My son is putting like trash with the covid cups. Anyone else?

[A.Princey]

For me, the flag in seems to have helped on all putts, the only exception being windy days where my line falls in the shadow of the pin and/or flag, whipping away(or in the shadow entirely.)

[Noles]

Are any tours or organizations holding entrants to quarantine recommendations? I'm in PA and we have a list of 14 states that if you travel to and return to PA or visit PA from those states, you are recommended to 14 quarantine. My son played in tournaments run by 3 different organizations and none of them had any issue with entrants ignoring this recommendation but all 3 still will not let players remove the flagstick because of Covid. Seems so contradictory to me. They won't allow the choice to touch the flagsticks or not but hey if you are uncomfortable playing with this kid from Georgia, you can WD. I just hate the inconsistency.

[leezer99]

This is BS. If a tour is hosting events in a state with a 14 day quarantine then out of state entrants shouldn't be allowed to play.

[heavy_hitter]

I agree.

[ChappyEight]

Most of the courses around here (Indy) seem to be using the pool noodle in the cup to where the cup is only a half a ball deep. My son has had 3 separate tournament occasions where this has cost him a stroke because the ball starts to drop, hits the foam, then pops out. Two putts and one pitch.

 

It's very frustrating for him, but I've just been encouraging him that when this is all over, he'll be holing everything, ha.

[heavy_hitter]

They have the noodles cut too high then. I have seen a lot of golf with noodles in the cups and haven't seen one pop out because of that.

[ChappyEight]

For some reason, everywhere around here is purposely making it to where the ball can only go halfway into the cup. It's not an accident.

[heavy_hitter]

Easier to get the ball out of the cup while keeping the flag sticks in.

[ChappyEight]

Probably. Either way, it sucks.

[leezer99]

Our course put these in last week. Seems to work well. 

[MikekiM]

The flags being in has finally come to a head with my kid. He's had too many hit the stick and either bounce away from it, or hit the foam and come back out that he's now resorted to aiming away from the stick and trying to get the putt into the side.  He's never liked putting with the stick in.  Our latest tournament resulted in 40 putts, 2 4putts, 3 three putts, despite 5 birdies and 14GIR's. 

The last 2 day tournament was just the same crap.  28 putts on Rnd 1, then 36 putts on Rnd 2 despite 15GIR's (9/9 on front).

Fortunately we don't have anymore tournaments for the year.. Perfect time to take a break.

[MB19]

My son fell victim to a bounce-out in the tournament this past weekend on a 15' putt, and he didn't take it particularly well.  However, I am happy to say it was the first time it has happened to either of my kids in tournament play this year.  I guess I am just happy my kids have had the opportunity to play and develop in a year where so many sports have been unable to play full seasons--or even at all.  At the end of the day, he didn't even bring it up as a reason why he didn't match his personal-best--if he would have sank that putt, he would have done just that.

Edited September 28, 2020 by MB19

[leezer99]

[heavy_hitter]

I don't dislike having to keep the stick in.  I do dislike the pool noodle when they are cut too high.  The other irritating thing is any contraption that has metal running up the flag stick to pop the ball up with.

[kekoa]

14 hours ago, heavy_hitter said:

I don't dislike having to keep the stick in.  I do dislike the pool noodle when they are cut too high.  The other irritating thing is any contraption that has metal running up the flag stick to pop the ball up with.

I played a course recently with a metal rod running about a foot up the flagstick and it wasn't flush.  I had a putt hit the metal piece with perfect speed and line.  The putt bounced off.  The guy I was playing with said I should have moved the metal piece around to the other side of the hole before putting.  I almost lost it!!!

[b.helts]

3 minutes ago, kekoa said:

I played a course recently with a metal rod running about a foot up the flagstick and it wasn't flush.  I had a putt hit the metal piece with perfect speed and line.  The putt bounced off.  The guy I was playing with said I should have moved the metal piece around to the other side of the hole before putting.  I almost lost it!!!

Because he was right and pointed out your mistake?

 

[kekoa]

1 minute ago, b.helts said:

Because he was right and pointed out your mistake?

 

 Yah sure.  Right on bud.

[blueonblack]

I've seen a couple of improvements/solutions posted. But what is a covid cup? A pool noodle? Just bank it off or something? I haven't seen any at the practice green anyway. I haven't played this year, just some practice. Hoping this is gone by next spring?? Hoping?

