New Flag Concept.....

[Bob_Huntley]

From time to time a low handicapper will deign to play with me.  I see him bring out the pin sheet.... there it is in all its glory. Eight feet on.... blah blah blah... he hits the shot, whoops, in the right hand bunker. I think it's all a bunch of horse feathers.

Look at the green, if you can see the pin, good on you. Now hit the bloody shot.


Bob

 

[Scott Cannon]

From time to time a low handicapper will deign to play with me.  I see him bring out the pin sheet.... there it is in all its glory. Eight feet on.... blah blah blah... he hits the shot, whoops, in the right hand bunker. I think it's all a bunch of horse feathers.

Look at the green, if you can see the pin, good on you. Now hit the bloody shot.


Bob

 

In the early 90's, I was a fledgling golf pro at a small club in Mamaroneck. We would pull the pins in the eve. When I played w/o the pins I always played better.

[JohnV]

Scott, I once played the front 9 at Salishan in Oregon before they had put the flagsticks back out and had the best 9 I ever shot there.  Something to do with aiming at the middle of the green.  Too bad I can't remember what.

If you think hole locations dictate where you should hit your tee shot, you have to know where the hole is in order to use that strategy.  If the hole happens to be one where you can't see the green from the tee or earlier in the round, you really do need a hole location sheet to employ that strategy.  I suppose it is a criticism of a hole/routing where that kind of strategy would be valuable, but you are not given the opportunity without a hole location sheet.

[Bill_McBride]

I put the tri-flag right up there with the laser distance finder.  Fuggedaboutit!

[Steve Lang]

 

This weekend we had steady 20-30 mph winds.. you could almost hear the flags flapping from 150 yds, but we pretty much gauged things from how much the flag polls were bent over.. like palm trees..

Leave the wind socks for the county airport..

[Scott Cannon]

Scott, I once played the front 9 at Salishan in Oregon before they had put the flagsticks back out and had the best 9 I ever shot there.  Something to do with aiming at the middle of the green.  Too bad I can't remember what.

I think when FC won the Masters, he said that during the last round on #12 he was aiming at the middle of the green, but his subconscience made him swing at the flag.
I have played many rounds with PGA Tour players, and I asked one of them why I couldn't score better. He said I wasn't good enough to hit the shots that I was trying. You know, trying to carve that 5 iron into a back right hole location. He said that he only shoots at dicy hole locations with 8 iron or less.

I think flags temp us, I say get rid of them all!

S

[TEPaul]

"In the early 90's, I was a fledgling golf pro at a small club in Mamaroneck."

ScottC:

Does that mean you were like a little new-born chick? Have you grown up to be a big bad rooster yet?    

[Scott Cannon]

"In the early 90's, I was a fledgling golf pro at a small club in Mamaroneck."

ScottC:

Does that mean you were like a little new-born chick? Have you grown up to be a big bad rooster yet?    

Mr. Paul,
You must not have seen my post about being a 36 hdcp writer! The older I get the more I wake up with the roosters...does that count?

[TEPaul]

"The older I get the more I wake up with the roosters..."

Wait 'til you get to be my age---you'll be waking the roosters up, like I do.

[paul cowley]

This flag thing reminds me of flowing flourescent flotsam dripping down the garbage shaft of ideas "like a five minute candy apple in a microwave".....and I'm feeling very serious about this, its most upsetting!

[Richard Boult]

I think I'm alone here... but I like the colored flags for indicating depth of the hole location on the green (or paying attention to other greens while playing another hole). It's pretty easy to figure out whether its left or right without pin sheets or colors.

At 47 years old, I still have great long distance vision, but I can't read up close (e.g.: pin sheets) Also, as a walker, I never seem to have a pin sheet with me when I need it.

The tri-flag idea is ridiculous.

A pin that automatically detects when my ball is hit too far left, right, deep, or shallow and corrects its direction and distance for me might be of interest. That gets rid of the need for color flags and pin sheets. Then all flags can be covered in sponsor logos instead.

