{"id":754389,"date":"2026-08-30T08:50:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T08:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/754389\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T08:50:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T08:50:20","slug":"gary-players-advice-for-amateurs-when-they-face-tight-lies-around-the-green-forget-the-fancy-chip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/754389\/","title":{"rendered":"Gary Player’s advice for amateurs when they face tight lies around the green, ‘forget the fancy chip’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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During his prime, Gary Player was one of the finest exponents of the short game in the world.<\/p>\n

Player is still a dab hand around the greens at 90 years old.<\/p>\n

However, in spite of his incredible skill level, the South African never overcomplicated matters.<\/p>\n

Simplicity was the key to Gary Player<\/a>\u2018s success when chipping and pitching.<\/p>\n

\"GaryPhoto by David Cannon\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

And sometimes, Player didn\u2019t even pull out a wedge when he missed the green.<\/p>\n

Gary Player\u2019s advice for amateurs when they face tight lies around the green<\/p>\n

The easiest and quickest way for amateur golfers to shave strokes off their scores is to improve their short games.<\/p>\n

However, sometimes that purely involves better decision-making.<\/p>\n

Player shared a tip via his official Instagram account<\/a> to help amateurs save strokes in and around the greens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen your ball is sitting on a tight lie close to the green and there is nothing between you and the hole, don\u2019t make the game more difficult than it needs to be,\u201c the 90-year-old insisted.<\/p>\n

\"GaryPhoto by Kenneth Richmond\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cForget the fancy chip, take your putter and keep the ball on the ground. <\/p>\n

\u201cI believe a bad putt is more often better than a good chip.\u201c<\/p>\n

How many strokes you can save by putting from off the green<\/p>\n

According to Arccos<\/a>, Mid-high handicappers save 0.10 strokes on average per shot when choosing a putter from the fringe (5-15 feet from the edge of the green), rather than using some kind of wedge.<\/p>\n

Their \u2018worst\u2019 putt will average three to five feet closer than their worst chip.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, their \u2018best\u2019 putt will average one to two feet closer than their\u00a0best chip.<\/p>\n

Mid-high handicappers save even more shots from further away (15-25 feet from the edge of the green) when they select a putter rather than a wedge.<\/p>\n

They average 0.15 to 0.25 strokes better with a putter.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, their worst putt will finish five to six feet closer on average than their worst chip.<\/p>\n

As you can see from those numbers, amateur golfers can save numerous strokes per round simply by putting from the edge of the green rather than chipping.<\/p>\n

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