I stumbled upon "Rule of 12" chipping the other day and it intrigued me. I've been taught my whole life to pick one club and do all short game shots with it. The remotely analytical approach to Rule of 12 chipping and getting the ball rolling quicker seems like it would help a lot with consistency.

Basics of the Rule of 12 Chipping is that it helps you pick what club to chip with based on how long you have to carry it and how long you have to roll it. So if you have a 1 yard carry and a 5 yard roll you would go

12 - (5/1) = 7 iron.

If you had a 3 yard carry and a 3 yard roll you would go

12 - (3/3) = 11 (Gap Wedge)

The idea is you use the formula to calculate what club you need then use the same stroke for all the chips. You would obviously accommodate uphill and uphill/downhill lies, uphill/downhill rolls, and different speeds as well by going up or down 1 or 2 clubs.

Anyone chip like this? This seems like it would take a little of the guesswork out of it and the inconsistency I sometimes struggle with when chipping with my SW for every shot. It makes even more sense when I switched to single length clubs.

Edit to say if my explanation is lacking there are some good videos out there if you google. It used to be rule of 11, but the strengthening of the lofts in modern day clubs increased it by 1.

Unless it's a really short chip, I'm going 58 everytime. I think it's easier to be comfortable with 1 club in multiple situations.

Interesting nonetheless.

Chipping is strength of my game. I chip with anything from 4 iron through sand wedge. I chip any time I can.

I am familiar with rule of 12 but I don't use it. Just figure out 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, etc ratios. The rest I use Kentucky windage depending on green.

I go through phases in which I'm strictly using 58 and/or 56. However, when Ryan Bell was a teaching pro at Briarcrest he introduced this to me. And I usually go back to it when I'm struggling with the touch on my wedges and wonder why I strayed away from it.

If I don't get much practice throughout a few weeks I lose touch with this just the same. Even still, I have probably holed out more chips with this style of chipping in the last 5 years than standard chipping. What I like most about it is, I'm using the same motion whether it's a 50 foot chip or a 15 footer. All I have to do is actually pick out my spot once I've walked it off since the speed of my chip will always remain pretty constant.

The only negative is, if I rely solely on this(and devote my practice to this style) I typically will stink it up for those further off the green chips.

I do the 1:.5, 1:1, 1:2 approach for my chipping.

If I know I have carry of 5 yards and roll of 10, i grab my 50* and land it 5 yards on. To get your ratios, find a flat part of a practice green and place a tee about a pace on the green. Try to land it as close to the tee as possible and measure the roll out. 5:10, 5:15, 5:20.

Once you have that it is math on the course 10 yard carry, 10 yard roll, get you 1:1 club.

I might give this a try. Chipping around the green has always been a feel thing for me. I bump and run with my 7-W depending on the distance and the roll I want. But I've never tried to measure it and have a set standard.

Similar to the clock thing with pitching, I've never tried that, but probably should for better consistency.

Question...Does it keep me from skulling my chip across the green?

Because for some reason if I chip with anything other than a PW that's what I'm doing.

Man, I'm going through a big bout of the chipping yips.... if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

AggieC07 said:

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Man, I'm going through a big bout of the chipping yips.... if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

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Weight on your front foot, slightly open, and make a putting stroke

Here are some good videos explaining this:

So, if you consider a Gap an 11, SW a 12 and LW a 13, you never use the LW?

ORAggieFan said:

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So, if you consider a Gap an 11, SW a 12 and LW a 13, you never use the LW?

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For chipping, I reckon not. I could see using the LW for all "pitches," but this technique is meant to get the ball on the green and rolling as fast as possible with a putting stroke.

I've read some people use the rule of 13 instead to include their LW, especially if they are playing really fast greens.

I'm going to experiment with this, but hypothetically, if you had a downhill chip that called for the SW, you would club down to LW.

Even though this is a somewhat scientific approach, it's still more art than science.

I thought this was a Seriously77 thread before opening it

You can use all the math you want, and for some of you it will likely help.

You still have to be able to execute the shot.

Chipping is about feel. You have to read your shot like a putt, also taking into account the dynamics of a pitch, especially with shots that you don't have much space for a roll. Your stroke has to be consistent and your ball striking has to be on point.

