# are chippers legal



## mickyfadeon (Nov 19, 2011)

I have a fineline chipper . It has only 1 face. It also has circular grip not a putter grip. I understand I can use this in my club comps . Am I correct. Can anyone help


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## USER1999 (Nov 19, 2011)

Yes, but whether you should or not......


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## brendy (Nov 19, 2011)

Yes they are legal but highly frowned upon by aspiring golfers.


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## mickyfadeon (Nov 19, 2011)

Don't really concern me. Hit to many greens. Understand wot u say. But to confirm they are legal


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## Mr_T (Nov 19, 2011)

Why is it that chippers are frowned upon? is it a similar sort of stance to the belly putter?


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## chrisd (Nov 19, 2011)

Mr_T said:



			Why is it that chippers are frowned upon? is it a similar sort of stance to the belly putter?
		
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No .... it's because only woosies use them ... learn to pitch and chip properly!



Chris


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## USER1999 (Nov 19, 2011)

There are pro's using long putters, but I have never ever seen one with a chipper.


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## brendy (Nov 19, 2011)

murphthemog said:



			There are pro's using long putters, but I have never ever seen one with a chipper.
		
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Some say Ian baker finch uses one off the tee these days after the St Andrews incident on the first tee.


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## USER1999 (Nov 19, 2011)

Is that not a hybrid?


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## bobmac (Nov 19, 2011)

mickyfadeon said:



			I have a fineline chipper . It has only 1 face. It also has circular grip not a putter grip. I understand I can use this in my club comps . Am I correct. Can anyone help
		
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Can I be of help?


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## HomerJSimpson (Nov 19, 2011)

Blimey Bob. Nearly two hours to get on here and try and hawk the V-Easy. Has the stair lift gone on the fritz again?


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## rosecott (Nov 19, 2011)

brendy said:



			Yes they are legal but highly frowned upon by aspiring golfers.
		
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Yes they are legal but highly frowned upon by aspiring snobs/knobs.


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## TheJezster (Nov 20, 2011)

rosecott said:



			Yes they are legal but highly frowned upon by aspiring snobs/knobs.
		
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I tend to agree.  I have never experienced this "frowned upon" thing.  Ok, I dont have a chipper, but some at my club do and use it well.  It's a club, one which helps some people to get it closer to the pin, which is the aim of the game.  

Some people might not like them, but to say others dont is simply putting your own thoughts onto others, which is most likely incorrect and you just shouldnt do.

Ignore others, if you want to use one, use it I say.  I fancy having a go with one, they look quite good.


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## sev112 (Nov 20, 2011)

Bring back teh Slippery Frog


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## Garesfield ACE (Nov 20, 2011)

rosecott said:



			Yes they are legal but highly frowned upon by aspiring snobs/knobs.
		
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well said mate well said


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## RGDave (Nov 20, 2011)

brendy said:



			Yes they are legal but highly frowned upon by aspiring golfers.
		
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and even non-aspirational types too.


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## DaveM (Nov 20, 2011)

Use to know one old guy had I think 3 of them. Anything from 80yrds out and out they came. Trouble was he was bloody red hot with them.


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## Wildrover (Nov 21, 2011)

Yes they're legal, but shouldn't be imho. Like someone said earlier learn to chip & pitch it's much more rewarding than copping out. If you can't drive you can't buy some club that gets around the act of driving so why should chipping be any different?


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## BTatHome (Nov 21, 2011)

...and yet if you can't hit a 3 iron your quite happy to use a hybrid?

....if you can't open up a 56 wedge to perform a lob then your happy to use a 60 degree one?

Come on, the rules are quite simple and they are clearly not illegal so all this "frowned upon" etc is just dreadful double standards.


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## stevie_r (Nov 21, 2011)

Wildrover said:



			Yes they're legal, but shouldn't be imho. Like someone said earlier learn to chip & pitch it's much more rewarding than copping out. If you can't drive you can't buy some club that gets around the act of driving so why should chipping be any different?
		
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quite right and learn to putt without one hand under your chin or the grip of your putter firmly held between your bellies


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## Wildrover (Nov 22, 2011)

BTatHome said:



			...and yet if you can't hit a 3 iron your quite happy to use a hybrid?

