Chippers and Putting Wedges

[CrazyXGolfer]

There are a few guys on the champions tour using them.

My dad has one, I used it and hated it! But he always puts it close, so he loves it!

I know they are not designed for this, but my dad has used them from 80m outs instead of hitting his 9iron.

[allin]

There is nothing wrong with using one, but as you get better leaving out another club to carry one is difficult. As a 19 handicap you probably already have some basic chipping skills. I see some older guys at my home course who no longer have good function of their wrists and hands who might benefit by using one. I don't see any difference between using a long putter, if you have a weakness covering up is sometimes the way to go. But if you play with single digit handicaps be ready to put up with some guff.

[Cali]

old people and girls

[wigget]

old people and girls

i must be old. i actually used one a long, long time ago. interesting, but really not worth taking a club out of the bag for IMO.

[GaijinGolfer]

Ive owned a couple and they do work really well. They have the shaft of a putter and a big ole rounded leading edge, so its really easy to hit pure chip shots. I personally dont like carrying a club that is a 1 trick pony though.
Id rathar carry another wedge and be able to hit a variety of shots than to waste a spot on a chipper that can only really be used for greenside chipping.

[Bullitt5339]

I carry a 42* Cleveland Niblick 10, which is a glorified chipper. It's basically a funky hybrid 9 iron. While I find myself using it more for shots withing 5 yards of the green where I want a lot of roll out once it's on the green. I know I could just use my 8 or 9 iron, but the alignment aid on the Niblick makes it a lot easier to get it close for me. I can also judge my speed a lot better with it than using an iron. It's also my trouble club from 100 yards and in. It'll get the ball out of any type of lie easily.

If I had 14 clubs in the bag that I loved, I probably wouldn't carry it. I am typically only carrying 12 clubs, so it's easy for me. But it's probably my 3rd most used club in my bag lately.

[Slammin' Sam]

I just played a round today with a friend of mine who, much to my surprise, pulled one out of his bag and started using it to hit flop shots from about 15-20 feet off the green. You can probably guess how that worked out for him.

[6iron]

I've seen mostly older people use them. I'm 50.
I have never used one and my advise is to learn to chip with a wedge in your yard or some place where you can practice.

[breakout89]

I live in TX and for some reason everyone around here calls it a "Texas Pitching Wege". I had one in my bag until last week when I took my buddy out for his first round of golf. He was just off the fringe, so I handed him the club and told him to just use his regular putting stroke and the club would do the rest. He fell in love with club so I gave him my 20 dollar club from Academy seeing as how he would get more enjoyment out of it than I would.

It's a simple club to use but like alot of everybody's previous post, you can get the same shot by using either a wedge or 3, 4 hybrid club.

[Futch]

old people and girls

Had a good chuckle when I read this comment. Well put.

[Zeph]

It is an easier club to chip with, but are perhaps a bit more limited in uses than a wedge, with the slim club head that can cut through grass.

Some years ago people were laughing at those using hybrids, today they are to be found in most bags of the tour players. Don't judge a person by their content of the bag.

[imtomtomim]

Tried it once before. It works fine, but I find that my short game stinks just the same, HA. Don't really have room in the bag for it, and you just can't get as creative with it when you need to.

[erock9174]

I used a chipper ever since I started playing golf about 15 years ago. It's called a ShotSaver. Best $10 I ever spent at Wal-mart.

Basically looks like a miniature golf putter but its lofted on both sides. I've always felt much more comfortable using this for long lag putts from the fringe or slightly off the fringe instead of using a putter or 7i. It gets the ball slightly off the ground at impact and sometimes avoids the fringe bumps that sometimes affect a shot when using a putter from the fringe. I always seemed to get much closer to the hole than using a putter.

Also since it's double sided I've used it lefthanded (I am RH) to punch out from behind trees if I really get into a bind.
Other times if I am stuck behind a low hanging branch I will use this club instead of a normal iron to punch underneath it.

The only downside I see to it.......is at one point I got too reliant on it. Especially when I wasn't carrying a 54 and 60 deg wedge. And My chipping with a PW was horrible. So I started using it from 10 and 15 yds off the green and it would start to get hung up in the grass. That is when I decided to get the 54 and 60 to add to my short game. I'd say I went from using the chipper like 4 to 5 times a round to maybe once a round now. Only time I pull it out is on those long, across the green fringe putts. Anytime I try and smack my putter across the green the ball never rolls well for me (usually bounces)....so the heavy head on the chipper helps me with those lags.
Also it's cool because you line up and hit it just like a putter.

[WUTiger]

Chippers are popular in boxed beginner's sets for women.

Sets often have two woods, hybrid, four irons, a putter, and a chipper. Chipper allows beginners to use a putting stroke rather than a hit-down stroke with a short iron.

[jc650]

I use a 56* Niblick pretty much for greenside bunker shots because I suck at them and this helps me a bunch. It also works well for me with different trouble shots and it goes about 60 yards for me on a 3/4 swing which I admit I dont use it much for. Im no elitist and make no excuses for carrying it and I will continue to do so. I work lots ,have 3 little kids and when I have time to golf its gonna be on the course not at a sand trap at a driving range.

[MOOCH]

I carry a chipper and use it about 2-8 times a round (depends on the round). It's a bump and run club. I've holed out more chips with that thing than u would believe. It's not that I dont have the wedge game. If I have very little green to work with or too much grass before the green then I go to my wedge game, but if I need to get the ball rolling or just over the fringe or rough this is the club I play. The head is weighted and u use a putting stroke. I out chip almost all of the guys I play with. One buddy was trying to tell me they're not legal cause I kept holeing out or rolling it next to the cup and he frustrated with my chipping. Whatever makes u a better player.

[Slammin' Sam]

I've heard other people say before that chippers were illegal but I'm not aware of anything in the rules that says so. I can certainly visualize its use as a "bump and run" club, but I prefer to use a "choked" 7 iron. I've tried a chipper a few times and they feel too heavy and insensitive to me. To each his own.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I used one for a few rounds, and hit come pretty good chips with it. But then I can do just as well with a 6-iron. A chipper is a good club, but your clubs should multi-task and this one doesn't.