The Rule of 12

Welcome to Let’s Talk Golf! This is the first in a series of articles I will be contributing to the Coastal Breeze News where we will be "talking golf"! As a long-time teaching professional, most of the articles will deal with instruction in an attempt to help you with your game. However, we will cover all aspects of the game in this series. I look forward to hearing from you! 

With the advances in lofted wedges in recent years, the simple act of chipping the golf ball has all but disappeared from the game. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many of the professionals we see on TV use their lofted wedges often and so adeptly that those watching assume the shot is easy to execute. The problem is 99.99% of the people watching these shots simply do not have the ability to pitch or semi-pitch the ball with the deftness of the tour pros. A pitch shot is more difficult to execute than a simple chip. NOTE:  a pitch shot is a high or lofted shot, a chip shot is a low running, de-lofted shot

I learned of something called "The rule of 12" many years ago from the great Paul Runyon. Paul played the tour in the 30s and 40s, an era often known as the "Hogan, Nelson, Snead era". They were the "big three" of golf in that era. It was not uncommon for these great players to out drive Paul by 80-100 yards. But Paul, rather than becoming frustrated with his lack of length, found a way to compete. His nickname was "little poison". The little because he was a small man and the poison because he could compete and beat these much bigger, stronger hitters by mastering the short shots. He knew early on that, because of his lack of length, he may never hit more than nine to 10 greens in regulation. Because of that, he became the absolute master of hitting the short ones around the green.

Runyon's simple, mathematical equation (he called it the rule of 11 in his time, but with the new, stronger lofted clubs it became the rule of 12), was the first option players considered for shots around the green for many years. In my competitive playing years, I struggled with tight-lie pitches. As a result, I used this method for many, many years and saved myself countless shots around the green, so I always suggest it to my students as a means of helping them the same way.I never, ever teach one method of anything to my students, but I make sure they at least know about the rule of twelve.

The first thing one has to accept in order to implement this process is this: When there are no hazards to carry, consider playing the shot along the ground. For the vast majority of golfers, the percentages are on your side when you "bump and run" the shot for several reasons:

* A muffed pitch is far more disastrous than a muffed chip.

* A chip shot is much easier to execute than a pitch.

* The chip is less subject to the elements than a pitch.

* The chip can be played with a variety of clubs as opposed to just one or two.

The rule of 12 works like this:

* The golf ball lies five yards off the green, but 50 yards from the hole (no penalty areas in between).

* Pick a landing spot no more than a few yards on the green (generally one pace = one yard).

* You now have eight yards from the ball to the landing spot, but 42 yards from the landing spot to the hole, so the ball will FLY eight yards and ROLL 42 yards.

* That is a ratio of roughly five to one.

* Simply subtract five from 12 and you get seven.

* Try a seven iron for that shot.

Nothing is cast in stone. Just as when playing a full shot, you will have to allow for a variety of factors uphill, downhill, with the grain of the green or against it etc. But it is at least a good starting point. The worst mistake I see many golfers make is to park the cart on the path, grab a wedge and a putter and head for their ball. Remember a chip can be played with perhaps five different clubs depending on the math above, so grab a few clubs, particularly on long chips. You don't need an abacus - this is merely a gauge or starting point and you can do the math very quickly. You should be walking off your shot anyway, so just count the paces as you do.

For many this will be an entirely new approach to playing short shots. If you have been in the habit of using exclusively a wedge, it is likely your shots will go too far. But you will quickly get a feel for this process and be on your way to saving shots. Watch as Mr. Runyon explains it better than anyone. Note:  Here he describes his method as well as his philosophy, which we can discuss at another time. https://youtu.be/fCy_-0zSHQg.

Dennis Clark is a PGA Master Professional and a seven-time PGA award winner, including Golf Professional of the Year and Teacher of the Year. Dennis now teaches at Bobby Clampett’s Impact Zone Golf Indoor Performance Center in Naples, Florida and Eagle Lakes Golf Club.