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

[kekoa]

I've noticed lately that my son's putting has been getting worse and worse. Bad speed, lines are off, etc. The only think I can think of is the requirement of keeping the pin in and those round noodle things in the cups. It's almost like a force field around the hole. Anyone else seeing this?

[GeorgeHWB]

I'm not a junior but my short distance putting this year has been worse than ever. My lag putting has been excellent. There might be something to your theory. I've never liked putting inside of 15 to a flag stick and now that's all I'm able to do (assuming I follow the golf course's directive to leave the pin in).

[tiger1873]

I think everyone is having this problem you are talking about with the current holes and keeping the pin in the hole with a noodle or upside down cup. I don't there is much you can do about it until you can actually put to a real hole. It really sucks too and will take time to correct when the flags can be removed. Better to lag putt and keep speed correct than anything else.

 

Here in florida they have started to go with a device that lets that you pull up the ball with a hook (picture below). This is a lot better than the noodle or upside down cup but it still has issues since it breaks and damages the hole from being lifted and even worse the ball can hit the wire and bounce out a lot.

 

[kcap]

We had issues with short putts not long putts. According to my son, the flag stick and all the contraptions made the hole look really small. he has gotten better recently and it took a lot of dedicated practice.

 

[heavy_hitter]

I am not seeing an issue with putting and think the flag stick in makes it easier. The pool noodles are stupid and honestly does nothing to help. What I am seeing is the metal contraption like in the picture Tiger posted, disrupting putting. If the ball hits the metal piece attached to the flag stick the ball can pop out. Saw a kid rage quite on Tuesday after have 2 3 footers hit the piece and pop out of the hole. My kid missed a chip in birdie and a birdie putt inside 15 ft because of it.

[hangontight]

I am not seeing any issues either. Then again, I dont think he has removed pin (unless someone else already pulled it) since the pin rule went into effect last year so I guess he is used to it. Have not seen the metal device yet in person - only pool noodle, pvc section, or a more shallow cup bottom. In any case, I cant recall a miss that was obviously caused by these. By the looks of it, that metal device does look like it could more easily bounce one out.

[Evan_Par]

That device pictured is the best compromise so far. I don't see it making much of a difference either. If a putt is strong enough too bounce out because of that thin piece of metal, it very well may have been strong enough to bounce off the stick too.

[MikekiM]

My son hates putting with the flag in and certainly is affecting his putting. Can't make anything anymore. Has had 2 balls bounce out of the cup during tournaments as well.

[tiger1873]

Compared to everything else I agree the lift in place system best option right now. But it isn't very good either. When you lift up the ball by the end of the day the ground around the cup is pretty bad since the plastic piece gets stuck some times on the edge of the hole. So if you happen to have a putt die into the hole it will most likely roll around the hole because the cup has little raised lip around it.

The metal also seems to make the ball bounce out of the hole. I seen many balls that almost certainly would have gone in bounce out. I can't explain it acts like a spring to bounce the hole out. You almost have to see it to believe it.

These devices also break a lot too. We need to go back to regular pins and taking out the pins especially in tournaments.

[dlygrisse]

I love leaving the flag in..I think it helps both long and short putting. Whatever issues he is having is totally psychological, not physical. Give him data on how leaving the pin in actually increases your chances of making putts., help increase his confidence.

[Noles]

If the metal piece is on the side of the hole that your ball is going in, just twist the flagstick and have it on the other side. We did that on every short putt when they were on our flagsticks.

 

The only issue my son has mentioned is the some sticks lean one way or another so that makes that part of the hole a little smaller. In one tournament I did see kids use their putter to push the flag so it leaned away from them.

[NRB1917]

Whatever system is in place at a particular course/tournament is the same for everyone, so no excuses, accept that this is the new normal and adapt as quickly and as best you can.

[kekoa]

That's fair I guess, but when he's been putting for the last 8 years now with the pin out, its a lot easier said than done.

[heavy_hitter]

I can assure you your assessment is incorrect.

[heavy_hitter]

The problem is that many of the tours have rules with touching flagsticks. Most take these off. Played Monday and Tuesday in a tournament where they didn’t take off because is was a hassle how they were attached. So the kids would take a wedge to the green and try to move the metal piece so it wouldn’t effect putting. Rounds took 5 hours because of it. That is because they effected at least one person in each group.

[Noles]

I have only seen the rule that the removal of the flag results in a penalty. When we twist the flagstick, we use our shirt so we aren't touching it.

[adl300]

i like the part about dedicated practice. But it’s really important that we teach them to not let it affect their game. The hole is the same size. They need to snap out of it. Putting isn’t any harder with these pins. It’s just their head getting clouded. Question is..... how do we tell them to straighten up?

