Texas Wedge

I used to play with a guy back when I was in the military that putted anytime he was, I would say 20-30 yards from the green if he didn't have to get it in the air.  He was around a 9 handicap at the time.

I haven't seen any one do that since, that I can remember.

Anyone else do that?

I putt from off the green all the time if it's a tight lie.  20-30 yards is silly though.

Depends a lot on the texture of the grass. If it's spring or fall and the turf is scruffy, I've had too many shots ricochet offline.

If the ground itself is firm, maybe, if it's spongy, definitely NOT.

I'm not proud - if I can putt (reasonably), I'll putt.  If I can't putt I'll chip, and if I can't chip I'll pitch.

I'll putt off the fringe, but rarely ever further out.

My father in law putts out of green side bunkers, true story, it's hilarious and he gets the ball into the middle of the green the majority of the time.

2-3 feet is usually my limit unless it's a nasty downhill shot.  For a short run over fringe, the putter is more certain than a chip, but the longer the distance to the green, or the shaggier the grass, then the more likely I am to chip.

If I'm 20 to 30yds away then there is probably going to be to many things in the way to be able to putt it.  But if I am in short grass less then say 10yds away and no sprinklers in the way....yeah, putter is coming out.

I am going to hit whatever gives me the best statistical chance of getting as close to the flag as possible from around the greens.  And I have found amazingly enough that there is only one club in my bag that I can hit from off the green and never stub it into the green behind the ball and hit it fat, or get steep and early and skull it, or stand up and skull it.....and that is the putter.  My shot zone with putter is far and away better then with any other club.  So I will use it whenever I can.

And I will absolutely attribute this to my up and down percentage going up considerably and my number of doubles dropping considerably....It doesn't take much of a mishit hit fat or thin...especially thin to end up a ways away from the flag from just a bit off the green with a wedge.

Having said that...Most of the courses I now play have a lot of closely mown, tight lies around the greens that allow for this play to be much more relaible

Depends on how high the fairway and fringe is. Most places don't have it cut low enough to make distance control easy. If you like using a putter try out a hybrid and do little chip and run with it. It has more loft and gets the ball bouncing a few times and allows it to go further on less effort.

I use that "hybrid putt" often when there's just a bit too much grass between me and the green to use the putter.  I can almost always get it closer with that shot than I would with a chip, and it eliminates the risk of fatting/skulling a wedge.

There are lots of silly people playing the British Open.

I will do it and have done, but only if the sand is firm and there is no lip.

I saw someone do it a few months back and I was shocked!   At the time, I thought she went mental using a putter to get a ball out of a trap.   Surprised to see others have done that, too.    BTW, she couldn't get her ball out and grabbed a SW for her 2nd shot out of bunker.

Back to OT, for the life of me, I can't putt well off green.   I use 9i or 7i to chip putt whenever I can.