PSA on leaving the flag in

[mallrat]

So less than 6 months in to the rule change and I am noticing a horrible trend. 3-4 days a week I cut cups and I have never seen the edges of the hole take such a beating. I work a nicer public course that gets A LOT of play. I have started looking at some cups before I leave for the day to see how the greens are holding up. 1st, I am amazed how few people fix ball marks (or constantly amazed). 2nd by about 2 pm the edges of the hole are just hammered.

 

Now I don’t know exactly what it’s from but what I have seen is people trying to cram their whole hand in the hole with the flag stick in, NO BUENO. 2nd (and worse) is the guy that tries to jam his putter in the hole and pull the ball out with it.

 

Next round you guys play, just take a look, is the edge still firm or bent in and almost crumbling down. If your playing partners do this, PLEASE, just kindly ask them not to. You never know when you are going to miss a putt because of it or what damage long term may be done to the green.

[proguy]

Agree, noticed this recently. Lifting the ball out of the hole causes damage to the edge of the hole.

[mci711]

Anyone that uses their putter to fish the ball out should be beaten with it after. But you make a good point, I bet holes are taking abuse from jamming hands around the pin to get the ball. If I had a nickel every time I said that...

[596]

I work and play at a course that sees about 65,000 rounds per year. Some years more like near 70,000. We can't expect the holes to look good even after just one day. It's just way too many golfers. I have to let it go and not worry about it. On the other hand I have to allow some of the guys to use their putter to get there ball out. These guys are over 90 years old and have to use a martini tee just to get the ball to stay on the tee. I'll never say one single word to those guys. At that age and still playing, they can do anything they want. They earned it!!

[Roadking2003]

How about getting them one of these?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Golf-Pick-Up-Suction-Sticks-Putter/dp/B002ND6CBS

[tiderider]

the suction cup thing is fine ... jamming the head of the putter into the cup is most certainly not, esp by anyone younger than 70 ...

agree with previous remarks - some edges are getting damaged, but that's to be expected since the vast majority of golfers are too lazy to fix their pitchmarks, and the overwhelming vast majority of starters refuse to advise golfers to fix said pitchmarks (though they seem to remember every time to tell us cpo on par 3s) ...

 

 

[Dancin]

I'm done with leaving the pin in anyway. Many of the courses I play use the harder poles due to high winds. Out of 25 rounds before I stopped leaving the pin in, I've missed a lot more center hit putts due to bouncing off the stick than putts that were helped by the stick. If everyone else wants to keep it in, it's not a tournament and it's a tapered fiberglass pole, I'll go along with it but the firmer poles reject too many center hit putts.

[oneunderbogey]

They should make the pins with a little lifter like on practice greens

[Llortamaisey]

> @oneunderbogey said:

> They should make the pins with a little lifter like on practice greens

 

One public golf course near me with high volume rounds has already done this. I imagine that it will take a year or two before this becomes the norm at every course, especially when more and more players start leaving the flagstick in on putts.

 

[tatertot]

> @mallrat said:

> So less than 6 months in to the rule change and I am noticing a horrible trend. 3-4 days a week I cut cups and I have never seen the edges of the hole take such a beating. I work a nicer public course that gets A LOT of play. I have started looking at some cups before I leave for the day to see how the greens are holding up. 1st, I am amazed how few people fix ball marks (or constantly amazed). 2nd by about 2 pm the edges of the hole are just hammered.

>

> Now I don’t know exactly what it’s from but what I have seen is people trying to cram their whole hand in the hole with the flag stick in, NO BUENO. 2nd (and worse) is the guy that tries to jam his putter in the hole and pull the ball out with it.

>

> Next round you guys play, just take a look, is the edge still firm or bent in and almost crumbling down. If your playing partners do this, PLEASE, just kindly ask them not to. You never know when you are going to miss a putt because of it or what damage long term may be done to the green.

 

People ... they're the worst.

[spud3]

> @proguy said:

> Agree, noticed this recently. Lifting the ball out of the hole causes damage to the edge of the hole.

 

Clearly, the USGA needs to make the hole size bigger.....

[Roadking2003]

> @proguy said:

> Agree, noticed this recently. Lifting the ball out of the hole causes damage to the edge of the hole.

 

There is an easy way to lift it out without damaging the cup. Just put your hand into the side opposite to the ball. put your fingers around the stick and pull the ball out with your fingers. Works every time with no damage.