When the fairway goes right after the turning point, golfers call the hole a "dogleg right." When the fairway goes left, it is a "dogleg left." A hole that bends only to a small degree might be called a "slight dogleg;" one that bends quite a bit (60 degrees or more) a "severe dogleg."

What is dogleg in golf?

A dogleg is a hole that isn't straight. We wouldn't go as far as saying that straight holes are dull but variety is the spice of life. Golf is made more interesting by holes that change direction. There are many types of dogleg, or at least holes that are called doglegs.

Why do they call it a dogleg?

dog-leg (adj.) also dogleg, "bent like a dog's hind leg," 1843, earlier dog-legged (1703), which was used originally of a type of staircase which has no well hole and consists of two flights with or without winders.