....if you can't open up a 56 wedge to perform a lob then your happy to use a 60 degree one?

Come on, the rules are quite simple and they are clearly not illegal so all this "frowned upon" etc is just dreadful double standards.
		
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But using a hybrid or lob wedge doesn't actually physically alter the way you play the shot, you still have to put a good swing on it. If you can't chip or pitch then all you have to do is buy one of these monstrosities and just make a putting motion with it. And yes I know you can do something similar with a hybrid or fairway wood but that is adapting a club designed for something else, not using something that has been designed to overcome your deficiency by fundamentally altering the way is played. Can you imagine what the outcry would be if some miracle club was invented that was legal and made you hit every fairway at 275yds out but all you had to do was make a putting action to achieve it?


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## BTatHome (Nov 22, 2011)

Wildrover said:



			Can you imagine what the outcry would be if some miracle club was invented that was legal and made you hit every fairway at 275yds out but all you had to do was make a putting action to achieve it?
		
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yes, everyone would buy one.

Not really that much different that buying a straighter/longer driver at the moment.

sorry but the arguement that its not the same stroke is really not going to cut it, there are no rules to say what stroke/swing you must use for the golf shot ... jim furyk would be banned if there was


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## bobmac (Nov 22, 2011)

My only problem with them is they only have one loft.
Sure, you can move the ball position around to change the flight a bit but what happens if you want to chip it over a bunker or bush etc ? Can you get Lob chippers? Sand chippers? Pitching chippers?


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## Airlie_Andy (Nov 22, 2011)

I used to use a chipper for shots around the green when just in the fringe and only want to pop it up slightly and get it rolling. Don't use it anymore but I have no problem with anyone who does. It still needs a bit of skill to get it right anyway. It's certainly not a magic club.


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## Wildrover (Nov 22, 2011)

They are the Devil's work and nobody will convince me otherwise.


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## DaveM (Nov 22, 2011)

I heard that people who use chippers sit down to wee??????


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## Monty_Brown (Nov 22, 2011)

They've been around for years and I can't help thinking that if they were SO good, everyone would have one by now. Really don't mind if people want to use one.

I probably thought the same about belley and broomhandle putters 10 years ago though....


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## stevie_r (Nov 22, 2011)

Wildrover said:



			They are the Devil's work and nobody will convince me otherwise.
		
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and people who carry 4 wedges are the devils spawn - or just very susceptible to marketing


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## stevie_r (Nov 22, 2011)

DaveM said:



			I heard that people who use chippers sit down to wee??????
		
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i've heard that those that use long putters do too - but forget to pull their clothing down first


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## Younglast516 (Jan 9, 2021)

chrisd said:



			No .... it's because only woosies use them ... learn to pitch and chip properly!



Chris
		
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so you shouldn’t  use a long putter either because it might get frowned upon. What a jerk! Oh and it’s ok to have 3 wedges in the bag. If a legal chipper Makes you score lower then isn’t that the goal of playing. What about a rescue club? Come off your high horse and let people enjoy the game!


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## Younglast516 (Jan 9, 2021)

I’ve also read that a chipper can’t have line up markings like a putter does, and only one club can have a putter grip with line up markings. Most chippers have the markings.but haven’t been able to verify.


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## rosecott (Jan 9, 2021)

Younglast516 said:



			so you shouldn’t  use a long putter either because it might get frowned upon. What a jerk! Oh and it’s ok to have 3 wedges in the bag. If a legal chipper Makes you score lower then isn’t that the goal of playing. What about a rescue club? Come off your high horse and let people enjoy the game!
		
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Are you chasing the record for resurrecting the oldest thread. If you had waited 10 months, it would have been 10 years since the last posting.

Mind you, ChrisD hasn't changed a bit since then.


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## Steve Wilkes (Jan 9, 2021)

If Chippers or Chip Masters were made by Callaway or TaylorMade and cost £179 each, Everyone would have one in their bag


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## virtuocity (Jan 9, 2021)

@chrisd getting his just desserts a decade later is sooo 2021


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## Blue in Munich (Jan 9, 2021)

rosecott said:



			Are you chasing the record for resurrecting the oldest thread. If you had waited 10 months, it would have been 10 years since the last posting.

