In the game of golf, it usually makes the most sense to use a putter once you are on the green for a given hole.
How ever, some people get a rare feeling to want to chip off the green instead of using a putter. For some people, chipping feels more reliable, at least to get an approach shot when they are far from the green.
But can you chip off the green? Is chipping off the green legal according to golf rules? Should you chip off the green? These are all questions this article will answer thoroughly.
What is Chipping Off The Green In Golf?
In golf, chipping off the green means you use a other than the putter to chip the golf ball from the green, making it lob in an arc. Chipping usually requires the use of a golf club with a high loft number (in degrees), such as a wedge.
In golf, the green is the end zone of any golf hole, the delimited section of grass on which the golf hole is; the green is often more or less has a circular or potato shape.
To chip off the green, you would usually use a lob wedge, often with a loft of 58 or 60 degrees. Although you could technically use other golf clubs to perform a chip shot, a golf club with a higher loft number will make it easier to control.
In most cases, it is better to use a putter on the green, rather than chipping the golf ball, unless there is an obstacle between you and the hole that you must lob over.
Can You Chip Off The Green In Golf?
Can you chip in golf? The answer is: it depends.
In most cases, you can totally chip off the green in golf. There is no rule in golf that stipulates that you cannot perform chip shots on the green.
In fact, the rules of golf stipulate that you can use any golf club from virtually anywhere on the golf course.
Technically, this means that you would be allowed to tee off a golf hole with your putter instead of your driver, even though it would probably take an unproductive amount of strokes to get to the hole.
However, chipping can damage the green, creating a divot in the ground. Because of this, your local golf course might disallow using anything else than a putter on the green. The divots will make putting nearly impossible on the green for other players.
If you chip off the green on a golf course where it is not permitted, you are very likely to get either a stern warning, or kicked out of the property.
You must also consider, is it worth it to make a divot in the green just to make one chip shot, even if you are allowed to? Unless you are in a professional PGA Tour tournament, it probably is not worth it. Chipping off the green will seem a bit disrespectful to other players using the golf green because of the divots you create.
How To Chip Off The Green In Golf?
Step 1: Pick the correct golf club
The golf green usually spans over a fairly small area, so to get a good lob on your chipping technique, you should favor the use of a golf club with a high loft number.
The best golf club for this purpose is usually the lob wedge, with a loft number of 58 to 60 degrees.
Step 2: Perform the usual chipping technique
To get a good chip off the golf green, the technique is no different from for a chip outside of the golf green.
To get a good chip in golf, you need to stand in front of the golf ball, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight, upper body hunched over the ball slightly by bending at the hips.
Next, hold your golf club with the correct technique. If you do not know how, read our article: How To Hold A Golf Club Correctly – The Best Golfing Grip.
Then, twist your hips to bring your golf club back for the wing wind-up.
Finally, swing your golf club down to hit the golf ball with the sweet spot of your club head by twisting your hips the other way, and follow through.
For this last step, the swinging down, it is essential that your golf club follows the correct swing path, which feels somewhat unnatural to beginners. If you are new, a great training aid to help you learn correct swing path is the Hula Hoop Golf Club Training Aid, which you can read about in this article: Hula Hoop Golf Club Training Aid – Innovative Golf Development. You can also find the product page for this tool by clicking here: Hula Hoop Golf Club Training Aid Product Page.
If you wish to learn more about how to chip in golf, or need to remind yourself of the basics, read our relevant article here: How to Chip in Golf?.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you have learned that is generally possible to chip off the green in golf, unless your local golf course staff prohibits it, as it can damage the green for other players.
You also got a reminder on how to chip in golf, and discovered an innovative golf training aid called the Hula Hoop Golf Club Training Aid, designed to help you learn & perfect your down swing path.
Have you attempted to chip off the green in a round of golf before? Let us know in the comments down below!
