Lip Out
A lip out is when a golf ball strikes the edge of the hole (the “lip”) and rolls away without dropping in. The term most often refers to putts, but a ball can also lip out from a chip shot or an approach shot.
What is a lip out?
The “lip” of a golf hole is its top rim, where the putting surface meets the cup. When a ball touches that rim and rolls along part of it without dropping in, the result is called a lip out. The phrase works as both a noun and a verb: a player can talk about “a brutal lip out on the 18th” or say “my birdie putt lipped out.”
A standard golf hole has a diameter of 4.25 inches under the Rules of Golf set by the USGA and R&A, and a regulation ball measures 1.68 inches across. The ball is roughly 2.5 times smaller than the cup, which makes a lip out feel especially harsh: there is plenty of room, but the geometry of speed and angle at the moment the ball meets the rim can still send it back onto the green.
Lip outs happen at every level of the game, from beginners on a practice green to professionals competing for major championships. They are part of putting, and even a perfectly read putt can fall victim to one.
Why a lip out happens
A lip out comes down to two variables: speed and line.
According to Frank Thomas, the former Technical Director of the USGA, a putt rolling at roughly 1.5 mph that enters the cup near the centre will drop cleanly. At about 3 mph or faster, the same putt can strike the back of the hole liner and ricochet straight back out. When the line is slightly off the centre, and the ball catches only the edge, excess speed is usually what causes it to skirt around the rim instead of falling.
A 2025 study by Emeritus Professor John Hogan of the University of Bristol and Mate Antali of Széchenyi István University, published in Royal Society Open Science, applied classical mechanics to the problem. The authors identified two distinct lip out behaviours based on where the ball’s centre of mass ends up at the rim, and concluded that the cleanest way to avoid one is to arrive at the hole as close to the centre as possible with as little speed as possible.
Other factors can tip the ball either way. A grain of sand on the rim, a worn hole edge, or even a small puff of wind can decide whether the ball drops or stays out. Hole edges tend to fray over a day of play, which is part of why courses cut new holes each morning.
Types of lip outs
The Bristol study formally identified two categories. Coverage of the research in Science magazine described a third behaviour that some commentators count as well.
| Type | What happens |
|---|---|
| Rim lip out | The ball circles part of the rim and rolls away without its centre of mass ever dropping below the level of the green. This is the more common type. |
| Hole lip out | The ball falls into the cup, rolls around the inside wall in a pendulum-like motion (Professor Hogan compared it to a stunt rider on the “wall of death”), gains spin, and climbs back out onto the green. Rare, and visually the most dramatic. |
| Ballistic lip out | An informal category described by Science magazine. The ball is hit so firmly that it flies into the far edge of the cup and bounces straight back out. |
Golfers also use casual names for especially theatrical lip outs. A “360” or “horseshoe” describes a ball that travels nearly all the way around the rim before exiting. A “spit out” describes a ball that appears to enter the cup and is then thrown back.
Lip out vs. related terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lip in | The opposite of a lip out. The ball touches the lip but drops into the cup. |
| Victory lap | Slang for a putt that rolls around the rim before falling in. The ball circles the lip, but unlike a lip out, it goes down. |
| Hanging on the lip | The ball stops on the edge of the hole without falling. Under the Rules of Golf, a player is allowed up to 10 seconds to wait for gravity to take it. |
| Lipped the hole | An older expression, found in 19th-century golf writing, that described what is now usually called a lip out. |
| Liprosy | A piece of golfing slang, noted by Golf Compendium, for a player who seems to lip out an unusual number of putts. |
Related Golf Terms
- Lip — The edge of the hole or the edge of a bunker.
- Links — A type of coastal golf course built on sandy terrain, originating in Scotland.
- Line — The intended path of a putt or shot.
- Links course — A coastal course built on sandy, windswept terrain with few trees.
- Lie angle — The angle between the club shaft and the ground at address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a lip out the same as a missed putt?
Technically, yes, the ball did not drop. But “missed putt” covers any putt that fails to go in, while “lip out” describes a specific kind of miss in which the ball touched the edge of the hole before rolling away.
Can a ball lip out from a chip shot or approach shot?
Yes. Although the term comes from putting, any shot that catches the rim of the hole and stays out can be called a lip out. Chip shots from just off the green and pitched approach shots are the most common non-putting examples.
Does ball speed always cause a lip out?
Speed is the most common factor, but not the only one. Line, slope, hole wear, surface debris, and the angle at which the ball meets the rim all play a part. A perfectly paced putt on a slightly misread line can still lip out.
Is a lip out considered bad luck?
Players often call it that, but the 2025 Bristol research describes lip outs as a predictable outcome of mechanics rather than chance. A ball that touches the lip is sitting at a balance point, and small inputs decide which way it tips.
What does “lipped out” mean?
“Lipped out” is the past tense of the verb form. Saying “my putt lipped out” means the ball caught the edge of the hole and stayed out instead of falling in.
Sources
- United States Golf Association and The R&A. Rules of Golf (hole dimensions and the 10-second rule on the lip). usga.org.
- Hogan, S. J. and Antali, M. “Mechanics of the golf lip out.” Royal Society Open Science, November 2025.
- University of Bristol. “The physics behind the ‘lip out’ phenomenon in golf.” Press release, 5 November 2025.
- Science magazine. “Have physicists finally solved the ‘golfer’s curse’?” 5 November 2025.
- Thomas, F. “Why Does a Putt Lip Out?” Frankly Golf. franklygolf.com.
- Golf Compendium. “The Dreaded Lip Out in Golf.” golfcompendium.com.
