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Confession: I'm putting everything I can

Bosco... said:
It’s the second best use for a hybrid in my opinion.
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Whole Lotta practice needed though, Woods and Hybrids i feel have almost a Trampoline effect so Ball goes further than you expect.
 
I will putt from EVERYWHERE... fairway, fringe, I've even putted out of bunkers if there's no lip and I can roll it out. It's a better move for me every single time, and has proven itself to me over the last couple of years.

I always love it when buddies give me crap for putting from 10 yards off the green and then end up chunking their chips from the very same place, lol!
 
If it is close enough to putt, I putt. If a little further, hybrid chip. If a little further, lower lofted iron chip. I want it as low as possible as quickly as possible. High shots as last resort (although the new RTZ Adapt 60 does test me on that, because it is just so darn fun to open up and hit flops with...)
 
You gotta follow whatever gives you the best chance for success...I dig it!
 
I think the key factors are:

- Many of us (at least me) overestimate our ability with a wedge. We certainly have visions of a perfect chip rolling up or even holing out, but the reality is we often find ourselves with a 12 or 15 footer even after making what we thought was an excellent chip. Judging which club to use, where to place it in our stance, how much backswing to use, how much spin we're going to get, how to ensure proper contact, and how to make sure the face points exactly where we want requires a ton of skill and a ton of practice. I suspect I think I'm a much better chipper than my stats would actually show, and I practice a lot more than the average weekend golfer.

- As stated previously, when something goes wrong with a wedge, it's often going to go very wrong. An awful shot with your putter is probably going to be that 15-footer that would be a good shot with a wedge. A bad shot with a wedge is going to have you chipping again.

- Simplicity. You know how to putt. There's only one swing. Only so many things can go wrong. On a chip you have to judge trajectory, landing spot, club/turf interaction, and spin.

Obviously there are times when only a wedge is going to work and you're not going to see me 50 yards out pulling a putter. If the grass is deep, or there's a bunker in the way, there's no other choice. Certainly you want to be practicing your short game for those situations. But I do think I can have more up and downs if I putt more often.
 
MtlJeff said:
It's often said your worst putt is much better than your worst chip.
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Are You Sure Schitts Creek GIF by CBC


Who ever said that hasn't seen me try to putt out of the collar or a lot of fringe lol
 
wadesworld said:
Over the years, I've typically used wedges for most of my short-game shots, with the idea that I want to eventually have a high quality short-game, so I might as well almost always chip to try to get better.

But recently after watching an old (or should I say older) guy destroy me in the short-game by putting almost everything, I think I've had a change of heart. My change of heart occurred as I sized up a 50-footer where I was perhaps 10 feet off the green. I would have normally chipped that every time. But as I assessed it, I realized it was a crazy difficult chip. There was a little bit of a rise, then a left-to-right downslope to the pin. I realized:
- If I came up a tiny bit short on the chip, it wasn't going to take the slope and would be 30 feet short.
- If I hit just a hair too far, I'd hit the downslope and it would scream 20 feet past.
- If my chip was just a little off left or right I was going to be way above or below the hole.

Most importantly, it would take a very small error in my strike location or club face angle to miss what I needed by a lot. Furthermore, it would be easy to miss in multiple ways (come up both short and way right of where I wanted for example).

By putting, I was unlikely to completely scuff it and not get it over the hill. Could I hit it too hard and have it go way by? Sure, but I didn't have the problem of needing to land it on a slope in a perfect spot. I was also unlikely to hit it WAY offline. Even in the worst miss, I wasn't likely to miss in multiple ways with a putter. I was unlikely to miss it so bad my next shot would not be a putt - which is an absolute possibility with a chip.

The result of my putt from this tricky shot was the ball nestling up 2 feet from the hole. Needless to say that won't always be the case, but I've change my mindset and if it's ever possible to putt, I'm going to do it. There will obviously be times when a chip is the only shot possible due to the length of the grass or an obstacle in the way. But over 100 shots, I'd be willing to be a lot of money my 100 Texas wedge putts will be closer than 100 chips, and rather than being stubborn, I'm going to take advantage of that reality to attempt to shoot better scores.
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I will putt everything I can before I think about chipping, or pitching. This, up to +/- 20' feet off the green. Just depends whats in my way.
 
