Golf decisions
Chip, Pitch or Putt? Choose the Route Around the Green
Choose the route the lie allows before choosing a favourite wedge. A putt, a running chip and a higher pitch solve different combinations of carry and roll.
Competitive Play · Updated October 24, 2026
Three routes from three different lies
Original teaching comparison
Three routes from three different liesFictional lie A is clean fringe with a usable rolling path and ample green beyond it.
Consider a putter first; assess the intervening surface rather than assuming it rolls like the green.
CASE 01
A small carry, then room to roll
Lie B needs a short airborne section over uneven fringe before a broad usable landing area.
A running chip is a candidate. Choose the club using practised carry and release, not a fixed ratio assigned to its number.
CASE 02
More air required
Lie C has an obstacle between ball and green, leaving less usable ground before the target.
A higher pitch may be appropriate if the lie and skill allow it. A wider target can be safer than forcing a tight landing.
CASE 03
The lie blocks the favourite shot
Lie D sits down in grass, so the clean-fringe plan cannot simply be copied.
Reassess feasible contact and the safer miss before selecting trajectory or club.
Original hypothetical shot-selection cases. No surface, wedge model, rollout ratio or physical test is measured. The cases compare tasks rather than declare one shot best in every situation.
The short version
- Consider a rolling route when the surface and intervening ground permit it.
- A running chip needs a suitable landing area and room for release.
- More required carry can justify more flight; no club has a universal rollout ratio.
Use carry and roll as the distinction
For this guide, a running chip uses a relatively short airborne part with more of its route on the ground; a pitch uses more flight for the task. These are useful descriptions, not a fixed distance boundary or a rule that one named club must produce each shot.
Michael Breed's written Release Chip Shot explanation encourages considering a putt, then a running option, then more flight as the route demands increase. Treat that as a decision heuristic. Rough, an obstacle or unsuitable intervening ground can remove the lower-flight option even when it would be attractive from another lie.
Let the lie narrow the choice
Inspect how the ball sits relative to the grass, what lies between the face and ball, and the space available for the stroke. Trillium Rose's written comparison distinguishes a clean fringe lie from a ball down in rough. The same setup and shot assumption do not automatically fit both.
Next identify a usable landing area and the room after it. A low running shot needs a route that can accept its release. A higher shot needs a feasible carry and suitable landing choice. Do not choose extra height solely because the flag is visible; a conservative target can leave a simpler next stroke.
Use your own practice evidence for the club
Practise the candidate shots on a suitable short-game area, noting carry, first bounce and final position under those conditions. Change one club or trajectory at a time and keep the lie in the record. This is where a player learns usable options; a generic percentage table cannot establish their personal release on an unfamiliar green.
Use the linked wedge-distance guide for calibration and the lie-specific guide for difficult contact. This page owns the ordinary route choice among putt, chip and pitch. It does not promise that a particular wedge will stop on demand or turn a poor lie into a clean one.
Follow the related task
Sources and scope
Written primary-source material checked October 24, 2026. Examples and diagrams are original educational illustrations. The linked instruction-video descriptions were read; their videos were not reviewed.
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Sources and review
- What it covers
- Source-based educational guide; fictional cases and conceptual diagrams are labeled. No hands-on player study, professional review or measured fitting is claimed. Written source text checked 2026-10-24.
- Checked
Primary sources
What this page cannot tell you
- The illustrations are hypothetical. No individual swing or fitting assessment, physical test or measured improvement is reported.