There are a number of choices when it comes to deciding exactly which clubs to put in your bag for a round of golf. However, one club which has to be in there, is the putter. The putter is the club we see every golfer pull out of the bag, once the ball is safely on the green. That being said, does the putter have to be reserved for when the ball is on the green or can it be used elsewhere on the golf course?
The first thing to point out here, is there is no rule to say you can only use the putter when the ball is on the green. That being said, you clearly do not want to be using it on the tee of when the ball is sitting up nicely on the fairway, 100 yards from the hole. However, there are times when the putter can be a useful club to use, when the ball is not on the green.
For example, if you have played an approach but slightly misjudged the distance and you find your ball on the fringe of the green, this can be a great time to get out the putter. Generally, the fringe of the green has longer grass than the green itself and also the fairway but due to being so close to the green, it makes sense to use the putter, if no obstacles are in the way and the hole is not a million miles away. The putt will need to be stronger than it would be for a putt of the same distance on the green but putting is much easier than taking a chip shot, so it’s a good idea to use the putter.
Many golf courses cut a short area of grass near the green, called chipping areas but just because the word ‘chipping’ is used, does not mean you have to play a chip shot. Unless there is an obstacle between you and the green, putting should be the first option from here.
Finally, it can be possible to use a putter from the bunker. If there is no lip and no obstacles between the bunker and the hole and the sand is very compact, due to wet weather, you can feel confident in using the putter. Again, as a putt is easier to play than a chip shot, it makes sense to use it when you can.
As a rule of thumb, you don’t want to be more than 20 yards away from the green when using the putter but if the conditions are right, you can feel confident in using the putter, when playing from off the green.
