What club do you use? Ball on the fringe of the green and pin is 15 feet from the fringe.

[nsxguy]

Do you guys have a lot of Bermuda in Virginia ? Or is it mostly Bent ?

Up north, NYC and surrounds, given the parameters of the question I'd probably putt it most of the time as well but down here in SoFla it's all Bermuda and that stuff is sticky and very variable. Very difficult to tell how it'll come out with even 6" of fringe between the ball and the green.

[Mikey5e]

just some friendly sarcasm

[nsxguy]

"It's commonly said on tour"Yes I forgot that most of the folks in here are PGA level golfers, or they think they are. Although, for the minority of us the putter is the way to go. It is "commonly" said by golf teachers to get the ball rolling as soon as possible when around the green.

Sarcasm ? Your first sentence, sure. 2nd one ? Not so much.

That aside I've never heard nor read about a golf teacher saying that (on the ground asap) ABOUT A PUTT.

A putt, despite the skidding that occurs off the blade is already on the ground asap.

A CHIP ? Sure. THAT is where I've heard an instructor tell "us" to get the ball on the ground and running asap.

That said, we both get to do it whichever way we prefer. What a country, eh !!!

[davep043]

We have primarily bent, and I agree, this is easier to putt through. But I play a fair bit in the Pinehurst area and yearly around Palm Springs, where I believe most of their fairways and fringes are Bermuda, and I'll generally make the same choice there. Similarly in Scotland and Ireland links, the fairway cut is very putt-able. I don't get much golf in really grainy Bermuda, so I can see that being a consideration.

[Pepperturbo]

Yep, for a 15 handi that may be the best choice, nothing wrong with that. You asked why??? I answered with what I know. My 14 handi buddy putts from all over mostly because he can easily skull the ball over the green, lousy touch. I have NO stock shots, as club choice depends on condition variables. If conditions are ripe I will use my LW, maybe even it's toe, heal up, and flip the ball over the apron and roll like a putt. I learned that technique and some others from a relative that played on PGA tour.

[Pepperturbo]

I am well aware WHY so many putt from all over the place. I am also aware in regional events and match play, if conditions allow, my competitors, 5 and lower, attempt to hole out as opposed to get it close. Stats are for TV viewers, not so much all tour players. They seldom putt from off the green, unless "conditions" leading to the green are benign. I hole out 1-3 times in rounds., each results in a birdie or saves par. Putting has resulted in a few hole outs but not nearly as many using LW/SW. Finding time to improve depends on goal and determination. I practice my wedges every day in my office, down the hall to a net. My goal is to keep trending down in hopes of getting back to 2 or 1. That only happens with lower scores and more birdies.

Let me be clear though, I really don't care what club people use around the green, I only stated what I know to be true about greenside wedge use and what I do; not what some teachers talk about to students. You and others are welcome to follow any stats you chose. Have a good day.

[talktoafade]

Obviously depends heavily on conditions/multiple variables BUT the main variable is whether it's dry or wet. 

 

Here in the Pacific NW we play on wet grass I'd say 80%-90% of the year, esp. if you play mostly in the mornings, . 

 

If it's dry I'll take putter all day.  If it's wet, depends on all those other variables and then could be putter, hybrid or, chip with straightest-faced club that can do the job.

 

Scoring is not about your best shots, it's about eliminating your worst shots.  I'm a 9 hcp index, lifetime low of 8, and I play regularly with people who are scratch to index of 15-16.  BY FAR the most straight-up stupidly wasted shots (vs. occasional bad full swing), including from the lowest handicappers, come from chili-dipped, skulled or otherwise bad pitches and chips. 

 

Less loft generally means less chance of disaster.  Fewer disasters equal lower scores. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by talktoafade
typo

[BTmizuno1983]

PUTTER.  Any handicap!

[2over]

I used to use a putter, but have been playing a lot of TrackMan simulator golf lately and you can't putt from the fringe on TrackMan (well, not as my simulator has it set up). Especially if it's downhill and less than 15 feet, I've found opening up a 56* wedge and just bumping it gives me really good results especially when the greens are running over 10 on the stimp. 

 

BTW: you really don't want to miss the green long at Pebble Beach. Very challenging chip when the pin is back--on TrackMan at least.

 

Oh, I'm a -3 hc, pretty good short game.

 

And davep043 makes great points on grass and course condition that I also experience and fully concur with; PepperTurbo makes a great point on how practicing your chipping at home, office, or simulator is the best way to lower your hc!

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by 2over
spelling, grammar, expletive deletion

[VCGolfer79]

Flop shot 

[CoachCraigie]

If I can use a putter I will. There's less to go wrong with it which gives me more confidence. Plus, I think the more I use my putter the better I'll be with it. If it's a tough lie then I'm using an 8 and bump & runnin' it.

[Christen_The_Sloop]

Putter, unless it is soaking wet, then I've used every club in the bag to whole it, except for driver - too much trouble taking off a headcover.

