Putting · Tip
When to Putt From the Fringe
Part of our putting programs. Build a program with it
Putting from off the green takes away chunks and thins. But first, check the lie. Look at the grass a couple of inches behind the ball. If thick grass is pressing against it, use a wedge and blade it or chip it. If the lie is clean, putt. Set the putter flat on the ground. Ball slightly forward of center. Don't press your hands forward. Use a longer, smooth stroke. Allow for the grass slowing the ball before it reaches the green.
Step by step
- Check the grass just behind the ball.
- Thick grass: use a wedge.
- Set the putter flat.
- Ball slightly forward.
- Use a longer stroke and allow for drag.
Why it works
A putter has little loft and a flat sole, so it slides along short, clean grass and hits the ball at its equator without digging. That removes the chunk and the thin that a chip can produce from the same spot. Thick grass behind the ball grabs the putter head and twists or slows it, so the lie decides the club. Fringe grass also drags on the ball early in its roll, so you need a longer, smooth stroke to keep the speed up.
Common mistakes
- Putting from a lie where thick grass presses against the back of the ball.Look a couple of inches behind the ball first, and use a wedge if the grass is thick.
- Pressing your hands forward at address, which adds loft-killing lean and makes the putter dig into the grass.Set the putter flat on the ground and keep your hands level with the ball.
- Using a normal putting stroke and leaving the ball short because the fringe slows it.Make a longer, smooth stroke and allow for the grass slowing the ball before it reaches the green.
How you'll know it's working
- The putter slides through the grass without catching, and you hear a clean strike instead of a thud.
- The ball starts on your chosen line and rolls without hopping.
- Your first putts from the fringe finish near the hole instead of well short.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice from a short, clean fringe lie a few feet from the green edge, with the hole close by.
Harder: Move to thicker or longer fringe grass and a farther hole, and decide putter or wedge before each ball.
Common questions
When should you putt from the fringe instead of chipping?
Putt when the grass behind the ball is short and clean and nothing presses against the ball. If thick grass touches the ball, use a wedge.
Why does the ball come up short when putting from the fringe?
The fringe grass drags on the ball during the first part of its roll and slows it. Use a longer, smooth stroke and allow for that drag.
