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i am curious at what distances you guys feel one should chip and when to use a wedge to get on the green? I tend to keep the chip to about 5 yards from the green and wedge from any point beyond the 5 yards.
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
I think it all depends on what you're looking at - yardage is only one consideration. That said, I'm not much for chipping beyond 15 yards (outside 15 I consider it a punch shot if it's going low).
If I've got no interference (ie fairway) I'll look at chipping up. But if there's any kind of trouble (rough, sand, etc), I'll look to pitch. -
Re: when to chip vs wedge play
I agree, there's no hard and fast rules on this, however, it's generally easier to hit a low running shot consistently close to the hole than it is a high-flighted shot so if you can hit a chip shot then that's preferable. A reasonable guide to shot selection is that if 2/3rds of the distance is on the green then hit a chip shot but you do need to consider what's between you and the hole. Obviously water or a bunker will necessitate a flighted shot but any thicker, whispy looking grass can also snag a chip shot so again a lob might be better.
The choice of club will also depend on the distance. If you're near the edge of the green and only have a short amount of putting surface to travel over then you may want to hit the chip shot with a SW or LW, particularly downhill or on a fast green. The more distance you have to play with the less loft you should use. Remember that Todd Hamilton won the open by "chipping" with a 3-wood around the green (although I wouldn't necessarily recommend that approach to everyone)Comment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
The interesting thing about chipping, as noted by Dave Pelz, is that the less loft you have on a club, the more roll there will be.
According to Pelz, the average carry to roll ratio is as follows:
PW 1:1
7i 1:3
and IIRC, 3w is like 1:8.
So in other words,
a PW carries 1', it will roll another 1' (a 2' shot).
a 7i carries 1', it will roll another 3' (a 4' shot).
and a 3w carries 1', it will roll another 8' (a 9' shot).Comment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
Those numbers are very helpful. I dont get a lot of time to practice on the shortgame, and with those numbers in mind, i should be able to make a better educated guess.
Right now i am hooked on the 8 iron for chipping, do you know the ratio for that club?Comment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
Heres a couple of famous names on the subject
Arnold Palmer
Arnie always said that if its a flat shot with nothing in the way and its within putting distance (could be anything up to 100 feet really) then you should putt it. His reasoning is that even a bad putt will be inside 6 feet whereas is has to be a pretty good ship to get as close. A good putt will be inside 3 feet but it would take an excellent chip to get that close. I tried this and he's right (oddly enough for a 7 time major winner and legend of the game) so I go by the following rules, which I think Arnie coined himself though it might have been Jack Nicklaus....
Putt whenever you can
If you cant putt chip and run (mostly running with a 7, 8 or 9 iron)
If you cant chip, pitch (half and half airborne and run)
If you cant pitch, lob (air mail all the way to the target with a very small run out)
Nick Faldo
I saw Nick on the golf channel give a playing lesson round some course and he handed out a really good tip. When chipping from off the green plan to run the ball most of the way but chose a club that will land it about a yard onto the green and run the rest of the way. Apparently this is the best way to achieve consistency in this area. I tried it and it was pretty good, in fact one of my friends who is a regular 75 shooter now swears by it and has knocked a shot of his handicap which he claims is due to less wasted shots around the green.
A lot depends on your type of course. If its a links style then you should be using lots of long putts and chips rather than pitches or lobs. If its more parkland style with lots of raised greens and rough around the green then probably a lob wedge with a low-ish loft is the way to go (maybe 58-60° rather than 64°) which gives you a bit of run as well as good airtime.
Unfortunately this part of the game takes a lot of practice (it can be fun though especially if you practice with a friend and compete with them) but its time well spent, certainly better than battering balls for an hour and it will impact on your scores far more noticeably.
D.Comment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
Please keep in mind that those numbers are a generalization.Originally posted by zhidolon
Your 8 may very well have a 1:3 ratio, or it may be slightly more, or slightly less.
Please keep in mind that a thinned chip has a carry:roll of 1:infinity, while a chunked chip is 1:-1.
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
A few things to consider:
The distance between the ball and the target
The type of terrain between the ball and the target (carry distance)
The elevation of the ground between the ball and target
The type of grass on the green
Is the ball lying fluffy, tight etc
Is the ground wet
The estimated percentage of getting a good shot
Is the target area uphill, downhill or sideways borrowComment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
I chip whenever I don't need to pitch, and I putt if I can.Comment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
Mr. Change, dont you feel like you are more accurate chipping a 20 footer just off the green than putting one? anyone else?Comment
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Re: when to chip vs wedge play
Just a thought..........
I think it's depends on scoring.....
If there is nothing to go over then I tend to bump and run with an 8 iron instead of a flop or wedge, simply because it has less margin for error.
Around the green I use a 60 or 52 for chipping I never putt from the fringe unless I'm coming in 4 under on the last then a putt up will do.
The point is it's about puting a score together not what you fancy trying, unless it's a fun round.
Ian.Comment
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