Here are the six strategies pros use to avoid them.<\/p>\n
Rule 1: Keep the ball low and the clubhead speed slow<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll keep the first rule brief because it\u2019s a simple one. The first thing that kept showing up in my conversations with pros and teachers was that around the green, clubhead speed is the enemy. That\u2019s what creates thins, chunks and other contact errors. The only time you need to use clubhead speed around the green is to hit high, aggressive flop shots (we\u2019ll get to those), but you don\u2019t want to hit those.<\/p>\n
The goal of basic fairway chips and pitches is to stay basic. Ball low and clubhead speed slow. Don\u2019t get fancy.<\/p>\n
Rule 2: Putt whenever you can<\/p>\n
The simplest way to follow Rule 1 is to putt from off the green whenever possible. You\u2019re better putting from long range than chipping, as Lou Stagner proved with stats here<\/a>.<\/p>\n A good goal for these shots is to finish inside 10 percent of the putt\u2019s distance in feet, so a 70-foot putt should end between seven and 10 feet. That\u2019s much closer than most golfers could chip it consistently, with the added upside that you\u2019re not going to skull, chunk or \u2018whiff\u2019 a putt.<\/p>\n And if you think you\u2019re above doing this, pros really do look for any excuse. I was once with Rory McIlroy when he tried putting out of a bunker because, with water long, he knew it was a great way to take disaster shots out of play.<\/p>\n Rule 3: When you can\u2019t putt, putt with a different club<\/p>\n Sometimes the grass is too long or grainy to roll a putter through. That\u2019s when you need more horsepower without picking up clubhead speed \u2013 which you do by making a putting stroke with a longer club. Stand closer, choke up, take your putting grip and make your putting stroke.<\/p>\n For most of us, that club should be a hybrid. A study by Dr Andy Hoffer at the most recent World Scientific Congress of Golf found that golfers from scratch to a 30 handicap chipped better in these situations with a hybrid than with their wedge \u2013 low handicappers about two feet closer, high handicappers almost four feet closer. And if you don\u2019t think those margins matter, remember that on tour, the player leaving himself 4.5 feet gets up and down 20 percent more than the one leaving himself 6.5 feet.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to use a hybrid, but you should reserve at least one longer club to putt with in these situations. Tiger uses a 4-iron. Justin Rose uses a fairway wood. Whatever you choose, simply making a putting stroke with one of these clubs gives the ball more pop before it begins to roll.<\/p>\n When you have to go over rough, you still want the ball to roll more than it flies. The pros\u2019 stock chip is simple: stand closer, choke down, ball middle to back, weight forward, minimal wrist hinge. To change how much it flies versus rolls, don\u2019t change technique \u2013 just change clubs. Jason Day says he\u2019ll use a 60, a 56 or even an 8-iron for different effects, but the motion stays the same.<\/p>\n![\"https:\/\/www.golfdigest.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2022\/Screenshot](\"https:\/\/golfdigest.sports.sndimg.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2022\/Screenshot%202026-05-06%20at%2012.41.21%20PM.png.rend.hgtvcom.966.544.suffix\/1778085797286.png\")
Rule 4: Aim for at least 50% roll on chips that have to carry rough<\/p>\n