Master Chipping Around the Golf Green with RULE of 12

GolfSmarter.com
This is an excerpt of the Golf Smarter podcast ep532 published on 3/22/16.
Host Fred Greene is at Rooster Run Golf Course in Petaluma, CA with Director of Instruction Dave Johnson. In this excerpt of the full interview, Dave talks about turning 3 shots into 2 by mastering green-side chipping by using a putting stroke and knowing how long the ball will roll with each club.

[@QueensWino]

Best, most succinct explanation of the rule! Thanks for breaking it down without all the excessive verbiage used by others!

[@ScratchArkkitehti]

This isnt counting how many paces off the green you are. The increments come from how many paces from the edge of the collar you are to your desired landing spot EX: Easier than ratios. Ie. Chipping only, recommended to be max. 3 paces off green. Start counting from the edge of the collar to your landing spot. Say 3 paces on. And you're 15 total paces from collar to cup. So you've got 5 total units of 3. Use 12 minus your 5 units = 7iron. Note: might be an 8 for modern lofts.

[@rmarty550]

Great advice, short and sweet.

[@ANTROBUSN]

This has changed my short game for the better!

[@Zerpersande]

Uh, don’t you have the PW and SW turned around in your thumbnail???

[@kipbillings9166]

Wouldn't the math be simpler using the "Rule of 13"? For example, 1 part carry plus 1 equal part roll: 1+1 =2, 13-2 = 11 or SW. Or, 1 part carry, 3 parts roll, 1+3 =4, 13-4 = 9 iron.

[@kbrown4ou]

All clubs loft spacings are similar; except there’s no Gap wedge shown here between the Sand Wedge (1:1) and Pitching Wedge (1:2). I would think the Gap wedge (having a loft between SW and PW) would have 1:2 carry/run ratio, with PW then being 1:3; and so on through all the irons.

[@dougsmith8107]

so this strategy was applied when SW was god knows what, and PW was like 50 degrees, correct? Does it still apply the same? or should we subtract 1 from each club or make it rule of 13 instead due to loft jacking?

[@ScratchArkkitehti]

yes.

[@Jdeneik]

Okay that was confusing

[@kc8923]

No, i dont get the 12 bit!! Like the flight:roll ratio tho.

[@kompratboodsri1186]

Hi, it is a really good technique for chipping. I have one question. I assume this ratio might be used for normal slope. If in case that the slope is down hill or up hill, what the ratio will be. Hope my question is clear and not too late to ask. Thanks.

[@fredgreene]

Great question which we didn't address, but depending on the slope of the up or downhill, you have to adjust accordingly. If you're going uphill, then think getting passed the hole about 1-2ft, downhill, come up short. This video was recorded in 2016.

[@BourneAccident]

Isn't the calculation made a little differently? Units deducted from 12 rather than a flat ratio? Or is it the same thing? What about the GW? Anybody?

[@cmt4724]

It is the same thing. Say you are 40 feet from the hole. And 10 feet to the first flat spot on the green. The ratio of total distance to the landing spot is 4:1. So you subtract 4 from 12 and get 8 or an 8 iron. Or, by his logic, the 4:1 ratio club is an 8 iron since 8+4 ÷12. The method does work well on flat shots. You need to pick landing spots that are close to the edge of the green and relatively flat. And you need to hit the spot. Also consider that modern clubs have stronger lofts. So I have seen it called the rule of 11 or even the rule of 13 depending on the loft of your irons.

[@BourneAccident]

@@cmt4724 Good info... thanks.

[@SoldierPrince]

@@cmt4724 Seems by his 12 rule method it would be the 9 iron that covers the 40 feet.

[@5wisher5weet]

Thumbnail wrong...SW and PW are wrong way

[@brucedavidson8934]

I don't think so

[@swingwizard]

You are right!

[@swingwizard]

OMG! bullshit.why? I am a PGA pro for 20 years now, but when I was an amateur I thought like this too en wanted to have a complete list with distances like what is described here. So I made it. That was on a hard Dutch dry links course with a hard green. I was also member of Golf club du Mans in France (yes the 24 hour circuit) with a forest course and very fast soft greens. (they were like the most American greens). Nothing of my data was usable. Nothing. All my sand wedges were way short due to the backspin.

[@glennthomas6827]

interesting mr pro for 20 years looks like too much wrists/pinch spinning the ball for a check stop but then i am just an amateur who gets the ball near the hole using this method (runyan)

[@swingwizard]

Of course. But it isn't efficient.

[@hongtao2932]

This ration needs the green speed 12 or above. In our green speed 6 course I chip ball with 28 degree chipper the ratio is almost 1 to 1

[@RJMConsultingCDOs]

@@hongtao2932 It is true that the ratio changes with many factors, including: slope of green (downhill or uphill), consistency of strike (in the rough, or bare lie, same strike will produce variance), and, as you mention, green speed. But, the bottom line is are you consistent in chipping to a spot? If you can chip to any spot, anywhere, then you may as well use one club, and just figure out how far the ball will roll using that club. I like the method (but I use a 'rule of 11' on my course, given green speed) bc I focus on the spot 'safely on the green' and learn to trust that the ball will roll out from that spot. I'm ok when chipping to a spot 2 to 5 yards away, but beyond that, with any club, my variance increases substantially. From more than 5 yards off the green, its more a pitch shot anyway. Simple putting like swing from inside 5 yards off the putting surface, this method isconsistent and typically leaves me less than 5 feet for my next shot.

[@hongtao2932]

@@RJMConsultingCDOs Thanks for your advice, I use 55 degree SW and 45 degree PW around green for chipping. If there is back flag and the rolling distance is very along, I use 8 iron.