Mind you, *ChrisD hasn't changed a bit since then*.
		
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As one of his carers, he is definitely more senile, and yes Jim, that is possible.


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Jan 9, 2021)

Younglast516 said:



			so you shouldn’t  use a long putter either because it might get frowned upon. What a jerk! Oh and it’s ok to have 3 wedges in the bag. If a legal chipper Makes you score lower then isn’t that the goal of playing. What about a rescue club? Come off your high horse and let people enjoy the game!
		
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So you come on here with no knowledge of any of the personalities and start slagging people off. If you knew @chrisd you would realise his comment was tongue in cheek 🙄


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## chrisd (Jan 9, 2021)

rosecott said:



			Are you chasing the record for resurrecting the oldest thread. If you had waited 10 months, it would have been 10 years since the last posting.

Mind you, ChrisD hasn't changed a bit since then.
		
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I have aged 5 years in the last 10 Jim 🤔🤔


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## chrisd (Jan 9, 2021)

Blue in Munich said:



			As one of his carers, he is definitely more senile, and yes Jim, that is possible. 

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It's all proportional though BIM, cos you're less useful as a carer as you also gallop on to the same needs as me 🤫🤫


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## Dibby (Jan 9, 2021)

BTatHome said:



			...and yet if you can't hit a 3 iron your quite happy to use a hybrid?

....if you can't open up a 56 wedge to perform a lob then your happy to use a 60 degree one?

Come on, the rules are quite simple and they are clearly not illegal so all this "frowned upon" etc is just dreadful double standards.
		
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Golf is so strange with things like this.

Coming up with a  system to add or remove shots from your score, and claiming you've won a competition based of that, even though others played the course in less strokes - perfectly fine.
Outside of competition having multiple tees, so those not as skilful or not able to hit as far can start closer - standard practice.
Having all kinds of oddly shaped putters and compared to tradition huge drivers with ultra lightweight shafts - no worries

Having a club specially designed to help you play short shorts around the green - abhorrent, absolutely unthinkable, definition of cheating and goes against everything the game stands for!

Weird bunch!


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## Younglast516 (Jan 9, 2021)

rosecott said:



			Are you chasing the record for resurrecting the oldest thread. If you had waited 10 months, it would have been 10 years since the last posting.

Mind you, ChrisD hasn't changed a bit since then.
		
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Never to late for an opinion. I can beat most people with my putter, chipper and rescue. Play the course not the club!


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## Younglast516 (Jan 9, 2021)

drive4show said:



			So you come on here with no knowledge of any of the personalities and start slagging people off. If you knew @chrisd you would realise his comment was tongue in cheek 🙄
		
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Slagging people? Is that a word?


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## HomerJSimpson (Jan 9, 2021)

Younglast516 said:



			Never to late for an opinion. I can beat most people with my putter, chipper and rescue. Play the course not the club!
		
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What an aggressive and pompous fool. Ten years too late to the party or an IQ of 10  Why would you come on here and immediately slag of a long standing a respected member of the community


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## Crow (Jan 9, 2021)

HomerJSimpson said:



			What an aggressive and pompous fool. Ten years too late to the party or an IQ of 10  Why would you come on here and immediately slag of a long standing a respected member of the community
		
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Throw down the gauntlet Homer, chippers at dawn, winner takes all.


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## Younglast516 (Jan 9, 2021)

Oh I’m sorry, I thought this was a male forum, please excuse me ladies I won’t take up any more of your time. I should have known when I saw the comment about sitting to pee.


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## Smiffy (Jan 10, 2021)

As long as you can get a seat and umbrella holder for it (like a powakaddy) I'm in....


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## Smiffy (Jan 10, 2021)

HomerJSimpson said:



*Why would you come on here and immediately slag of a long standing and respected member of the community*

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Respected??????
You've obviously never partnered him in a betterball.....


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## PhilTheFragger (Jan 10, 2021)

A word has been had with the newby 👍


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## drdel (Jan 10, 2021)

HomerJSimpson said:



			What an aggressive and pompous fool. Ten years too late to the party or an IQ of 10  Why would you come on here and immediately slag of a long standing a respected member of the community
		
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The guy has a right to his view. How ĺong he has been posting is totally irrelevant.