[mogc60]

I’ve made 10000x more 15 foot putts than 15 foot chips in my life. I putt it always unless there is a sprinkler in my line. 

[driveandputtmachine]

I simplified my chipping this year.

No hills and lie is good enough and grass good enough always look to putter.

Any thick or bumpy grass look to hybrid/high loft fairway wood

Clean lie, whatever gets the ball on the green the quickest, huge hills or slope and extremely short sided becomes an all factors.

 

I am a good putter, so my goal is to ALWAYS make sure I have a putt for par.  Sure the lofted flop may get me a tap in 2 out of 5 times(and looks cool), but the other three I am either chipping from similar spot or from 30 feet away, or from 15 feet.  With an 8 iron or hybrid I will almost always have a putt next, worst one 15 feet(out of 5), best one tap in(out of five).

[Hertsjoatmon]

I put a one length 4 hybrid in my bag this year. Its going to be perfect for this kind of shot.

 

Note: It's the only one length club in my bag.

[wfrogge1]

My default club for this used to be my 60 and I got very good with it.  The problem is that that one bad shot out of 10-20 will be really bad due to how much loft I am presenting and the speed I must swing.  I still want the ball to fly over the fringe verus roll through it so to compromise I am using my 50 and 56 degree wedge 90% of the time now.  I am just as good as I was with my 60 and now my bad shots aren't nearly as bad

[wfrogge1]

1 hour ago, mogc60 said:

I’ve made 10000x more 15 foot putts than 15 foot chips in my life. I putt it always unless there is a sprinkler in my line. 

The only way for us to be sure would be for you to start chipping everything from 15 foot regardless if its on the green or not

[xkilgorextroutx]

1 hour ago, mogc60 said:

I’ve made 10000x more 15 foot putts than 15 foot chips in my life. I putt it always unless there is a sprinkler in my line. 

 

This right here. Putter all day long in this situation. 

[dmartin]

uphill pw... downhill or level putter if the lie allows. 

[North Butte]

Almost all of the guys I usually play with will putt if they're close to the hole and just a few feet into the (short) fringe. Some of us putt from much farther out than that but other than us weirdos the transition (on short grass) seems to be at about 3 or 4 paces off the putting surface. Beyond that the normal move is to chip instead of putt.

 

But there's one guy, not coincidentally one of the better players and better chippers in our crowd, who will chip with a PW if his ball is sitting on the fringe literally one inch off the green. Just will not use a putter if the entire ball isn't on the putting surface. But heck, if I had the touch he has I'd chip too. I've never seem him chunk one.

[forrester_fire]

Depends how much of the fringe or collar I have to roll through, and which direction the grain of the grass.  If the grain is away from the green, meaning it'll roll slower until it reaches the green, I'll chip with a 9i or PW...something with just enough loft to clear the collar/fringe and get it rolling.

 

I'm terrible with judging speed when putting off the green, but I've got a buddy that'll putt when he's as much as 5-10 yards off the green from the fairway.  I've seen him putt from the greenside rough and even the occasional bunker, depending on the conditions.  It's ridiculous, and he's ridiculously good at it, but that's how little faith he has in his wedge game.

Edited March 9, 2021 by forrester_fire

[joostin]

Putter if the turf doesn't look like it will cause any big hops.  Otherwise almost any club up to 5W.

 

I always found it interesting though how it seems easy to aim at a hole or flag on close chips and hit it or get close.  Point and shoot straight line.  Maybe it's not as easy to judge distance or break as a putt, and you gotta judge the spin/check, but I can see why people - myself and pros included - feel like straightforward chips are hole-able.

[mogc60]

11 hours ago, wfrogge1 said:

The only way for us to be sure would be for you to start chipping everything from 15 foot regardless if its on the green or not

True as that may be and I’m a very solid chipper but the putter is the safest play all day long. Rough is another story but from the fringe it’s not even a choice. 

[Edsland]

Putter

[1000Memphis]

Arm lock putter for me, with the additional loft it’s almost like a chipper😂

[ShowMe]

I use my 4.5* wedge, aka putter.

[NoCalHack]

I’d bet that 95% of golfers get it closer with a putter.  I wouldn’t even think about chipping. Even tour players are putting a fair amount of time. 
 

But who knows. There is Wrx where a lot of people drive it like DJ. So a fair amount probably chip it like Phil. 

Edited March 10, 2021 by NoCalHack

[A.Princey]

Really depends on the speed of the greens and the height of the fringe. Not everybody's fringe is well-manicured, tour level grass. As such, I really despise putting though fringe, so I play a low bump shot with a PW.  Accelerated putting motion with the ball back, stay really shallow like a putt, wrists locked. I sorta make a decision at the ball, given what percentage of the putt is over the fringe. Anything more than 10% fringe, its a chip.

Edited March 10, 2021 by A.Princey