putting

[cbagnall]

hi everybody
i have just started to play this game again after many years.
when i putt on a wet green more than 10 meters away i hit it full power but cant get the distance ant ideas because its not natural to chip on a green
thanks craig

[Indy Anna Jones]

This is a game, so chip away; it's been an accepted practice since the inception of the game. You didn't say if you're a truswinger or clicker; truswingers get a little more distance than clickers but if you have an uphill putt with more than 3-4" rise 30+ feet (10+ meters) can be difficult. Also greens have various speeds; Bay Hill for example is VERY slow while the textures used for my Bali Shandra and Ullna (different textures) are almost a texture faster; ie, wet->moist; moist->normal; normal->dry; dry->very dry; very dry-> linoleum. Practice makes... well if not perfect then at least familiar!

Welcome back!

[spencerturner]

I am no expert on PGA rules but I think t he only time you can chip when on the green is if there is an immoveable object in the way or the terrain prohibts you from having a clear line to the hole . I saw this happen to Sam Snead once because of the way the green was designed, he did not have a clear path to the hole. He used a pitching wedge and actually took a divot out of the green and he did so without penality.

[Indy Anna Jones]

At the British Open (The Open for our English cousins) Payne Stewart had a long putt on one of those huge double greens and chose to chip, a very unpopular move to the hosts. I can't remember any of the other details (when, what hole) but I do remember that.

That's why I said this is a game, and when faced with game limitations you pretty much do what you have to do. I've green chipped in a lot of games (even with Case's Ladder way back when; ) the only time I won't chip is if I'm in a tourney on season play, but everyone has to do what feels right to him/her.

[SteveHorn]

I try not to chip on greens unless (A) I know I can't get the ball all the way to the hole with a putt or (B) very sevre slope that makes getting the ball to stop near the hole almost impossible. I may not get it close with a chip but I have a better chance.

[cbagnall]

so it is the game and not me ....i wasn't sure because rarely i play with a pro in a group but when i do they putt from any distance
thanks for the reply's

[spencerturner]

Craig may I suggest that you change your green settings from wet to dry or even normal. I respectfully disagree witn Indy that we can make up the rules of golf to suit ourselve just because its a game. To me , its more than just a game. I would hope that most players here would agree with me. Spencer.

[sandwedge]

Long putts on slow greens can be very difficult to get close to the hole. As a clicker, I struggle with leaving a ball so far away because the meter just does not go far enough. I play golf in real life and I may miss a putt but I never have an issue making it to the hole. For that reason, I say it is ok to chip on the green in this game in that kind of situation. My thought process is that the swing meter does not allow me to do what I am able to do in real life so a workaround is in order. Since I love the game and respect its rules, I only chip when I am at a distance impossible to putt from. I think that is consistent with the intent of the rules in real golf as well. As a side note, some of those Barker greens are pretty large and a putt can be from a different county if you hit a bad approach shot in. On his courses, I had to chip a few times on the green - but I thought, "Hey, there is green where fringe should be anyways. I am already off of a normal to scale green at this point anyways so I might as well chip"

Spence,
I do agree we should do our best to respect the rules of the real game of golf when playing. I think there is some room to negotiate though because of a known software issue. I love playing your courses and have got to say that I have never had to chip on one of your greens!

[Indy Anna Jones]

I do respect the rules of golf while playing for real; I wouldn't dream of chipping on a green even if I was 100' away. But as sandwedge said, if the game mechanics make a particular shot extremely difficult then there're compromise situations. (For that matter I wouldn't hit a driver off the fairway either, but do it all the time in the game.)

Question. I haven't read a USGA rulebook in several years. Is there a rule against chipping on a green or is this just a case of understood etiquette? I used to have one of those chipping irons shaped like a putter and required a putting-type stroke but with a lofted edge so you wouldn't take a divot even if you used it on a green.

[Stefan]

There is no praragraph in the official rules of golf dictating which club to use where. You can use your wedge on the green, your driver in the bunker and your putter from the tee if you like.

I don't know how things are in the US though, but in Denmark several golf clubs have local rules stating that only use of putters are allowed on the green. You'll incure 2 penalty strokes (and most likely a ban from the course) if you break these local rules.

On the other hand - I've seen the pros chipping on greens often on TV. If it'll give them a better shot they'll certainly take it.