Use Your Putter For These Greenside Situations (Video) - by Pete Styles
Use Your Putter For These Greenside Situations (Video) - by Pete Styles

Often when I give a chipping lesson to an amateur golfer they work on their chipping stroke really, really nicely but then that they are almost too keen to use that chipping stroke and they forget about the fact they can use their putter when they are not on the green, there is nothing in the rules of golf that says you can't use this for any shot on the entire course. So just because your balls isn’t on the green don’t immediately discount the putter as a good option for actually how you can get that ball up and on the green as close as possible.

Let me ask you this, when was the last time that you ever fatted or thinned your putter, it’s just doesn’t happen, generally speaking the strike on the putt is pretty good, you don’t sort of dig it into the ground and hit your putt three feet very often. So in terms of a club that you can use when you off the green one thing you should be able to guarantee is a descent strike. So anytime you have got yourself in a position where the strike with a chipping club be it a pitching wedge or a seven iron would be looking a little bit in doubt maybe the lie is not very good, the stance is a bit uneven or you are on one of those little green side hollows, anything like that where you think this isn’t an easy chip, consider whether your putter would be a better option. You can always guarantee a descent strike on the putt as long as what you have got to roll over as it comes up towards the green is nice and even, when it gets on the green clearly it will just keep running like the putter is normal, so have a good look at lie have a good look at what's in front of you, if it is nice, smooth and even and there is not too far to get to the putting surface then consider taking a put.

Line it up carefully, look at where it’s going through allow for the fact that if the grass is longer, yes you need to hit it harder that it would do for that length of a putting stroke, but as soon as it gets on the green it will break and curve down nicely, but also practice with this if you are out on the golf course and even there is nobody around just throw three or four balls down around the side of green and just practice putting from off the green, if you ever watched the British Open, they are often putting from off the green, even the best place in the world who are good chippers they will putt from off the green because they can guarantee a better strike as long as it’s the nice smooth roll there is nothing wrong with using this when you are not on the green.

 2012-07-12

Often when I give a chipping lesson to an amateur golfer they work on their chipping stroke really, really nicely but then that they are almost too keen to use that chipping stroke and they forget about the fact they can use their putter when they are not on the green, there is nothing in the rules of golf that says you can't use this for any shot on the entire course. So just because your balls isn’t on the green don’t immediately discount the putter as a good option for actually how you can get that ball up and on the green as close as possible.

Let me ask you this, when was the last time that you ever fatted or thinned your putter, it’s just doesn’t happen, generally speaking the strike on the putt is pretty good, you don’t sort of dig it into the ground and hit your putt three feet very often. So in terms of a club that you can use when you off the green one thing you should be able to guarantee is a descent strike. So anytime you have got yourself in a position where the strike with a chipping club be it a pitching wedge or a seven iron would be looking a little bit in doubt maybe the lie is not very good, the stance is a bit uneven or you are on one of those little green side hollows, anything like that where you think this isn’t an easy chip, consider whether your putter would be a better option. You can always guarantee a descent strike on the putt as long as what you have got to roll over as it comes up towards the green is nice and even, when it gets on the green clearly it will just keep running like the putter is normal, so have a good look at lie have a good look at what's in front of you, if it is nice, smooth and even and there is not too far to get to the putting surface then consider taking a put.

Line it up carefully, look at where it’s going through allow for the fact that if the grass is longer, yes you need to hit it harder that it would do for that length of a putting stroke, but as soon as it gets on the green it will break and curve down nicely, but also practice with this if you are out on the golf course and even there is nobody around just throw three or four balls down around the side of green and just practice putting from off the green, if you ever watched the British Open, they are often putting from off the green, even the best place in the world who are good chippers they will putt from off the green because they can guarantee a better strike as long as it’s the nice smooth roll there is nothing wrong with using this when you are not on the green.