Phil Mickelson is up there with the greatest wedge players of this century thus far. He has pulled off some epic escapes in his time, but his flop shot off the putting surface on the 6th at Riviera remains my favorite.

Why bring this up? In this article, I answer the common question of if you can chip on the green.

I have simplified the jargon of the USGA rules to decipher whether it is permitted or not. In addition, I explain how local club rules play their part and look at the pros and cons of this action.

Are Golfers Allowed to Chip on The Green?

The short answer is yes, golfers can chip on the green. However, the more pertinent question is should golfers chip on greens. I have set out different situations below which condone and discourage those shots on the green. Let us take a look.

R&A And USGA Rules Of Golf

No R&A and USGA rules prevent you from playing a chip shot off a putting green. That means you do not incur any stroke penalties if you pull out a lob wedge on the dancefloor. However, golf courses may implement local rules to minimize the destruction of property.

PGA Tour

Under USGA legislation, nothing prevents the Pros from using their wedges for a good chip shot.

I already mentioned Lefty, then you have Rory McIlroy. At the 2020 Payne’s Valley Cup, the Northern Irishman chipped his 3rd shot on the par-4 4th to within a couple of feet. Setting him up for a tap-in putt for par.

Even though there is nothing illegal about it, traditionalists frown upon this behavior. Ask Mark Calcavecchia. He was booed in the late 1980s for chipping off the green at St Andrew’s despite the impressive result.

That didn’t deter the former British Open Champion, as he is seen using a wedge in the 2016 Senior PGA Championship:

Local Golf Course Rules

While the rules of golf do not penalize you for a chip or pitch shot off the green, your local club may disagree. Local clubs have the discretion to implement rules specific to their situation.

Many clubs do not have the capital or time to consistently repair damaged greens caused by amateurs’ inconsistent ball-striking abilities. Which is understandable. A green with the ground under repair looks disgusting and annoys other players. It is a surefire to lose members’ and visitors’ green fees.

I have never seen a club with rules that issue a penalty stroke for chipping on the green, but they ask that you refrain from that tomfoolery.

It is an unwritten rule. In casual rounds, you do not resort to such behavior. You won’t be penalized with an extra stroke. However, you will catch death stares from the members and maybe a word or two from the greenskeeper.

There is no tighter lie of the ball than on a dancefloor. That means you need to strike the ball cleanly without touching a blade of grass. Hitting the ground before or after the ball leads to inaccurate trajectory, distance control, and results.

Pros of Chipping on The Green

Avoiding Obstacles

The biggest pro of chipping on a green is avoiding obstacles, be it a bunker, fringe, double breaks, or rough. The design of some greens causes the fringe or a bunker to stand in your line. If you putt it, you would have to go around the hazard and risk the chance of a 3 or 4-putt.

When you absolutely have to chip from the green, I suggest using a lob or sand wedge. A pitching wedge and gap wedge carry excessive lofts for the green. For starters, you enhance the risk of destroying the green. Secondly, they do not possess enough loft and spin needed for a short chip on the green.

Distance Control

The average golfer seriously struggles to judge the distance of long putts, which is where chipping helps. It may be easier for some to better judge the power of the shot (as Calcavecchia found).

On the contrary, many experts in the game of golf would say a bad putt is better than a bad chip, and I would agree for the most part. Some players are better with a wedge than a putter. They feel they can control their shots and flights because of the loft of the club.

Keeping the ball on the ground exposes it to breaks and undulation of greens, which is overwhelming for an experienced golfer to comprehend, let alone a beginner.

Spin

When you putt the ball, you enjoy topspin. However, limited side spin and no backspin are produced. Therefore, chipping allows you to use the slopes and implement spin for added control.

Excellent Substitute For A Poor Putter

This ties into the distance control advantage. Chipping on the green works for those with a less than desirable putting percentage. Chipping on greens with complex breaks erases those factors and allows you to fly the ball up to the hole and reduce the impact of the slopes.

Cons of Chipping on The Green

Tight Lie

A tight lie is difficult to play from because you have no turf to work with. You have to strike the ball cleanly and not take any divot. If you catch the ground before the ball, you will chunk your shot. However, if you strike it late, you will hit it thin.

There is no margin for error on these shots. That is what makes them difficult for the average golfer.

