Make the Turn - When you move from the front side of the course to the back nine (tenth hole), you have made the turn. You probably also tallied your score for the first nine, which may turn your stomach.

Make the Cut - To qualify for subsequent rounds in a tournament.

Mark - Any small object, such as a coin or tee, placed directly behind a ball to indicate a point on the green that is 5 inches farther from the hole than the spot where the ball will be replaced.

Match Play - Golfing competition whose outcome is determined by calculating which team or individual had the lowest score on the most holes.

Mallet - A putter shaped like a mallet.

Mashie - Old fashioned hickory shafted iron varieties of which were similar to today's 5,6 and 7 irons.

Medal Play - Golfing competition whose outcome is determined by calculating which player had the lowest overall score for 18 holes.

Melee Play - Golfing competition whose outcome is determined by a fist fight on the 18th green.

Member's Bounce - A lucky bounce that creates the illusion that a golfer is familiar with the course and knows how to play his shots accordingly.

Mickey Mouse Course - A golf course with many flaws, possibly including poor maintenance, too many short holes, and tacky architectural features.

Military Golf - "Left, right. Left, right." (See also army golf!)

Milk the Grip - Lighten and tighten the grip on a club alternately before beginning a swing. This enables a golfer to get exactly the correct grip pressure (light) for a solid stroke.

Mixed Foursome - A quartet of golfers composed of two separate grounds for divorce.

Muff - To mishit a shot.

Municipal Course - Golf course owned by local government and open to the public.

Mulligan - When a player is allowed to reply any one shot per hole.

Mulligan - A second, provisional ball played following a tee shot that may be lost or unplayable. If the first ball is indeed lost or unplayable, the "Mulligan" is then played with a one-stroke penalty. If the provisional ball is played, but the player forgets or declines to add the penalty stroke to his or her score, it's a "Haldeman." If the player finds the original ball in a playable but inconvenient position, surreptitiously pockets it and plays the provisional ball, again without penalty, it's an "Ehrlichman." If a player steals a ball from an opponent's bag to play as a provisional ball, then counts neither the stroke used to hit it nor a penalty stroke, it's a "Nixon."