When To Use A Putter (4 Situations)

A golfer should use their putter whenever they are on the putting surface. In addition, many golfers should consider putting anytime they are on the fringe, in the rough just off the green or maybe even in a greenside bunker.

We have all heard the old saying, “drive for show, putt for dough!”

Putting is an extremely important part of the game of golf. Without being able to putt well, most golfers will struggle to make pars.

Not only will the golfer struggle with two putts from over 30 feet, but they might struggle to knock in what many people consider very makeable putts between 3 and 8 feet.

When To Use A Putter?

Update: If you are a great putter, putt more frequently. If you are bad chipper, putt more often. Unless you are have great gift with the wedge in your hand and are a bad putter, the selection of the putter is never a bad idea!

Below, I will dive into helping you determine when to use a putter when you are not on the green.

Resource: Is a new putter worth it?

When To Use A Putter: On The Green

Of course golfers are going to use the putter when on the green. 99.9% of shots on a green will be hit with the putter. If your putter were to break during the round of golf, the golfer could use a 60 degree lob wedge, fairway wood or the driver. Hopefully, this won’t happen to you frequently.

Another situation is if you are on a portion of the green, but can’t get to the hole as there is a part of the rough or fairway that is in the way. Gary Woodland had a famous shot in the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach on the 17th green or it might have been slightly on the fringe, but it shows the perfect situation where a wedge might be needed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwd_78qQlbE

Gary Woodland’s amazing pitch on #17 at Pebble Beach US Open (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwd_78qQlbE)

When To Use A Putter: On the Fringe

The majority of golfers should putt anytime they can and this holds true on the fringe. Unless you are really good at hitting an 8 or 9 iron bump and run, I would say go with the putter. Arnold Palmer has been known to advise that if your worse putt is better than your best chip, go with the putter. I agree 100%. Too many amateurs do not practice the short game enough as far as chipping and should stick with the putter.

As your game advances and you spend more time at the pracitce green, the bump and run might become a go to shot, especially when you have a lot of fringe to contend with.

One of my favorite things about watching the British Open is the amount of putting off the green. On those of the true links style courses the amount of undulation and lack of thick rough right around the green lends itself to using the putter frequently from off the green.

Resource: How to putt with a mallet putter (3 tips)

When To Use A Putter: In the Rough

There could be times when your ball is only a foot or two into the rough and the putter is the right play. Once again, if your worst putt would be better than your best chip, go with the putter. The putter will often take the big number out of play as you do not have to worry about the bladed chip or the chip that only flies 1-2 feet.

Get the solid putter on the ball and get the ball rolling to the hole. As your game progresses and you add more shots to your game, your options will expand.

Resource: 5 Tips for chipping

There are several things you will want to consider:

What is the lie you are faced with?
How much rough do you have to putt through?

How thick is the rough?
How have you been chipping that round?
How have you been putting that round?

How far away is the hole?

All of these questions will factor into your final decision on what club to use. If you want to stay conservative and safe and eliminate the big number, go with the putter!

Resource: Chipping with a 7 iron (5 Tips)

You can putt with the flagstick in or out in today’s rules.

When To Use A Putter: Out of A Greenside Bunker

Yes, there might even be a time when you want to use a putter out of a greenside bunker. It might sound crazy, but consider this situation. (I just saw it the other day)

One of my playing partners was in a bunker beyond the green. Everything flowed down hill towards a water hazard that was in front of the green. The lip of the bunker was relatively flat and there was minimum sand in the bunker and it was quite firm.

The golfer feared blading one over the green and into the water and instead went with the putter. It was a safe play and he was able to get the ball onto the green.

This shot can only be hit with the following circumstances:

The lip on the bunker is almost non-existent.
There is a limited amount of sand in the bunker or it has rained recently and compacted the sand significantly.
The bunker is somewhat downhill.

Of course as your game progresses and you build confidence with the wedge out of the bunker, you can hit the proper shot, but until then the putter is an option for some golfers. The goal in golf isn’t to make it look as pretty as possible, the goal is to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

Who Might Putt Whenever Possible?

There are golfers that either lack skill or have a case of the yips on occasion when chipping. The tighter the lie for many out of a fairway or fringe would make the yips worse as golfers could chunk the ball or blade the ball and the fear takes over.

The key is to practice putting from different lies and compare it to your chip shots. Here is a routine you can do to test when to use your putter or when to chip.

Take a total of 10 golf balls.
Pick a location around the green (maybe on the fringe, rough or greenside bunker)
Hit 5 shots with your putter.

Hit 5 shots with your wedge.
What was the safest play?
What was the play that would get you closest to the hole?

See how the ball reacts out of different locations and repeat this process from different places around the practice green. See what your skill level is and what would be best in different situations on the golf course.

Final Thoughts: My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.

I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

A complete game changer and an excellent way to improve your golf swing and golf scores!

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

George Gankas

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

How to Break 70

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: