Putting From The Fringe

Thu, 02/05/2009 - 15:00 -- Don Trahan

“Putting From The Fringe”

When you are faced with a shot from the fringe of the green, the first club you should always consider, or as I say in my golf schools, '€œrule in or out,'€ is your putter.‚  Why?‚  Because it is the safest and surest club for pulling off a good shot, especially in a pressure packed situation.‚ 

Let'€™s look at why it is the safest and surest.‚  Most teachers and golfers with any experience will tell you that the odds of hitting a good shot are much more likely using the putter.‚  They likely will say that a bad putt is always way better than a bad chip or pitch.‚  There is less margin for error with the putter because you are using a putting stroke versus a chipping or pitching swing, where hitting the turf and taking a divot increases the degree of difficulty exponentially.‚  Bad options now in play are chunking it short or thinning or skulling it way past the hole.‚ 

So, when on the fringe, if putting it is the better and safer play, does that mean we always and automatically grab the putter.‚  NO!‚  Even though it is the safer and better odds play, you have to do a little homework to decide if it is the shot to use rather than a chip or pitch.‚  You have to check the lie, the grain or direction the grass is laying, the path the ball will travel through the fringe and lastly the slope of the fringe.‚  Let'€™s examine what you are looking for in each of these.

Lie: is the ball sitting up, clear and free of obstructions that will impede it from rolling straight and true? A clump of grass behind the ball will impede solid impact affecting distance control.‚  A clump in front can cause the ball to pop up, or jump sideways affecting direction control.

Grass:‚  is the grass closely mown, and the ground consistent?‚  By consistent, I mean that it is free from bumps and irregularities.‚  And most importantly, look which way the grain of the grass is growing or laying down.‚  If the grass is growing or laying into or against you and that is the direction you have to putt, you have a major '€œno can do'€ for putting.‚  Putting against the grain can pop the ball up, right or left, as well as grab or slow the ball down going through it. All of ‚ these will cause problems in distance and direction control.

Path:‚  once you determine your line, you have to check that line or path through the fringe for irregularities that can knock the ball off line.‚  You are looking for thick patches of grass, weeds, sprinkler heads.‚  And don'€™t forget that if you flew your ball into the fringe and it didn'€™t bounce onto the green but instead sat down or rolled backwards, you are looking for your ball mark.‚  (Note: you cannot fix a ball mark in the fringe in your line whether it is your mark or another.‚  You can only fix a ball mark on the green.) If your ball mark is like any of the other path problems or is in your line and will mess up a good roll, you have to revert to the back-up plan of a chip or pitch.‚ ‚  ‚  ‚  ‚ 

Slope:‚  Is the fringe from your ball to the green flat, downhill or uphill?‚  I am a firm believer that flat and downhill slopes are OK for putting from the fringe.‚  I don'€™t like, and recommend being very cautious about, putting when the slope of the fringe is anything more than a gentle and consistent uphill rise to get onto the green.‚  If the slope is too steep, hitting the ball with a putter of likely no more than 4 degrees, will drive the ball directly into the hill, popping it up, and likely guaranteeing you will come up way short.

Phil Mickelson., in the 2007 Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, on the third hole of the playoff‚  with Charles Howell, had around a thirty foot shot from the fringe in front of the green.‚  When the camera zoomed in, I noticed he had an up-slope fringe to go through.‚  I was certain when I saw the degree of up-slope he would chip it, especially as good as he is around the greens.‚  He chose the putter.‚  The ball slammed into the hill, popped straight up, and by the announcers estimates came up at least ten feet short.‚  He missed the putt and Charles Howell became the 2007 Nissan Open Champion.

Phil, played the odds. There is no doubt that he was under extreme pressure, and the putter is by far the best odds from the fringe, especially in a situation like he was in, a playoff .‚  I am certain he checked his lie, grass, path and slope, and judged them all acceptable, or he would not have putted.‚  After all, he had just a half hour earlier putted off the fringe on the 18th hole to make par to tie Howell.‚  But, that fringe was relatively flat compared to the 3rd playoff hole fringe.‚ 

The key here is that the up-slope as I saw it presented a problem and thus decreased the odds of a successful putt.‚  The up-slope had a high potential for popping up the putt, which would likely cause it to come up short, which it did.‚  Now, with this situation, you have to approach it like a poker player.‚  What are the odds of good verses evil in making your decision to putt or chip?‚  My guess is the lie was probably tight and likely the soil was loose and soft. I remember seeing little grass around his ball.‚  A lie like that opened the door for a chunky chip, and thus made the putter a better choice.‚  Once you make your decision, you must commit to the shot, and accept the consequences.

The conclusion to all of this is in many cases the putter is safer and you are likely to hit a better shot.‚  You have to be like a poker player: always analyze the odds of lie, grass, path and slope to choose whether to chip or putt.‚  Once you decide, commit to your shot with 100% plus confidence in your decision.‚  Doubt is death!

Talk to you soon,

‚ 

‚ 

Don Trahan
“The Swing Surgeon”‚ 

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