Thin Shots

Following on from the tight lie challenge are thin shots. When amateurs attempt to play this shot, they are rightfully so afraid of vandalizing the green that they catch their golf ball thin. As a result, the ball flies low and past the hole.

Chunked Shots

A greenskeeper and club committee’s worst nightmare. The likely result of the average golfer chipping on the green is ripped-up grass. Golfers hit behind it and take out a chunk of the turf to not avoid a thin shot. The result is a shot with minimal spin and distance and a certain double bogey.

Damaged Green

I have touched on it significantly in this post, but chipping on the dancefloor wreaks havoc. This is costly to the golf course, causes additional work for the greenskeeper, and makes you the black sheep of your club.

Think about it. The more times greens need to be repaired, the higher the club’s annual expenses are. You, as the member or regular visitor, cover those costs. It is called increased membership and green fees.

Everyone loses in this scenario.

Erratic Distance Control

A mishit could send your ball flying past the cup or a few feet ahead of you. There is no margin for error on these shots. That is why the results are erratic for casual golfers.

Unhappy Greenskeeper And Members

Finally, you do not want to desecrate a green if you are a social butterfly and desperately seek the approval of others. Being on the wrong side of the powers that be and your fellow members is a miserable endeavor. They are a catty bunch. Keep them happy so that you can keep enjoying the game of golf without drama.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

Source link

As a PRO member of The Social Golfer, you are free to take advantage of the special green fee rates we have in place with a no of golf clubs in and around London. Please take 5 mins to see which of our TSG Club Partners you would like to play…

Official TSG Club Partner – South Essex Golf Club

As a PRO member of The Social Golfer, you automatically qualify for 15% off all green fee bookings.

How To Book

• Visit the South Essex website
• Select your preferred Tee Time
• Use the code = YJQNPY
• Leave a 50% deposit
• On arrival show your PRO membership profile to confirm you are a TSG PRO member
• Play golf!
• N.B. Code is valid until 31/10/2022

BOOK A TEE TIME AT SOUTH ESSEX GC NOW >>

A unique 27-hole layout set in nearly 300 acres of undulating countryside combines three separate loops of 9 holes.

Spaciously laid-out and designed with nature in mind, The Heron, Hawk and Vixen provide a variety of interesting course combinations. Blending into the gently rolling landscape, each hole is unique and offers a challenge to golfers of all abilities.

Practice before your round on our Toptracer driving range and enjoy a fantastic array of food offerings after your round of golf.

WOW! What a difference…

As a local Brentwood resident, I have had the pleasure of playing at South Essex Golf Club a number of times over the years. However, the change to the course (and Clubhouse) since my last visit in mid-2020 is huge! Not only have the owners spent a great deal of money on restoring the greens and fairways (to an excellent standard) but the hours that must have been spent re-landscaping some of the holes (and bunkers) is truly inspiring. I counted at least six holes that look (and feel) completely different to what was there before. I have always maintained that Essex needs a good, superbly maintained but affordable golf club to play at…and this could be it. I can’t wait to go back and revisit. If you haven’t been to South Essex GC in a while, now is the time to visit!

Read what other TSGers say about South Essex GC – TSG Reviews >>

Source link

Danny Willett three-putted the 18th green from inside four feet after watching Max Homa hole a chip as the 34-year-old Yorkshireman missed out on the PGA Tour’s Fortinet Championship title by a shot.

“It was obviously a disappointing way to finish, but you know, it was the first event of the season, so to be in contention shows that my overall game is in a good place. We’ll live to fight another day,” said Willett, who shot a closing 69 to finish on 15 under.

On Homa’s chip-in birdie from below the green, he added: “I expected him to do it, but then it’s still a bit of a shock when it happens.”

The late turnaround means Willett remains in search of a first PGA Tour title since his 2016 Masters victory.

“It was kind of a wild finish,” said Homa, who carded a final-round 68 at Silverado Resort in California. “The last three minutes are kind of a blur. But I played really good golf. I played solid.”

American Taylor Montgomery, making his fifth tour start, shot the best round of the day with an eight-birdie 64 to surge up the leaderboard and finish third. Rickie Fowler showed signs he is returning to form with a share of sixth place after a closing 69, while Belgium’s Thomas Detry continued to impress as he finished joint 12th.

Source link

There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

What We Tried

SYNLawn Dave Pelz GreenMaker Putting Green

Who Tried It?

