Most golfers aim a chip at the hole. Good chippers aim at a spot on the green, because the shot is decided by where the ball lands, not where it finishes. That spot is the landing zone, and once you know how to find it, chipping stops being a guess.
Every chip is two shots in one
A chip or pitch has two parts: the carry through the air and the roll along the ground. You control the carry directly. The roll is what the green does with the ball after it lands.
Take a 20-yard chip with a pitching wedge on a slow green. The ELZS chart says to land it 10 paces out. The ball carries half the distance and rolls the other half, "like a putt," to the hole.
Change any one thing and the split changes. On a fast green the same pitching-wedge shot lands at 9 paces. With an 8-iron on that fast green it lands at 8 paces and rolls 12.
Why aiming at the hole goes wrong
When you look at the flag, your brain picks a swing for the total distance. But you only control the carry, so the roll becomes whatever is left over.
The result shows up in the data. In Shot Scope's 2026 performance report, built from more than 74 million amateur shots, coming up short with a wedge made up roughly 40% of misses at every handicap level (The First Call). The report reads that as golfers misjudging carry on partial wedge shots.
Those misses are expensive. Arccos data shows a 10-handicapper needs as many strokes to hole out from 12 yards in the rough as from 81 feet on the green (Arccos). A chip that should be an easy up-and-down plays like a very long putt.
The three variables
ELZS finds the landing zone from three inputs:
1. Distance from the ball to the hole, from 5 to 50 yards. Use a rangefinder or step it off. 2. The club you'll hit. Each club launches the ball at a different height and spin, so each one rolls a different amount. 3. Green speed. A slow green stops the ball sooner, so you carry it farther. A fast green lets it run, so you land it shorter.
Those three numbers give you one answer: how many paces from your ball to land it. The charts behind that answer were built by Chaz H. Smith, a former golf teaching professional, and calibrated with three-piece golf balls.
Paces, not yards
ELZS gives the landing zone in paces because you can measure a pace on the course without a device. Walk from your ball toward the hole, count your steps, and look at the spot where the count ends. That's where the ball needs to land.
Stepping it off does a second job. You walk over the ground the ball will roll on, so you feel whether it's firm or soft, uphill or downhill, before you hit.
Picture a red carpet
A single spot is hard to hit. ELZS turns it into a target called RC6²: a red carpet 6 feet by 6 feet, laid on the green with the landing zone at its center.
The carpet has three bands, each 2 feet deep:
- ZZ (Zero Zone): the middle band. Land it here and the ball should finish next to the hole.
- Z1 (front): land here and expect to finish about 2 to 3 feet short.
- Z1 (back): land here and expect to finish about 2 to 3 feet long.
That gives you a forgiving goal. Land anywhere on the carpet and you've left yourself a short putt.
Where to put the carpet
The best landing zone is usually the one closest to you that is still on the green. Grass on the green gives a predictable first bounce; fringe and rough don't.
In practice that means choosing a club that lands the ball 2 to 3 yards onto the putting surface. If your first choice lands it in the fringe, move down to a less lofted club and let it roll more. Our guide to picking the right club around the green goes deeper.
Try it this week
On your next practice-green visit, drop three balls 20 yards from a hole. Ask the pro shop how fast the greens are running, then look up your landing zone for one club. Lay a tee at that number of paces and chip until the ball lands within a carpet's width of it. The Red Carpet Drill turns that into a full practice session.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I land a chip shot?
Land it on the green, as close to you as the green allows, usually 2 to 3 yards past the fringe. The exact spot depends on your distance to the hole, your club and the green speed. On a slow green, a pitching wedge from 20 yards lands about halfway, at 10 paces.
What is the carry-to-roll ratio for a chip?
It changes with club and green speed. On a fast green from 20 yards, a lob wedge carries about 10.5 paces and rolls 9.5, while a hybrid carries 6 and rolls 14. Each step down in loft lands the ball about half a pace shorter.
What does RC6² mean?
RC6² is the ELZS "red carpet": a 6-by-6-foot target centered on your landing zone, split into three 2-foot bands. Landing in the middle band (ZZ) should leave the ball near the hole; the front and back bands (Z1) leave it about 2 to 3 feet short or long.
Find your landing zone with ELZS
The ELZS app gives you the landing zone for any distance, club and green speed in a few seconds. The waterproof ELZS Chartbook puts the same four charts in your back pocket.
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Keep learning
Coaching the Short Game With Landing Zones: A 4-Week Program for Coaches and Teams
Short-game drills for golf teams: a baseline test, a 4-week landing-zone program, station setups for a full squad and games that keep players scoring.
Green Speed Changes Everything: What the Stimpmeter Means for Your Chips
How green speed changes where your chips should land: what a Stimpmeter reading means, the four ELZS green-speed charts, and how to find today's speed.
The Red Carpet Drill: How to Practice Landing Zones With RC6²
A chipping practice drill built on landing zones: set up the 6-by-6-foot RC6² carpet with eight tees, score your landings and work through five levels.
Uphill, Downhill, Wet and Grainy: Adjusting Your Landing Zone for Real Greens
How to chip uphill and downhill, into grain, on wet or firm greens and from rough: how each condition changes the speed and where your chip should land.