[Kim Maengnyeong's Golf English Conversation] "What is the difference between down, stop, and bite?"

Byte is used when you want the ball to stop next to the pin after a pitching shot.

It is very difficult for amateur golfers to stop the ball on the green.

The same goes for professional golf tour players. The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour majors in particular prepare the greens to be fast so that the ball does not stop easily. When watching TV broadcasts, players often shout energetically after attacking the green. They shout "Sit down!", "Sit!" hoping the ball will stop as soon as it lands on the green. Sometimes they say "Bite".

The golf term "Sit down" is used when a high shot is descending from the air and the player wishes the ball to stay at a certain spot on the green. It means "Stand on the green, stay there" (A verbal request for the ball to stop). However, some golfers sometimes imitate the American term but pronounce "Sit" as "Shit". As a noun, it means "feces", and as a verb, it means "to defecate". Care must be taken when pronouncing it.

Similar terms used to stop the ball include "Stay", "Slow down", and "Settle". The term "Stop", frequently used by domestic golfers, means "Stand on the green, stay there" in our way of expression. However, in the US, "Stop" is used when wanting a ball rolling from a topping or chip shot to stop. These two terms should be used distinctly. The similar term "Bite" literally means "to bite" in general English.

A: Shucks! Sit! Sit! Sit down!

B: Too bad! You hit it too hard onto the green and it has bounced into the sand trap on the other side.

A: Like I said earlier, it is very difficult to make the ball bite the elevated green.

B: I know, but I always try to hit a shot with backspin.

Written and photographed by Kim Maengnyeong, Golf Columnist