Dave Wolfe – The ever-curious MyGolfSpy writer and putter fanatic. When it comes to golf products, I believe impulse control is something to be controlled.

Adding a SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green to My Backyard

We all have our golf bucket lists. Maybe you want to play Pebble Beach, break 80 or even achieve those goals simultaneously. Those two things are on my list as well. Additionally, I have longed to build a putting green in my backyard.

Some impediments were time related; some were fiscal. It’s tough to dip into the family coffers when your daughter needs braces. For some reason, I am the only one in the family who views straight putts equally as important as straight teeth.

Truth be told, the process of building a green was also quite intimidating. Spend a few minutes on YouTube searching DIY putting greens and you will agree. Almost immediately, I realized I lacked the required depth of knowledge about road base compaction and carpet seam construction. In no way was I comfortable spending the money on materials, only to have my incomplete construction skills doom the project.

SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Greens

Obviously, an all-in-one putting green kit seemed the logical choice. That is where the SYNLawn GreenMaker green entered the picture.

SYNLawn and I had an odd introduction.

This project began with an advertising email that SYNLawn Golf sent out for Father’s Day. I don’t believe I had heard of SYNLawn prior to that. This is an odd revelation since SYNLawn is the golf branch of Astroturf, the OG of synthetic turf companies. Astroturf was a name I knew.

Curiosity piqued, I clicked the advertising email (questionable choice, I know, I know) to see if SYNLawn had a backyard putting green solution. They did and there was another famous name associated with the green: Dave Pelz.

Dave Pelz and SYNLawn Partnership

Now that’s a pair of big-name players. Seemed like a natural pairing for a successful putting green collaboration. I had to check it out.

What I found on the SYNLawn website was a whole bunch of cool custom putting green builds. Follow this LINK to see them. Some of these custom putting green builds are spectacular. I love the way the greens can be customized to fit various spaces.

For many of us, this kind of installation is beyond our budget. Thankfully, SYNLawn had options.

After a simple tool-free assembly, you are ready to enjoy your very own putting green in the privacy of your home or office. SYNLawn website

The GreenMaker seemed to be the perfect DIY putting green system. Modular base, single piece of turf, and “simple tool-free assembly”? Yes, please. The nylon synthetic bentgrass turf can survive the hot summers and the mild, dry winters here in Northern California. Some quick measuring revealed that the 18×12-foot green would fit nicely along my back fence.

Finally, the backyard putting green was going to happen.

Building the SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green: Time Lapse

The video above shows the whole SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green installation process from prep to putts. Start to finish in only five minutes! . Obviously, that video is sped up a touch. In reality, the installation took a few hours, spread over a few days, with 90 percent of that time being spent preparing the ground for the green.

Here is how it all went down.

Building the SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green: Preparing the Area

As I mentioned, I knew exactly where I wanted the green. My wife and I measured the perimeter, marking the corners with flags. Using a string and a level, it looked like there were about four inches of slope that I would need to account for in order to make the putting green level.

Not a problem, as I had some bricks from another project that I could use to build the short wall that would hold back the leveling sand. The 18×12-foot area and a depth of around four inches calculated out to about four cubic yards of leveling sand. That seemed like a lot but not outlandish for a green this size. Gotta trust the calculator, right?

Leveling the base was my main point of order. I ran level strings from corner to corner. These strings became the guide for how much sand to add. After a long afternoon of wheeling, tamping and screeding with a board, I had the level base. It was time to open up the GreenMaker box.

Building the SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green: Assembling the Base

The GreenMaker base assembly was indeed tool-free. The foam base panels are made of Berrasof, a proprietary foam compound produced by SYNLawn. The Berrasof is firm like packaging foam but more flexible and definitely stronger. As I mention in the video, the tiles are all numbered and SYNLawn provides you with an easy-to-follow tiling plan. Initially, I deviated from said plan, thinking that I would build the edges first like I do with jigsaw puzzles.

After getting stuck—and rereading the directions—I learned the tiles are intended to be assembled in one direction. That’s the way the grooves are angled. Once I got out of my own way, assembly was simple. The tongue and groove sections of the foam tiles fit together snuggly. Small pins then secure the attachment sites. Including my false start, the whole process was simple and took about 30 minutes.

