When is a putt not a putt?

Hi guys

I have been entering my rounds for a few months now but have always entered a putt as a putt if I used my putter......if you know what I mean!

However, I was reading on another golf forum that a putt is only counted as a putt if the ball actually lies on the putting surface. Does this mean that if I putt from the fringe, I do not actually enter it as a putt?

Thanks

Neal

Hi Neal, it's subjective although I believe the tours only count a putt when on the green.

I know lots of Golfshake members do exactly this as well, however for me personally if I'm on the fringe I still count it as a putt.

It's swings and roundabouts really Neal. If you putt from off the green it doesn't count as being as a green in regulation, and I'm just as likely to do a little dink with a 7 iron as I am to putt it. For me a putt is only when the ball is on the green - also helps to get the holy grail of statistics - no FIR, no GIR and no putts for a par!

I agree. I say, "if you can lift it, clean it and align it (i.e. you're on the putting surface), it's a putt". My putting stats are then quite good but GIRs are not - often the first "putt" is from the fringe.

I've this discussion with a playing partner before, he takes about 40-45 putts per round, I'm around 30 putts per round.

He counts any stroke he uses a putter, wherever he is on the course, as a putt. I only count putts if I'm on the green, I sometimes putt from the fringe but not always.

His argument was if you use a putter it's a putt, I disagreed and I only count them when they're on the green.

Thanks everyone!

Well I normally average about 35 putts per round but then on my last round I only counted putts actually on the putting surface and my figure was 26.......seemed like I was cheating!

You had the same score though Neal, it's not how it's how many :-)

That's true Adrian, thanks

I'll use a putter if there's no significant fringe only if feel my chipping is not up to it on that particular day, it's a percentage shot but not a putt per se. I think any putt over different surfaces is not a putt.It does detract from the up and down though.

At the risk of attracting lots of criticism from purists, for my own Golfshake records purposes, and to ensure that I don't dupe myself into believing that my putting is better than it really is, I record strokes I make using a putter from the fringe as putts if a I get down in 2 from there and as "non-putts" if I then take a further 2 putts to get down whilst on the green. This tends to even out my stats and allows particularly good and bad putting rounds to genuinely stand out from the crowd.

I couldn't take any great pleasure from recording only 1 putt on a hole where I know I've really got down in from just off the edge of the green in 2.

The burning follow up question that will occur to some of you is, would I record such a scenario as a GIR, if I'm just off the green in par minus 2. Well, actually I probably wouldn't - again, because to do so would just dupe myself in to believing that I'm more accurate than I really am. many of you won't agree with this approach, I know, but my records are primarily for my benefit, and as long as I'm consistent to my own principles, my records form a clear and valuable aid to targetting improvements in my own game.

A shot from off the green with a putter is just a chip played with a club with no loft in my opinion and definitely doesn't count as a putt, its still a chip.

We have had this question a few times.

For me, the ball has to be on the green to be a putt.

If I'm off the green and I choose to use my putter to play my shot then that's my choice.

Russ

This is an easy one for me. If I can mark and clean it (excluding under winter rules) then it's a putt. If I can't then its a chip and I happened to choose my putter to play it

If you are keeping a record of your Stats, it has to be shots from on the putting surface. You can't have a missed GIR with a two putt par.

But then again, in your Stats you have to decide how you deal with reaching a par4 in 1, or a par5 in 2. Is that a GIR?

As they are your Stats it is up to you how you deal with it.

Surely has to be from the putting green only. I have a playing partner that has, on occasion, played a low hard shot with his putter, on par 4's and 5's, when he's been slightly wayward from the tee and ended up the wrong side of a line of trees in the summer just to get back on the right side of the trees before resuming with an iron to the green. Who in their right mind would class that as a 'putt'?

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