[heavy_hitter]

9 hours ago, kekoa said:

I played a course recently with a metal rod running about a foot up the flagstick and it wasn't flush.  I had a putt hit the metal piece with perfect speed and line.  The putt bounced off.  The guy I was playing with said I should have moved the metal piece around to the other side of the hole before putting.  I almost lost it!!!

 

Happened to my kid three times in a two day tournament.  He was livid.  The kids were allowed to adjust the metal piece but couldn't touch the flag stick.  The metal pieces were move so much that they became bent to the point they couldn't adjust them anymore.

[heavy_hitter]

9 hours ago, blueonblack said:

I've seen a couple of improvements/solutions posted. But what is a covid cup? A pool noodle? Just bank it off or something? I haven't seen any at the practice green anyway. I haven't played this year, just some practice. Hoping this is gone by next spring?? Hoping?

 

Pool noodle in the cup with the stick still in the hole to make it easier to get the ball out.  Some clubs have gone as far as turning the cups upside down and leaving the stick in.

[blueonblack]

44 minutes ago, heavy_hitter said:

 

Pool noodle in the cup with the stick still in the hole to make it easier to get the ball out.  Some clubs have gone as far as turning the cups upside down and leaving the stick in.

So it's just a really shallow cup with the stick in it? I could do that, I think. My indoor Big Moss green has very shallow cups the ball falls into. I guess speed control would be key?

If it pops back out; it doesn't count with local rules? Or are people kinda doing their own thing within their playing partners? I guess if I miss another year of golf, this is the year to do it? ha!

[heavy_hitter]

1 minute ago, blueonblack said:

So it's just a really shallow cup with the stick in it? I could do that, I think. My indoor Big Moss green has very shallow cups the ball falls into. I guess speed control would be key?

If it pops back out; it doesn't count with local rules? Or are people kinda doing their own thing within their playing partners? I guess if I miss another year of golf, this is the year to do it? ha!

In junior tournament golf, if it doesn't fall it doesn't count.  

[blueonblack]

Are the pool noodles blue by chance? Thinking of the mind and color association.

Blue=water=avoid?

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

On 9/29/2020 at 9:29 AM, heavy_hitter said:

I don't dislike having to keep the stick in.  I do dislike the pool noodle when they are cut too high.  The other irritating thing is any contraption that has metal running up the flag stick to pop the ball up with.

Daughter has played in 3 PKB tournaments that the noodle was cut to high.  The ball had to die at the cup in order to go in.  All three girls missed their putts. 

[leezer99]

5 minutes ago, TripleBogeysrbetter said:

Daughter has played in 3 PKB tournaments that the noodle was cut to high.  The ball had to die at the cup in order to go in.  All three girls missed their putts. 

 

Not feasible in your case but at our local course they had the noodles cut so that they were almost flush with the top of the hole.  Two of the guys in my group are 'knife guys' and they ended up just cutting an inch or so off of each one before we putted out.  

 

As an aside, my son was playing yesterday and hit his tee shot on a par 3 that flew into the new ball retrieval system they have and was denied a HIO.  Of course there's no way to say it would have stayed in the hole but it ricocheted off the green.

 

[hangontight]

Had to revisit this.  I thought you all were full of it as I had not seen one putt all this time robbed by a covid cup.......until this weekend, sons 3 footer went in......then came out!  No doubt it bounced right off that pool noodle.  Oh well, rub off the green!  

 

 

[heavy_hitter]

1 hour ago, hangontight said:

Had to revisit this.  I thought you all were full of it as I had not seen one putt all this time robbed by a covid cup.......until this weekend, sons 3 footer went in......then came out!  No doubt it bounced right off that pool noodle.  Oh well, rub off the green!  

 

 

Happened twice to my kid in the HS Regional tournament.  Ball hit stick, dropped, PVC in the cup not noodles.  PVC cut to high and popped right out.  Pissed.

[brew4eagle]

Courses I've played lately in VA are back to regular ol cups, and pulling flagstick when I putt.  So much more enjoyable to putt that way.

[fitter390]

This is Flag-Assist.  A device invented in Oregon pre Covid-19 when the flagstick rules changed.  It is height adjustable for Covid-19.....however far you want the ball to drop in the hole.  When touching the flagstick is allowed again it goes to the bottom of the hole and is legal.  Speeds play in this position in addition to better flagstick stability.   www.flagassistgolf.com USGA 2020-0360.pdf