At this point, I rolled a few balls across the base to check the slopes. A few areas were too steep but a quick lift of the base and a few shovels of sand corrected that quickly.

Building the SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green: Rolling Out the Turf

Although the near 200-pound roll of turf was a beast to carry to the work site, it was a breeze to install. As I mentioned, in no way was I interested in seaming together multiple sections of turf. Professionals can make carpet seams vanish but I am no professional. I had visions of a big ridge down the center of the green.

Thankfully, the GreenMaker Putting Green turf is all one big piece, fringe included. All you need do to install it is to start at one end and then roll it across the foam base tiles. Make sure you line up the holes in the turf with those in the base, drop in the cups and you are ready to roll balls.

The turf is crazy uniform as you can see in the photo above. Maybe I should have expected this since it’s artificial but the uniform nature of the turf and the surrounding fringe made an impression on me. “Stout” would probably be the other descriptive term that quickly came to mind. This turf should last a while.

As advertised, the balls roll true. Not crazy fast and that’s fine by me. The speed is close to the greens I play on. Were it too fast or too slow, its value as a practice tool would decrease significantly.

I can’t overstate how easy building the GreenMaker Putting Green would have been on a concrete slab. Assemble the foam tiles, roll out the turf and you are done. Under an hour total for sure. SYNLawn has dialed in their design.

Building the SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green: Preparing the Area, Again

It would be great if the story ended in the paragraph above. Sadly, it has another chapter. While the SYNLawn side of the build story was extremely easy, my backyard didn’t share that easy directive.

You see, when moving the mulch in the original installation area, I uncovered a previously unknown sewer cleanout. For some reason, it seemed a poor idea to put the putting green on top of this cleanout so we had to slide the green up the hill about four feet to sit above it.

Unfortunately, this changed our slope from about four inches to nearly a foot. As such, my initial sand retention system was not going to work.

As shown in the time lapse, I was able to get the green level with the short wall but I knew rebuilding the base was a necessity. If you were to look from the fence side, you would see the green resting on sand that was above the initial brick height. Obviously, this was not going to work in the long term.

And, so, I learned how to build a retaining wall. Thank you, YouTube. This turned out to be an endeavor. The GreenMaker base and turf only took an hour to build but the wall took about 12. Hardpan and roots were everywhere, naturally, and even buying the hundred or so wall blocks took three trips to Home Depot. At least it was only about 103F here in Sacramento those days. Big props to those of you who do this kind of work for a living.

Eventually, my wall was built, level and able to contain the sand and rock needed to level the green. Once I slid the base back on the sand and rolled out the turf, the GreenMaker Putting Green became a permanent fixture of my backyard.

SYNLawn’s Putting Green Options

For this project, I installed the largest of the GreenMaker greens. But there are other options. This 12×18-foot green is also the most expensive at $5,299. The GreenMaker also comes 10×16 ($3,399), 8×14 ($2,599), and 6×12 ($1,599).

You can go even cheaper if you forego the modular base system. SYNLawn has five other small greens, priced from $169.99 to $679.99. The green shown in the photo above is the 6’x8′ green with fringe. Though smaller than the green I installed, the turf is of the same high quality. Installation was a breeze, requiring only a few books to take the curl out of the unrolled turf.

If you want to go in the other direction, SYNLawn contractors can build you an amazing one-of-a-kind putting green. They do corporate installations, too, if you have a rooftop that needs a bit of golf action.

Final Thoughts: SYNLawn Greenkeeper Putting Green

What is my overall take on the GreenMaker Putting Green experience? Honestly, it requires a bit of compartmentalization, separating the ground work from the putting green building.

As far as the ground preparation work, it was a lot more than I expected. That surprise cleanout turned a simple landscaping task into a huge one and mandated about $500 in additional materials. I’d say I have about 85-percent confidence in my wall build. I’ll feel better once it survives a storm or two. Should my wall fail, I will likely throw in the DIY towel and talk to a contractor about options.

At the other end of the spectrum, the SYNLawn GreenMaker Putting Green System is nails. It is so easy to assemble. The most difficult part was finding another person help me carry the turf and tiles to the build location.

If you build the GreenMaker on a level patio or concrete slab, I’ve no doubt that you can be rolling balls in under an hour. Just keep an eye out for those hidden cleanouts.

See all SYNLawn’s build options at: synlawngolf.com

*We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Source link