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How far off the green will you putt vs. chip

ddstanford

ddstanford

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I am useless with the "Texas wedge" and will chip almost anything over a foot or 2 off the green unless it is super smooth. Played with a guy the other day who putted from 50 yards. Do I just need to practice more with my putter from the fringes?
 
I putt from off the green 3 times today. It really depends as some days I don’t at all. I’d say distance to the pin has as much or more to do with it. I’m not putting from anymore that 30 ft from the pin if I don’t have to.
 
I will not putt through more than a few feet of fringe. Usually it's my 54* in my hand
 
On most courses, a couple feet. After that I'm skipping that very unpredictable variable. On a really rare occasion on a super tight course or with the grain, I'll go up to about 8'. I don't see the need to practice it any further unless you're bad/uncomfortable with the other clubs you could use.
 
Short grass all the way from me to the hole? Normally about 20-30 yards but if I've already duffed a couple chip shots earlier in the round that will get extended to twice that distance or more.

If there's first cut length rough I'd have to go through I'll putt through up to 5-10 yards of it under the right circumstances. Can't putt through rough if it's long or wet or the grain is against me. And can't putt through rough unless it a long-ish chip shot where the ball can be rolling fast. No such thing as putting the ball through rough with finesse!
 
ddstanford said:
I am useless with the "Texas wedge" and will chip almost anything over a foot or 2 off the green unless it is super smooth. Played with a guy the other day who putted from 50 yards. Do I just need to practice more with my putter from the fringes?
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I was in your shoes a few years ago. I would bring out my 54* and hit check spinners from the fringe. I hated the kick it would get from off the fringes.
 
ApexFan said:
I putt from off the green 3 times today. It really depends as some days I don’t at all. I’d say distance to the pin has as much or more to do with it. I’m not putting from anymore that 30 ft from the pin if I don’t have to.
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good thought, if the pin was really close I would be more likely to putt, but the 60 degree gets the call otherwise
 
If the fringe is short and smooth, I'll putt from it but only from a few feet off max.
 
A foot or two at most unless the fringe around the green is fairly short. Length to the pin also plays into my decision.
 
ddstanford said:
good thought, if the pin was really close I would be more likely to putt, but the 60 degree gets the call otherwise
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The jump from 'putt it or not' to 60* seems a little extreme to me. I don't bump and run a lot, but those are pretty opposite ends of the spectrum. Do you use other clubs sometimes in that situation?
 
Has to be pretty smooth for me to putt more than 5 feet off the green. Otherwise it will be the 50* to chip.
 
It depends on the lie, distance to the pin etc. If I’ve plenty of green to work with, I generally prefer to chip.
 
Newbie, here, seeking education rather than offering an uneducated opinion :)

ISTM, considering the dynamics of a putter vs. an iron/wedge, and the longer grass in the fringe (never mind the rough), that a putter would not work well at all? Aren't such situations the point of refining one's chipping skills?
 
whatever my max range is :facepalm:
 
It depends on what I'm looking at putting through. If it's smooth, closely mown fringe, I'll roll a putt from 15-20 feet off the green. If not, I'll either bump and run with a lower lofted club (sometimes clear up to a 4 hybrid), or chip with a higher lofted wedge if I have to. Lots of options available, it's not just a "putt or chip" dilemma IMHO.
 
It really depends on the grass length and conditions (ie: dew or dry or fresh fertilizer). I’ll generally putt from 3 feet off.
 
For me, it really depends on the course. If its a course with fairways and fringes that are mowed pretty tight, I will putt from the fairway/fringe from up to 10 yards away. IMO, your safest chip is a putt but it only goes so far.
 
It’s subjective based on how I’m playing, but if I can get a good roll, I’ll go as far as 10 feet onto fringe/fairway and putt from there.
 
I have no problem using a putter from 15-25 ft off the green if the grass will allow it.
 
It all depends on the thickness of the grass between the ball and the green for me
 
Will not use putter if the ball is outside of the fringe.
 
It depends on the quality of the grass and the general terrain. I putt from off the green quite a lot because we have extremely tight lies here in Miami, so putting is much more secure than trying to make solid contact to spin a wedge shot.
 
For me, it depends on the lie and what the line looks like. I am better at chipping if the distance is longer than putting.
 
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