Using “The Rule of 12″ For Better Chipping
I have always been a guy who uses his lob and sand wedges around the greens when chipping. I think many players are like this because it seems easier to get comfortable chipping with only one or two clubs instead of having to try and manage their distance control with all the clubs in their bag. The problem with only using your wedges to chip with is, it can be hard to predict backspin and judge how far to fly the ball in the air, especially on chips where you have a pin position on the far side of the green.
I’ve recently become much more receptive to chipping with other clubs in my bag after watching the lesson video below by Brian Manzella, who happens to be one of my favorite instructors. In this video, Brian talks about “The Rule of 12,” and how it can help you pick the right club to chip with so you can manage your distance control and get the ball closer to hole more consistently.
Rule Of 12 Overview
Brian demonstrated very well how the “Rule of 12″ ratio works, but his numbers were off with his distance estimation, which made his math calculations not match up. Since Brian gave us the correct ratio, lets try looking at a chipping situation on our own and see if we can figure out the right club for the job.
Your distance to the hole: 10 yards (30 feet)
Your distance from the edge of the green: 1 yard (3 feet)
Your landing area: 1 yard past the edge of the green
So if you have to carry the ball 1 yard to the edge of the green, and another 1 yard to get to the desired landing spot, that’s a total distance of 2 yards you need to carry the ball in the air. This is the “one part carry” Manzella was talking about in the video. (“one part” = 2 yards in this situation)
So if the ball travels 2 yards to the landing spot, it then has to roll out another 8 yards in order to make it to the hole 10 yards away. So if you divide the 8 yards of roll by the 2 yards of carry, you end up with the number 4, which represents 4 parts carry. That means for this chip shot, you will need 1 part carry and 4 parts roll.
The “parts carry” is the key number to figure out here. If you take the number 4 from the 4 parts carry we just calculated, and you subtract it from the number 12 (Rule of 12), you get the number 8, which means you should use an 8 iron. This club choice should allow you to carry the ball the 2 yards you need to get it to your landing area, and then get the ball to roll out the 8 yards towards the hole.
A good way to measure a yard when you’re out on the course is to take one good sized step like Manzella does in the video. If you pull out a tape measure to 3 feet and then set it on the ground, you can see how big a step you need to take.
More Info on “The Rule Of 12″
If you’re interested in learning more about “The Rule Of 12″, visit this link, http://3jack.blogspot.com/2009/10/some-more-rule-of-12-thoughts.html to see how your lie, the speed of the greens, and the amount you practice can affect your results.
A big thanks to Richie3Jack for posting this video!
Practice hard and have fun!
-Parker