What Is A Turkey In Golf?

The term turkey is not something you hear often in golf. It is often a loosely used term to describe something that a player has accomplished. A turkey in golf refers to a player making three consecutive birdies in a row. The feat is something you rarely see in amateur golf, but the professional players will make it more often than not.

If you can play consistently on a golf course, you should be able to readily make a turkey. However, it will take some skill and it should give you a massive buffer on the scorecard. The aim for many beginners is to simply make par. With many short par 3 holes spread in the mix, it becomes much harder for players to make a turkey in golf.

This short article aims to give you some insight into what it takes to make a turkey and if the term means anything in golf. Much like the impossible “Ostrich” shot, it is not a term you often find the commentators use too often. It does not have any significant bearing on the game aside from sounding like something important.

Does A Turkey Affect Your Game?

Unless you have had a massive turkey before playing, and your stomach is all clogged up and needs some time to digest, the turkey on the golf course does not have any significant impact on your game. You rarely hear the term used by professional golfers and it should be something for amateur players to aim for.

As an amateur player, you want to make sure that you improve your game by setting up a few milestones that could give you targets. You might not be able to strategize like the pros, who can often pick the holes they know they can birdie. If you aim for a birdie on every shot, not only will you achieve a turkey, but have an impressive score.

The one keyword to keep in mind is playing an albatross. While we all know that a double eagle means playing a par 5 in only 2 shots, the albatross is the hole-in-one equivalent of the par 5. Playing this shot will take enormous strength and you better hope for a shorter than average par 5 hole. The albatross can significantly improve your game.

Should You Aim For A Turkey In Golf

While it might sound cool to have the term turkey bestowed on you for your golfing prowess, it is not something that golfers should actively focus on. As a tour professional, you have a bit more skill and you can experiment with going for more birdies than the average player. However, the average beginner should focus on improving their game and making as many holes as possible.

You might find it incredibly hard to consistently hole the ball for a birdie, but as you improve, you will get much better at making these shots. Keep in mind that some courses like St. Andrews tend to be much easier to make Birdies than playing Augusta. Augusta is the annual host of the Master tournament and it is purposely one of the hardest golf courses around.

If you hit the occasional turkey, you can make it on your own statistics sheet. However, it is not a significant stat that commentators will hammer on. As mentioned, the professional players constantly hit birdies and often go through the front 9 with 8 or 9 birdies depending on how hard the course tends to be. You can aim for a turkey if it will help you improve your game.

Wrap-Up

Birdies are the lifeblood of a golf game. It is often the shot that wins you the most tournaments and you will be able to rack up a good score. With eagles and double eagles being rare, you should always try to focus on making as birdies as possible. Let us know in the comment section if you have any skills in making a few turkeys on game day.