What Club Do You Use to Chip in Golf?

Choosing the right club around the greens isn't about finding one single magic wand, it's about learning to see the shot and picking the right tool for that specific job. While a beginner might be told to just use a pitching wedge, the secret to consistently getting up and down lies in understanding how different clubs can make your life easier. This article will show you a simple system for selecting the right chipping club and teach you how to read the situation so you can make the smart play every time.

The Easiest Shot in Golf: The Putt

Before we touch on club selection, we need to agree on a fundamental principle: the easiest, most controllable, and repeatable shot in golf is a putt. Our primary goal with any chip shot should be to get the ball onto the putting surface and rolling like a putt as quickly aspossible. The less time the ball spends in the air, the less can go wrong. Hitting a perfect, high-spinning flop shot looks cool, but for most amateurs (and pros!), the low-running chip is far more effective for scoring.

So, the question changes from "What club do I use to chip?" to "What is the least lofted club I can use to carry the fringe or rough and let the ball roll out to the hole?" This simple shift in thinking will transform your short game.

"The Rule of 12": A Simple System for Chipping

"The Rule of 12" is a beautiful, straightforward system that takes the guesswork out of club selection for standard chip shots from the fairway or light fringe. It works by creating a ratio between how far the ball needs to fly in the air (carry) and how far it needs to roll on the green.

The system is based on the number 12. You'll subtract the number of your chosen iron from 12 to find the ratio of roll to carry. Don't worry, it's simpler than it sounds. Let's walk through it.

Step 1: Get Your Numbers

Walk up to your ball and pace off two distances:

1. The Carry Distance: How many paces is it from your ball to where you want to land the ball on the green? Choose a landing spot that is just a few feet onto the putting surface. Let's say it's 3 paces.
2. The Roll Distance: From that landing spot, how many paces is it to the hole? Let's say it's 9 paces to the hole.

So, for this shot, you have a 3-pace carry and a 9-pace roll. This means you need the ball to roll three times as far as it flies (a 1-to-3 ratio).

Step 2: Match the Ratio to the Club

Now that you have your ratio, you can select the club that produces it naturally. Here’s a simple chart to commit to memory. Remember our goal: Get the ball rolling!

• Pitching Wedge (PW): Roughly 1 part carry to 1 part roll (1:1). Perfect for a chip where your carry and roll distances are equal.
• 9-Iron: Roughly 1 part carry to 2 parts roll (1:2).
• 8-Iron: Roughly 1 part carry to 3 parts roll (1:3). This is the club for our example shot!
• 7-Iron: Roughly 1 part carry to 4 parts roll (1:4).
• 6-Iron: Roughly 1 part carry to 5 parts roll (1:5).
• 5-Iron: Roughly 1 part carry to 6 parts roll (1:6).

This system gives you a fantastic starting point. Instead of guessing, you now have a logical reason to pull an 8-iron for that specific shot. You just use your normal chipping motion, and the loft of the club does the work for you, producing the right amount of roll.

What about the Sand Wedge?

You might notice the Sand Wedge (SW) and Lob Wedge (LW) aren't on that list. Why? Because their job is almost entirely carry with very little roll. They violate our fundamental principle of getting the ball rolling quickly. You should only use these high-lofted clubs when you absolutely have to - like when carrying a bunker to a tight pin where there is no room for the ball to roll out.

Reading the Rest of the Story: Lie and Slope

The Rule of 12 is your baseline, but golf courses aren't perfect grids. You must adjust your club selection based on the ball's lie and the slope of the green. These factors can override the basic math.

How the Lie Affects Your Choice

The way your ball is sitting is immensely important. There are generally three types of lies you’ll face around the green:

• Fluffy Lie: The ball is sitting up nicely on a cushion of grass. This is the dream lie. You can use almost any club here, but be aware that it's easy to slide the club directly under the ball with a high-lofted wedge, causing it to pop straight up. A 7 or 8-iron is often a very safe, reliable play from here.
• Tight Lie: The ball is on very short grass or even thin turf approaching hardpan. This is the lie that causes terror for many amateurs. The biggest mistake is trying to "help" the ball up with a sharp-edged sand or lob wedge, which often leads to the dreaded skulled shot that screams across the green. From a tight lie, embrace less loft. An 8-iron, 7-iron, or even a hybrid used with a putting stroke is your best friend. The flatter sole and duller leading edge are much more forgiving and will prevent digging and blading.
• In the Rough: When chipping from the rough, you have to assess how much grass is behind the ball. Your primary goal is to make clean contact. Often, a more lofted club like a Pitching Wedge or Sand Wedge is necessary. The higher loft helps pop the ball up and out without getting tangled in the grass. The Rule of 12 may not apply here, your priority is just getting the ball onto the putting surface.

Adjusting for Slope

Slopes drastically change how the ball will roll. This is where you bring your course management brain into the equation.

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• Chipping Uphill: An uphill chip will have significantly less roll. Gravity is working against your ball the moment it lands. To account for this, you need to take less loft than the Rule of 12 might suggest. If the formula says 9-iron an uphill slope might require an 8-iron or 7-iron to get the ball rolling up to the hole. The slope will kill the ball's speed, so you need a club that gets it Chipping more energetically.
• Chipping Downhill: A downhill chip is the opposite. It will have much more roll. Gravity is helping your ball release and race toward the hole. Here, you need to use great care and take more loft. If the Rule of 12 suggests an 8-iron, a Pitching Wedge or even a Sand Wedge may be the better play. Your goal is to land the ball as softly as possible and let the slope do the rest. The last thing you want is a low-running 7-iron bouncing once and speeding 20 feet past the cup.

Your Go-To Chipping Toolbox

Thinking about all these options an feel overwhelming, but you don't need to master 14 different clubs tomorrow. We tell our students to start by building confidence with just two distinct "tools" that give you different shot options.

Tool #1: The Workhorse (Pitching Wedge)

Your PW is the most versatile chipping club. It gives you a great balance of loft and roll and works in a huge variety of situations. If you are ever completely unsure, the PW is a safe and reliable choice. Practice hitting it to different landing spots to get a feel for how far it rolls out - this will be your default setting.

Tool #2: The Runner (8-Iron)

The 8-iron is your low-risk, high-reward option when you have plenty of green to work with. Use your chipping or even putting motion. The ball pops on the green and tracks toward the hole like a putt. It’s an invaluable tool from tight lies and for long chips where flying it high would be too risky.

By getting truly comfortable with how these two clubs react, you'll be able to handle over 80% of the chipping situations you face. You can then add the 7-iron or Sand Wedge as you gain more confidence.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the correct chipping club comes down to a strategy of minimizing risk by getting the ball rolling as soon as you can. Ditch the idea that you need to be a hero with a high-lofted wedge and instead learn to see the shot, use a system like the Rule of 12, and then adjust based on the lie and slope in front of you.

I know that processing all these variables - lie, slope, carry, and roll - in a matter of seconds can feel daunting on the course. We designed Caddie AI to be your personal on-course advisor for these exact moments. When you're facing a tricky chip, you can even snap a photo of your ball's lie, and our app will analyze the situation and suggest the smartest play and club selection, removing the guesswork so you can swing with confidence.