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## Blue in Munich (Jan 10, 2021)

PhilTheFragger said:



			A word has been had with the newby 👍
		
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Wouldn't that word be better directed at his parents Phil?


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## PhilTheFragger (Jan 10, 2021)

HomerJSimpson said:



			What an aggressive and pompous fool. Ten years too late to the party or an IQ of 10  Why would you come on here and immediately slag of a long standing a respected member of the community
		
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This is a case where the offending post should have been reported to the Mods for action.
Answering an aggressive and pompous post with another aggressive and pompous post rarely works


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## Blue in Munich (Jan 10, 2021)

PhilTheFragger said:



			This is a case where the offending post should have been reported to the Mods for action.
*Answering an aggressive and pompous post with another aggressive and pompous post rarely works*

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But is much more fun!  

Sorry Fragger, couldn't resist.


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## Dando (Jan 10, 2021)

Younglast516 said:



			Slagging people? Is that a word?
		
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No it’s 2 words


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## jim8flog (Jan 10, 2021)

Crow said:



			Throw down the gauntlet Homer, chippers at dawn, winner takes all.
		
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 Were they made when the average of your clubs were?


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## chrisd (Jan 10, 2021)

Smiffy said:



			Respected??????
You've obviously never partnered him in a betterball.....


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Nor have you Rob ......... played with but hardly partnered 😖😖


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## Crow (Jan 10, 2021)

jim8flog said:



			Were they made when the average of your clubs were?
		
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Not far off, their peak popularity was probably the 80s & 90s, Bronty were the chipper kings.

I have at least one, a Swilken from the 1960s, but it's not the usual chipper style, more a short shafted 4 iron.






This one is probably from the 1930s but isn't named as a chipper, it says "Punch" on the sole.
It's purpose was a lofted club (it's about 30 degrees) for "putts" from off the green.

(I bet you wish you'd not mentioned it now!  )


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## jim8flog (Jan 11, 2021)

Crow said:



			Not far off, their peak popularity was probably the 80s & 90s, Bronty were the chipper kings.

I have at least one, a Swilken from the 1960s, but it's not the usual chipper style, more a short shafted 4 iron.

View attachment 34415
View attachment 34416



This one is probably from the 1930s but isn't named as a chipper, it says "Punch" on the sole.
It's purpose was a lofted club (it's about 30 degrees) for "putts" from off the green.

(I bet you wish you'd not mentioned it now!  )

View attachment 34418
View attachment 34420

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Nice photos

I used to have a mate, who was an occasional golfer who played, with those at the bottom.  One of the things that made me laugh with him was he thought he used to hit a SW about 140 yards until I pointed out to him that the club was so old that the 8 had rubbed out to look like an S.


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## Sweep (Jan 11, 2021)

Chippers are certainly legal. Some golfers frown on them because they think they make chipping too easy. The same golfers will go out and spend £££ on a new driver, a range finder or to be fitted for equipment because it makes the game easier. They say you should learn to chip with the other clubs in your bag, particularly wedges. That’s what proper golfers do. They don’t say you should hit lob shots with 4 irons because Seve could do it. The same people will also tell you that the quickest way to get your handicap down is improving your chipping and putting, but seem to think you should make this as hard as possible.

I struggled with chipping badly. Bought an Odyssey chipper as a last resort. It wasn’t the cure all I was hoping for because the simple truth is that they are not suitable for every chip. But when you find yourself with some green to work with, they do the business. Even then you have to hit them correctly. I found that this meant making sure you keep your hands ahead of the clubhead through the shot.

Oddly, my chipping with other clubs improved quite dramatically but the chipper has stayed in the bag.

In the end it’s about what your game needs to succeed and in the case of a chipper, do you have room for one in your bag. A chipper is not as one dimensional as some think but you will be using one of your 14 clubs for a club which may not be used too often.

The game is about getting the ball in the hole and doing so with legal equipment, so don’t listen to those that knock chippers. They are a tool to do a job. If they make the job easier, then why worry?


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## Smiffy (Jan 12, 2021)

Sweep said:



			They are a tool to do a job.* If they make the job easier, then why worry?*

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Because other people laugh at you?????


