, on the playground, on the island). 'In' suggests being physically inside a container or structure. You are on the surface/area of the course.
Often, but not always. A driving range is a practice area for hitting golf balls, usually with distance markers. It can be a standalone facility or, more commonly, part of a larger golf course complex. It is not the course itself where you play holes.
Informally and creatively, yes, especially in contexts like real estate or landscaping (e.g., 'They golf-coursed the entire property'). However, it is not a standard verb and would be considered non-standard or jargon in most dictionaries. Standard phrasing is 'to build/design/landscape a golf course'.
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