After some research (not being a golf player) I have discovered there is something called a pitch shot which is the opposite of a chip shot. A chip shot goes in the air for a bit and then rolls. A pitch shot goes in the air for a while and then doesn't roll very much. Technically though a putt is never a pitch as they are two different shots so I'm still a little lost there.
Going back to clue 3 I see now I missed something. Doffing your cap is almost certainly a reference to Clarence "Cap" Wiggington as Clarence St. next to Phalen.