[Mikey5e]

In some cases what you say is true, but in other cases it is not. I have seen balls on a couple occasions bounce out after hitting that wire that left the individual in total disbelief, because the ball should have dropped in. It's just the way it is nowadays, it doesn't appear like there is the perfect flag stick modification, but the golfing world is adapting with what they think is best. It is nice to be playing golf!

[tiger1873]

All these systems we have in place punish the better putters.

If you lag putt it and just tap it in it doesn’t matter to much. But if you are looking to sink a bunch of 10-15 footers a round they just don’t drop

Having a ton of tap ins is costly. With the lift and place system the holes get so damaged you can’t just hit a putt that will die into the hole.

 

[Mikey5e]

quote

With the lift and place system the holes get so damaged you can’t just hit a putt that will die into the hole.

quote

???

[b.helts]

To what are you attributing this “trash” putting?

 

I understand he’s putting poorly and you think it has to do with “Covid cups”, but what specifically?

[tiger1873]

The ground around the hole is raised or damaged. This happens because when you pull the plastic bottom up it catches on the side of the hole.

unless you repair it and you can’t really do that in a tournament your perfect in-line putt will roll to the side of the hole. To compensate you have it hit a little harder to go over the bump which also causes it bounce out.

we have the lift in place system at our club and at the end of the day most of the holes are in pretty bad shape. If you go out early it is not much of an issue but still have issues where obvious putts bounce out.

It looks like a great ideas but it has lots of issues. I don’t know anyone who likes them after they play a few rounds. I think is also hurts kids who are better at putting because they have to adjust to a flawed system.

we really just need to go back to the traditional way.

 

[Noles]

We had these at my club and they worked perfectly. Maybe the brand your club got are just not as good. The only damage occured when people yanked it with their putter with too much force and the damage was to the unit itself, not the cup. Next time you are out there, take a picture of the damage so we can get a sense of what you are referring to.

[Mikey5e]

Good points, I especially like the last sentence of your post.

[Hstead]

A couple of the good players at my club are having the same issue and they are/were good putters, but this year they are putting poorly. My opinion is that putting is mostly mental. I take the approach that leaving the flag in gives me a target to hit. I have been making more putts this year in my head anyway than last year. I am a good putter. Because I think I am a good putter if that makes sense.

I have been a bad putter in the past and David Orr taught me how to be a good putter and that started with my belief in my own putting. You have to have confidence in yourself and what you are doing to be a good putter. It is much easier to say and type than do, but you have to have confidence first and then the putts will go in.

Change your sons belief system. Convince him the flagstick is a target. Hit your target.

It reminds me of a story Jack Nicklaus told about Gary Player. He said one week they played super slow greens and Player talked about how he loved putting on slow greens, nothing better than slow greens. Then the next week the greens were lightning fast, and that night player was talking about how he would rather putt fast greens than anything, he loved fast greens, the faster the better.

Jack finally called BS on Gary and said, no way it can be both Gary, last week you loved slow greens. Gary then looked at Jack and said something to the effect, that is why I am the best putter Jack, I have a better attitude than you do. Jack said he learned quite a bit from Gary's approach.

[MK7Golf21]

Everyone is playing with the same cups in a competition so it’s fair. I would rather have the flag out and no foam in the cup but that is the way it goes right now. For the most part it hasn’t effected me except for one putt that I got robbed, it had decent pace on it and hit the flag, went down into foam and came out. It wasn’t going crazy fast or anything so we were all surprised but all playing the same rules. It would of gone in had the foam not been in the hole and would of won 3 carry over holes on that putt.

Friend of mine had a hole in one with the foam, very lucky it stayed in because the foam was high up on this course. Would suck to be robbed of a hole in 1.

[heavy_hitter]

It isn't about fair in competition. It is about what is right. Sticking your hand into a cup with a pool noodle is still sticking your hand in the cup. Just take the stupid things out. You still have to stick your hand in and touch everything inside. Same goes for Sand Traps in competition. All the rakes are gone from the course. Every competition should be lift clean and place, otherwise the first group out has an advantage.

[MK7Golf21]

yea, I'm not a scientist/health expert making the rules but I believe the theory is that deep in the cup there isn't much direct sunlight or free flowing air to kill virus's or move them away, bring it up higher and there is more sunlight. Not a sure proof way but suppose it helps.

[leezer99]

One of our local tours is allowing you to place the ball within one club length when you end up in the bunker. Seems like a good compromise.

[hangontight]

Both the State and Regional USKG tmtns we played over last month were Lift, smooth, & place in bunker - 1 club length.