Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were fierce rivals on the golf course but they used to help each other out with their games as well.
Nicklaus was far more successful than Palmer throughout their careers, but it was ‘The King’ who was the true trailblazer of his generation in the professional game during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Golden Bear burst onto the scene around six years after Palmer announced himself on the world stage.
Palmer warned the golfing world just how good Nicklaus was after he won the US Open at Oakmont way back in 1962.
Nicklaus and Palmer have both passed down their wisdom to the younger players on the PGA Tour today, as well as amateur golfers looking to improve their games.
Sadly, Palmer passed away in 2016, aged 87. However, his legacy still lives on and if you’re an amateur looking to lower your handicap, you should be lapping up some very simple advice given by The King to Nicklaus many years ago.
Amateur golfers must copy Jack Nicklaus’ tip which Arnold Palmer gave him
As an amateur, you can’t go far wrong if you’re listening to advice from the best golfer to have ever played the game.
In a video for Tour Habits on Instagram, Nicklaus opened up on the best tip he has ever received, and it came via his old friend Mr Palmer.
He said: “The number one tip that I got was from Arnold.
“I’m chipping every ball off the edge of the green and they’re rolling up three, four, five feet from the hole.
“And Arnold said, ‘why are you doing that, what would happen if you sue your putter for the same shot – would four feet be acceptable‘?
“Your worst putt would be just as good as your best chip, I used that the rest of my life.“
The stats prove putting from off the green is the better play than chipping
There is absolutely no question that the advice given to Nicklaus from Palmer is absolutely spot on.
This is especially true for mid-high handicap amateur golfers, as is proven via data collected by Arccos Golf:
| Putting from off the green vs chipping metrics | Putting through 5-15 feet of fairway | Putting through 15-25 feet of fairway |
| Average strokes better when putting vs chipping on every hole | 0.10 | 0.15-0.25 |
| Average proximity to hole closer from worst putt vs worst chip | 3-5 feet | 5-6 feet |
| Average proximity to hole closer from best putt vs best chip | 1-2 feet | 1-2 feet |
A high handicap golfer will only hit around two-three greens in regulation per round. So essentially, he could face 15 chips or putts from off the green.
Deciding to putt rather than chip from off the green genuinely could save higher handicappers around two shots per round.
Choosing the flat-stick should be an absolute no-brainer for any golfer who isn’t a single-digit handicap.
Lou Stagner, an Arccos Golf Data Insights Lead, explained why putting from off the green is nearly always the prudent play for mid-high handicap golfers.
He said: “Higher handicap, mid handicap players, when they are off the green, they should typically be putting. Not only are their best shots going to be closer but their worst shots are going to be closer.
“They are just better all around with the flat-stick.“
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