Symptom: Poor chipping, seldom converting up-and-downs from just off the green. All too often, your chip goes about two feet when you wanted it to go twenty feet. Or vice versa. Expletives are uttered...
Description: If you can putt the ball, you should putt the ball. Put away your wedge and use the putter for more consistency and better scores.
Why it works: Around the green, and especially from the fringe, most Occasional Golfers will get the ball closer to the hole with their putter than a wedge. If the ball is on the fairway in front of the green, or the fringe around the green, or anywhere where the golf ball can travel across the grass without too much impediment, PUTT IT! It will save you strokes on the golf course.
After all, you can hit the ball with any club, no matter where you happen to be. There is no rule preventing this!
Putting from off the green is something we can all do, but it's mandatory at the Open Championship. Have a look at Rickie Fowler, he knows better than to chip from just off the green (1:44). Nice result too--have a look:
Often, well-meaning golf teachers and tour pros talk about chipping with a seven iron and such, to carry just on to the green and "get the ball rolling on the green as quickly as possible". This sounds reasonable, and I often hear this advice regurgitated from my playing companions. However, my experience is that this doesn't work very well. You will do better by either a) putting the ball or b) chipping the ball with the club you usually use to chip with and landing the ball on your chosen spot.
Again, putt the ball whenever you can!
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May all your putts roll true -- GolfTipEditor
