Best Way to Hit a Golf Ball from Just off the Edge of the Green

When you are playing a ball from just off the edge of the green, the easiest thing is to use your putter. Don’t think that there is anything amateurish about using your putter rather than chipping. The key is to use the club which works best for you.

You can putt the ball through slightly thicker and wetter grass than most club golfers imagine, but remember that as you strike a ball it firs: slides, then rolls and then wobbles. If you are playing a very short shot from off the edge of the green, the ball is more likely to get caught up in the grass than playing a longer shot. So, when you can putt, do so. If the grass looks a little too thick to putt through, then chip the ball with a 7 iron. If you don’t have a 7, then use a 6 rather than an 8.

The idea of this basic shot is to make a putting stroke with a slightly lofted club so that the shot becomes a putt with a hop. We want to turn the 7 iron into something that feels like a putter. There are three differences. Firstly it is longer, secondly the 7 iron has a round grip rather than a flat grip – so that it will feel different in your hands – and thirdly it sits at a different angle.

In other words, the putter sits up and the 7 iron sits slightly lower. In order to chip well, sit the club up on its toe so that the shaft of the club sits up towards you just like a putter. Use the orthodox putting grip, with your hands the same height off the ground as they would be with your putter. This should put you well down the grip of the club with your right thumb and index finger off the grip and onto the shaft itself.

• Sit the 7 iron up on its toe, sitting up towards you like a putter. Grip well down the grip with your putting grip, standing close to the ball and with your eyes directly over the ball, just as you would with putting. The toe of the club is just slightly into the grass with the heel off the ground. Once you do this in fluffy grass, it doesn’t feel awkward.
• With the club sitting slightly on its toe, position the ball towards the toe of the club. This is the part that will brush the grass. Use the standard putting grip, with the left hand turned round to the left and both thumbs showing. You shouldn’t see the logo on the back of your glove. By contrast the wrong grip sees too much of the back of the left hand and lacks firmness for controlling distance.

• Lean slightly to the left so that the top of the clubshaft is always much closer to the inside of your left wrist than your right one. The weight is slightly on the left foot, with the shoulders level. Unlike putting, the club should just brush the grass very lightly, sending the ball away with a hop. The key with the stroke is not to try to help the ball into the air.
• The top of the club stays close to the left wrist right the way through to the end of the swing with the left wrist firm. If you incorrectly try to help the ball, the left wrist buckles. Think of hitting slightly down and keeping the ball travelling lower than the club wants to hit it. Resist any feeling of helping it into the air.