The biggest problem for most people is not what club to use. It's the fundamentals. Most people have no idea how to judge a shot and end up decelerating and flubbing the ball. A chip is not meant to be a "do all around the green" shot. It's meant to be the most accurate form of getting the ball to the hole when you dont have the luxury of putting as an option.

If you're 20 yards from the hole with a down slope and multiple breaks, no amount of math is going to help you decide what to do if you can't already take a SW and get it to at least 10 feet. You have to have the feel that is built up over time and practice around greens.

I grew up on a green. Every night, I took 20 balls and threw them in all directions around the green and tried to get my shots as close to the hole as possible. Some were short and easy chips, some were flops over a bunker. Some were on the downside of a hill facing an upslope to the hole. Some were nearly full blow pitches. some were with tree canopies to stay under, and some were just long ass shots with tons of green to work with. I used the same club for every shot and eventually built up a feel that has never left me. My ball striking doesn't always perform, but my ability to understand my situation and what shot is optimal is always there.

I understand not everyone had/has this luxury. But the point stands. However you decide to do it, with whatever club, you have to be able to understand the dynamics behind your situation and visualize what it takes to pull it off. If that's a 7 iron for the specific shot, then be confident in it. If you ever find yourself struggling hard, it's likely because you haven't been able to gain a feel for your shots, and your lack of confidence is keeping you from striking the ball the way you need to.

I would say so, as you can basically take a putting stroke at it.

There is a lot of merit to what you typed. But, for a quick rebuttal, using the Rule of 12 w/ a putting stroke the fundamentals of chipping aren't as much of a focal point. Not to say they're unimportant but it allows for more simplicity and less thinking.

I still put weight forward and open my stance slightly, but the "feel" for a 3-5 foot carry w/ 4-5 clubs is simpler (to me at least) than using 1 or 2 clubs for a myriad of distances. However, practice put in is ultimately one of the most important factors of becoming better at chipping. Even though we know that we need to improve something in the short game, most people carve out way more time for range (if they practice at all) than they will for chipping/putting/sand trap practice.

Also, this is used mostly on shots where you are just off the green (max I will consider to use this is about 7-10 feet) and never in a situation in which I have to carry a trap or a long distance.

Stopped by my local range and tried this out today, and I'm sold.

For me, it allows for was less skill to be successful. I tried it with everything from a 6 iron to my gap wedge and it felt like the consistency was much better.

Don't get me wrong, the pitch shot still has to be a part of your game, but this will allow for much more simplicity and consistency in my eyes on those balls where you just miss the green.

I use a 50* on every shot from 115 in with the occational hybrid around the green in some situations. This includes bunkers and flop shots. My 56* has been in my garage for years.

I had one lesson in my life, and this stuck with me: Take the longest iron that has enough loft to get the ball barely on the green for your distance, and make that 1/3 of the total distance to the pin, leaving 2/3 for roll.

snowaggie said:

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I had one lesson in my life, and this stuck with me: Take the longest iron that has enough loft to get the ball barely on the green for your distance, and make that 1/3 of the total distance to the pin, leaving 2/3 for roll.

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Not every club has 2x the rollout. For me a wedge is 1:1, while a 7i is 1:3

There are so many scenarios of the roll out of a golf ball to go based off of ratios. downhill/uphill. grains, wet/dry different speeds of golf courses. For the most part a 60 yard or in shot is a feel shot. Same for anything around the greens.

I learned this at a coaching school gig at Lakeway about 15 years ago. It is extremely consistent, it does take some of the guess work out of your chip shots, and it is something to help you with your confidence when missing greens. When I work golf camps and clinics, that is one thing that I try to emphasize that can be a stroke saver.

Golf1 said:

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There are so many scenarios of the roll out of a golf ball to go based off of ratios. downhill/uphill. grains, wet/dry different speeds of golf courses. For the most part a 60 yard or in shot is a feel shot. Same for anything around the greens.

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All feel. More I spend time with my shag bag, closer my approaches get

irish pete ag06 said:

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I stumbled upon "Rule of 12" chipping the other day and it intrigued me. I've been taught my whole life to pick one club and do all short game shots with it. The remotely analytical approach to Rule of 12 chipping and getting the ball rolling quicker seems like it would help a lot with consistency.