I'm terrible at putting from (everywhere) off the green. Give me a wedge every time lol
 
During the months when the grass is dormant, I will always try to putt before chipping because the grass is so terrible.
 
My choice depends on the lie, where the ball is on the green, slopes, and elevations. I have no "this club is first" unless it's already on the green. :)
 
In my last round I decide to putt everything I could. I had several putts over 100 feet and some WAAAAAY uphill. But I kept chugging along and stuck by my plan.

Spoiler: It did not work. Apparently I don't have a 125 foot putt in my arsenal. Was fun though.
 
If I can putt, I'll putt (even with a hybrid sometimes); if I can't putt, I'll chip; if I can't chip, I'll pitch. Any shot like a high lob/flop shot is a last resort when there's no other option.

My worst putt is most likely going to turn out a lot better than my worst chip or pitch, and there's virtually zero chance of me skulling or fatting a putt.
 
You guys had me go and look at my up/downs. Granted, the 2 putter stats listed have been shots probably no more than 2, maybe 3 feet off the green but now I'm thinking I should be looking a bit harder at using it from farther out.

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You don’t ALWAYS have to putt… just like you don’t ALWAYS have to chip. There are times that a wood or hybrid can be better choices. My trusty CHIPPER helps me out in many situations. Options, options, options.
 
Do what works best.

True story. A buddy of mine just cannot chip. It’s a nightmare for him.

He will putt from just about anywhere. I’ve seen him putt from 30-40 yards off the green. One of the guys claims he saw this fella putt from 100 yds out. Even putts out of bunkers if it’s possible. He’s gotten pretty good at it.
 
My father lived by the motto, the quicker the ball is on the ground rolling, the better. He always putted where he could and pitched with an 8 iron where he couldn’t. His sand wedge was only for sand. His pitching wedge was a full shot wedge. His playing partners wallets were lighter at the end of most rounds.
 
I learned this from @Wildcat it is always a better play if you don't have to go over anything!
 
Unless the fairway or fringe is in bad shape or the grass is a bit long, putting is an ideal shot from off the green. The difference between a good and bad putt is less than the difference between a good and bad chip.

You can't blade a putt.
 
AZHack said:
You guys had me go and look at my up/downs. Granted, the 2 putter stats listed have been shots probably no more than 2, maybe 3 feet off the green but now I'm thinking I should be looking a bit harder at using it from farther out.

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Thanks for posting, very interesting. It is hard to conclude much from those putter numbers as you mention. What would be meaningful is comparing up/downs with putter vs up/downs with wedges from the same positions. I often do that that around a practice green, and the putter always wins where the fringe is smooth enough for it to be a reasonable option.

Now chipping 83 times with a GW but only getting up and down at 17% is a bit of a head-scratcher. The problem with scrambling stats is that they are highly dependent on the positions and lies from which you attempt to save par. In my case I only use a 58 from sand, heavy rough, and in flop shot situations. Those results are far below my overall average. Maybe a lot of your GW chips could have been putts?
 
I’m a much better putter than chipper or pitcher, so I’ll putt whenever I can. Obviously if there are obstacles such as rough or sprinkler heads, then it’s a chip or pitch.
 
Unless there's a lot of unpredictable grass before getting to the green, or a weird hip from a bunker or contour of the green, a putt is always going to be better.
 
NeverWiff said:
Do what works best.

True story. A buddy of mine just cannot chip. It’s a nightmare for him.

He will putt from just about anywhere. I’ve seen him putt from 30-40 yards off the green. One of the guys claims he saw this fella putt from 100 yds out. Even putts out of bunkers if it’s possible. He’s gotten pretty good at it.
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We played with a guy at my course one day who putted out of several of the bunkers, and it was kind of eye opening. Obviously it won't work all (or even most) of the time, but it's something I keep in my bag of tricks now and I'll use it when it's a valid option.

We play early mornings, most of the time at least some of the bunkers are still damp from irrigation and kind of packed down, and our sand is on the coarse side. A 'splash' shot with a sand wedge is risky and will often result in skulling the shot, that's an ideal time to use the putter instead if there's no big lip to get over.
 
To bring up the chipper again...I do carry one and in certain situations am waaaay better with it than either my putter or wedge/8 iron. I may use it twice a round, but it's great for those couple of shots.
 
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