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## Sweep (Jan 12, 2021)

Smiffy said:



			Because other people laugh at you?????


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As I say, why worry?
In the real world people laugh at those who use a spanner to hit a nail into a piece of wood.
I saw them laughing when Todd Hamilton won the Open too. 😀


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## patricks148 (Jan 12, 2021)

a guy off 15 won one of our Silver trophys with one in the bag last year, the only person to win one who wasn't a Scratch/ +fig  golfer


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Jan 12, 2021)

The biggest problem with carrying a chipper in the bag (apart from the stigma) is that most people already have one. It's called a 7 iron.


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## rosecott (Jan 12, 2021)

drive4show said:



			The biggest problem with carrying a chipper in the bag (apart from the stigma) is that most people already have one. It's called a 6 iron.
		
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Wrong. Many years ago, I had a chipper in the bag which was absolutely lethal - it had a 7-iron loft.


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## Bdill93 (Jan 12, 2021)

My old man always used his chipper and within 120 yards, it was his go to. Ive never seen someone so accurate with one and he just always dropped it into a great putting position.

Friends slated him for it, so he took it out of the bag. His scores suffered. So I encouraged the return of the chipper.

Hes not lost a match again since. Scores dropping too. 

Its the man holding the club who makes the shot, not the club itself (unless its the swingless golf club of course). Whether you bump and run with an 8 iron or use a chipper, theres still the skill of correct weighting, ball connection and line needed to make a good shot.


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Jan 12, 2021)

rosecott said:



			Wrong. Many years ago, I had a chipper in the bag which was absolutely lethal - it had a 7-iron loft.
		
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Thanks for pointing that out, would you like me to amend my original post?


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## rosecott (Jan 12, 2021)

drive4show said:



			Thanks for pointing that out, would you like me to amend my original post?
		
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If it's not too much trouble.


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Jan 12, 2021)

rosecott said:



			If it's not too much trouble.
		
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Original post amended as I got it so totally wrong


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## rosecott (Jan 12, 2021)

drive4show said:



			Original post amended as I got it so totally wrong 

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You are a gentleman and a scholar.


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Jan 12, 2021)

Traminator said:



			Hmmm I think most are closer to a 6 iron 🤔
		
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Don't you start!


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## Imurg (Jan 12, 2021)

drive4show said:



			Don't you start! 

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Surely it's the loft that matters, not the number on the sole.......not all 7 irons are created equal.


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## clubchamp98 (Jan 12, 2021)

drive4show said:



			Don't you start! 

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With stronger lofts now it’s more like an 8 iron imo.
We had a guy off 2 who had a chipper got some stick.
But always quoted Max Bygraves” I am just going home to count my money”
He was deadly and won more sweeps than most.


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## clubchamp98 (Jan 12, 2021)

On the legality side .
I remember a guy who machined the face of an old ping answer to add loft very much like a chipper.
He added weight to the cavity to match the original weight of the club.
It was really good to chip with.
Basically a chipper is just a putter with loft added.
Would a Scotty Cameron chipper get as much abuse I think not.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Jan 12, 2021)

My first putter was a cut-down hickory shafted beauty that had a little bit of loft.  Indeed it might even originally have been a cleek.  But that little bit of loft was great for little chips on from very close to the green with nothing much to clear.  That said I also had a cut-down hickory shafted niblick that I used for most of my chipping - it was my 'chipper'.  And though the shaft was a bit bowed it was a magic little golf club.


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## Blue in Munich (Jan 12, 2021)

Imurg said:



			Surely it's the loft that matters, not the number on the sole.......not all 7 irons are created equal.
		
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It's usually loft in your case; lack of...


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## garyinderry (Jan 12, 2021)

clubchamp98 said:



			On the legality side .
I remember a guy who machined the face of an old ping answer to add loft very much like a chipper.
He added weight to the cavity to match the original weight of the club.
It was really good to chip with.
Basically a chipper is just a putter with loft added.
Would a Scotty Cameron chipper get as much abuse I think not.
		
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## clubchamp98 (Jan 12, 2021)

garyinderry said:



View attachment 34437

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That would be ok if it didn’t have CHIPO on it.!


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