Gary Player tells amateur golfers the shot they should not be using around the green, ‘there is no need’

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Every amateur golfer has probably had a moment where their ball is situated around the green and they have fancied their chances of pulling off a shot that the likes of Phil Mickelson or Seve Ballesteros would be proud of.

It can be extremely difficult for amateur golfers to play the percentages after seeing their approach into the green missing the putting surface.

Not only can it be difficult to ignore the chance to play the Hollywood shot – everyone wants to be able to hit the most outrageous flop shot which stops dead by the hole – but it can also be challenging just to make the right decision on what shot is being called for.

Some players may be more confident taking their wedge with the most loft and trying to carry the ball most of the way there. Others meanwhile may like to rely on one of their mid-irons which get the ball running quickly.

Gary Player suggests the shot amateur golfers should ignore when playing around the green

Interestingly, Gary Player believes that there is one type of shot which amateur golfers should almost completely discount when around the green.

Taking to X, the South African noted most players will benefit from always taking the putter from a tight lie off the green, rather than attempting to get the ball off the ground.

The advice Jack Nicklaus previously gave amateurs

One person who will almost certainly agree with Player’s advice is his great friend Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus has previously shared that most amateurs would be a lot happier with the result if they hit a putt from off the green rather than chipped it on.

“I say well that’s a pretty good chip [chipping it to within four feet]. But let’s take your putter. What would happen if you were in the same exact place and you used your putter for the same shot,” he said.

“Would four feet be acceptable? And he said ‘it would be a pretty bad putt’. Well, here’s the thing, sort of think about it actually that your worst putt might actually be as good as your best chip.”

Presumably, it is easier for amateurs to strike the ball where they want to with the putter than with a wedge.

While everyone who has ever played the game has inexplicably mishit a putt at some point, those mishits pale in comparison with the number of poor chip shots they would have hit.