[CathBraunn]

Have you ever chipped from the green? I played at a course recently that had huge greens and to be honest - I hate those very long putts. I'd rather chip, but am quite worried about what I'd do to the green.

[MadMark]

Yep. Just another shot one needs in their bag on occasions. I do try, and I am pretty successful at not damaging the green when I try this shot. The only time I ever do it is when the green is curved, and even though I am on the green, there is fringe/rough between my ball and the hole.

[medifastwoman]

If I remember correctly Stuart Appleby took a huge bite out of the 18th green at Bay Hill a few years ago with a chunked chip .....




.... right in front of Arnold Palmer!

[seosoftseo]

I have done it a couple times, but you need to be careful to pick the ball. Huge kidney shaped greens sometimes require it, or you need to accept a possible 4-5 putt.

[MondayBlues]

Never done it, and if it was choice of damaging the green or 3-putting, I'd take the 3 jack. It's not worth it for a stroke, and if seen by any course staff, you'll likely hear about at the very least least. I know at least one greenskeeper who would have you booted off the course for it.

[Brutton]

Ive never had to do it but if it were a shot I needed in a tourney I would knock half the green out of the ground lol. Its just grass that grows back but if it were a recreational round I wouldnt feel it would be justified.

[movlabc]

Never done it. Only club I'll use once on the putting surface is a putter. If you don't have a straight line to the hole, take the 2, 3, or 4 putt.

[Kimeoffessyr]

I have done it and have always been careful not to damage the green. Its really not that hard to pick it clean without leaving a big divot when the ball only has to go a short distance. Greenskeeper said something to me about it and I would refer him to the designer. If you don't want me chipping, don't make your greens kidney shaped.

[johobuo]

I'm sure #6 at Riviera has had its fair share of green chips!

[Dodoerabe]

Ive never had to do it but if it were a shot I needed in a tourney I would knock half the green out of the ground lol. Its just grass that grows back but if it were a recreational round I wouldnt feel it would be justified.

Pretty much my thought too. If was an important round yes, but just out playing with the fellas, no way.

[RilmAlime67]

Never done it, and if it was choice of damaging the green or 3-putting, I'd take the 3 jack. It's not worth it for a stroke, and if seen by any course staff, you'll likely hear about at the very least least. I know at least one greenskeeper who would have you booted off the course for it.

+1 Most courses here would exit you stage right if they saw/heard you did that. I've never done it nor ever considered it.

[MadMark]

Greens keepers know as well as anyone else that there is no rule against using something other than a putter on the green. The game is designed to score as low as you can, using the best club for the shot at hand. Yes, you should try to do as little damage (if any) to the green as possible. But as mentioned above, the design of the green contributes to club selection based on where the golfer's ball ends up on the green.

Damage the green, try and fix it as best you can. Replace the turf as best you can. I have even seen damaged greens repaired with divot sand. We have all putted on sanded greens at one time or another. All the greens keepers I know carry extra pin plugs to fix this type of damage when they find them. It's a 2 minute repair, and is no different that when they move the pin to a different location. They don't like it, but it is still part of their job description.

Can a greens keeper mark a damaged section of the green as "under repair"?

I can only putt a ball so far. Get me on a huge green with a clear putt to the pin that is longer than I know I can reach, using my putter, then I am choking down and maybe going with one of my woods. There is no need to use a wedge in this situation. I know a guy who has a 34", 12* driver he putts with all the time. He does not carry a putter in his bag. It also doubles for so many other different shots for him. I am even tinkering around with this idea.

[MondayBlues]

Greens keepers know as well as anyone else that there is no rule against using something other than a putter on the green. The game is designed to score as low as you can, using the best club for the shot at hand. Yes, you should try to do as little damage (if any) to the green as possible. But as mentioned above, the design of the green contributes to club selection based on where the golfer's ball ends up on the green.

I played at a course 2 weeks ago where one of the greens has a sign posed that chipping on the green is NOT allowed. It's a long green with at least an 8 foot rise from the front to the back tier. Apparently they had problems with players taking chunks out of the front when trying to reduce the necessity for actually reading a putt from there when the hole was cut on the back tier.

So while it's true that the Rules of Golf don't prohibit it, many courses do NOT allow it, and that is just for the protection of the course. It's simply a bad habit to get into. We aren't pros... we aren't playing for thousands of dollars. Even in a tournament, its still a few bucks in book money.. not worth destroying a part of the green over. Most amateur golfers simply don't have sufficient control over the clubhead to be able to chip without hitting the ground, so it's crazy to allow unrestricted chipping on the greens of a typical public course.

[PlanTaleks]

Why would anyone need to chip on the green? I have never come across this yet.

[movlabc]

The only green I've ever played on where I could see considering it was at Edinburgh USA - it has a combined green for #9, #18, and the practice green that measures out at 43,000 square feet (largest in the US). You can be "on the green" and still be a LONG way from the hole on that monstrosity!

Even with that, I'd still use the putter - it's just wrong to tear up a green because you don't like the line (or lack thereof) to the hole.

[Caunnysup]

Why would anyone need to chip on the green? I have never come across this yet.

Try playing some of our older links courses,you soon discover thats its a necessary evil.

[Brutton]

The 15th hole on my home course is a split level green that you have to take a full swing with your putter to get the ball up top if you are on the lower tier. thankfully all the greens are tiny in depth compared to any course I have ever played. The front 9 was built in 1946 and the back was built about 15 years ago. The small greens are our signature and make hitting accurate iron shots deterimental to scoring. Our largest green is about 30 yards deep and smallest 15 if that gives any indication of the amount of accuracy needed. So I guess what I'm saying is I will never have this problem where I play 90 percent of my golf lol.

[Spisivavona]

It doesnt happen often, but Ive been instances where chipping on the green is a smarter shot than a putt.
If any greenskeeper/marshal chewed me out and asked me to leave the course for chipping on the green, you can bet that would be the last time Id play that course.
Its pretty ridicules that they would be that anal about the greens (no worse than ball marks, IMO).

[seosoftseo]

I believe both Mickelson & Sergio have chipped while on a green. Those are 2 I know of, surely there have been other pro's.

[LeslieMoran]

The only green I've ever played on where I could see considering it was at Edinburgh USA - it has a combined green for #9, #18, and the practice green that measures out at 43,000 square feet (largest in the US). You can be "on the green" and still be a LONG way from the hole on that monstrosity!

Even with that, I'd still use the putter - it's just wrong to tear up a green because you don't like the line (or lack thereof) to the hole.

If you are stubbing the club into the ground before or after you make contact then you are not chipping correctly. A short chip off the green should not do any serious damage.