Basics of the Rule of 12 Chipping is that it helps you pick what club to chip with based on how long you have to carry it and how long you have to roll it. So if you have a 1 yard carry and a 5 yard roll you would go

12 - (5/1) = 7 iron.

If you had a 3 yard carry and a 3 yard roll you would go

12 - (3/3) = 11 (Gap Wedge)

The idea is you use the formula to calculate what club you need then use the same stroke for all the chips. You would obviously accommodate uphill and uphill/downhill lies, uphill/downhill rolls, and different speeds as well by going up or down 1 or 2 clubs.

Anyone chip like this? This seems like it would take a little of the guesswork out of it and the inconsistency I sometimes struggle with when chipping with my SW for every shot. It makes even more sense when I switched to single length clubs.

Edit to say if my explanation is lacking there are some good videos out there if you google. It used to be rule of 11, but the strengthening of the lofts in modern day clubs increased it by 1.

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Unless I'm missing something in the explanation, this looks like it could be simplified greatly:

1. If the roll needs to be less than the carry, use SW.
2. If the roll needs to be about the same as the carry, use GW.
3. If the roll needs to be about twice the carry, use PW.
4. If the roll needs to be about three times the carry, use a 9.
5. Anything greater than that, might as well just use a 7.

Chart out the formula 12 - (roll/carry) on graph paper, and that's what you get. About 80% of the chips with this formula are going to be SW - GW - PW anyway.

I just practice in my backyard with a SW, a small hitting mat, and a hula hoop. I throw the hula hoop somewhere in the yard and try to land my chips in the hoop. Practice, practice, practice.

G Martin 87 said:

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irish pete ag06 said:

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I stumbled upon "Rule of 12" chipping the other day and it intrigued me. I've been taught my whole life to pick one club and do all short game shots with it. The remotely analytical approach to Rule of 12 chipping and getting the ball rolling quicker seems like it would help a lot with consistency.

Basics of the Rule of 12 Chipping is that it helps you pick what club to chip with based on how long you have to carry it and how long you have to roll it. So if you have a 1 yard carry and a 5 yard roll you would go

12 - (5/1) = 7 iron.

If you had a 3 yard carry and a 3 yard roll you would go

12 - (3/3) = 11 (Gap Wedge)

The idea is you use the formula to calculate what club you need then use the same stroke for all the chips. You would obviously accommodate uphill and uphill/downhill lies, uphill/downhill rolls, and different speeds as well by going up or down 1 or 2 clubs.

Anyone chip like this? This seems like it would take a little of the guesswork out of it and the inconsistency I sometimes struggle with when chipping with my SW for every shot. It makes even more sense when I switched to single length clubs.

Edit to say if my explanation is lacking there are some good videos out there if you google. It used to be rule of 11, but the strengthening of the lofts in modern day clubs increased it by 1.

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Unless I'm missing something in the explanation, this looks like it could be simplified greatly:

1. If the roll needs to be less than the carry, use SW.
2. If the roll needs to be about the same as the carry, use GW.
3. If the roll needs to be about twice the carry, use PW.
4. If the roll needs to be about three times the carry, use a 9.
5. Anything greater than that, might as well just use a 7.

Chart out the formula 12 - (roll/carry) on graph paper, and that's what you get. About 80% of the chips with this formula are going to be SW - GW - PW anyway.

I just practice in my backyard with a SW, a small hitting mat, and a hula hoop. I throw the hula hoop somewhere in the yard and try to land my chips in the hoop. Practice, practice, practice.

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Yes. Even though rule of 12 attempts to bring a little science in there, it's still more art than anything when you have to take into account all the different lie angles, landing zone, green speed etc.

I've only practiced this 3 times, but like you, I have already began to develop a feel for which club to use just by eyeballing it and using the exact rules you had above. Still haven't played a round yet, but each time I practice I keep an "up and down" percentage in my head after I go putt each chip. I've average 15-20% higher each time using this style.

I agree with the logic of rule of 12, but in practice it doesn't work for me. I always pick the the lowest lofted club that I can still feel aggressive with. I never want to feel like I need to baby a chip to just land it on the green and roll out. To me, anything lower than a PW just comes out too hot for most chips. I want to land several paces on the green (if possible), not just a couple. I rarely go lower than the 50 degree wedge. I don't mind a little extra carry because I'm so comfortable with it and can confidently predict the roll out.