Speaking of flags with sponsor logos...
Seeing greens: a day on the golf course inspires one entrepreneur to score a winning—and profitable—advertising business

[Craig Sweet]

Interesting...advertising on the flags....

Well, I've been telling anyone that will listen that I too have a money making idea....advertising on urinal mats...you know, the plastic mat that keeps cigs and gum from going down the urinal drain...

[JohnV]

Scotland was the first (and so far only) place I've seen advertising in the cup liner.  Take your ball out of the hole and see an ad for a fine whiskey.

Colored flags are great for indicating the hole location until someone gets one wrong.  Then listen to the golfers bitch at the pros and supers about it, even when they could have seen it from another hole before they got to the hole in question.

[David Kelly]

Interesting...advertising on the flags....

Well, I've been telling anyone that will listen that I too have a money making idea....advertising on urinal mats...you know, the plastic mat that keeps cigs and gum from going down the urinal drain...

Its been done.

[ed_getka]

Whatever happened to throwing grass in the air? I'm not sure why the product Jeff mentioned would be popular, as someone noted wind is not a steady state factor, it gusts, swirls, etc..  

[John Foley]

Does anyone remember the flags that we're initially at the Nicklaus course on Lanai? If I recall it was sort of like a windsock that had some streamers attached. Wondering if it was designed for the same type of thing, depending upon wind strength it would stand at attention?

It looked like a neat concept and I thought it was a unique idea. I doubt any traditionalist would like it though.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

The three piece flag seems to me an attempt to strip yet another skill requirement from the game.  Perhaps we can have these tell tails line the fairway as well, and a provide each player with a conversion chart that will tell them how many yards the wind will move a ball in a given direction.

I have seen them, in fact after visiting their booth last year in Orlando they mailed me one which I think is in my basement golf storage room.  But I took them to be an item that would be used like on one flag on your range just so you can have a feel for the wind conditions that day.  I dont think it was intended to replace the flags on every green was it?

I was thinking if I ever get my practice green set up in the back yard until I can get my hands on a Merion wicker basket this would have to do.

[David_Elvins]

http://www.directhitgolfflags.com/products.htm

Sorry Jeff,  I think they are ridiculous.  Even taking away the traditionalist element, they are so broadly calibrated that they would give little more information about wind speed than the golfer would be able to deduce from field observations.  Now if it had 10 stripes of fabric up the pole with 2mph increments....

[Jeff_Brauer]

David,

Actually, your answer was the one I was waiting for.  How does the flag, which might be setting on a green with swirling breezes, tell you what is above the trees, etc.?  I think it might hurt more than help, and slow play down rather than speed it up.

On the other hand, if they were employed, I think I would use the 10/20/30 rather than the 6/12/18, and see no reason to go to 2 MPH increments - I just can't figure club selection that finely anyway.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Stupidest Flag Idea: One of our course suppliers thought it was a patriotic idea to make American flags for the sticks. Someone in maintenance felt the same way, bought a set and put them out on Memorial Day. First group out at 7 a.m. has an ex-marine (if there is such a thing    ) in it who comes back very upset because "what moron didn't realize that you'd  have to be laying the flag on the ground all day". I'm trying to duck for cover as I had nothing to do with it and of course no one is down the barn so I rip some towels into strips, close the shop, and replace the flags with them.

Some things are good enough as is.

[Dan Herrmann]

I find it goofy that the AGJA feels the need to replace all our flags with their special AGJA flag.  Nobody knows why, but it makes them happy, so they do it.

BTW, our own Tommy N. worked up an AWESOME flag for us at French Creek.  I fell in love with it - very historic and very traditionalist.   Fellow members listened politely and chose a boring white flag with a the club name in script.

Can't please 'em all!

As far as color goes, I think orange would be the most visible color.   Non-traditional for sure, but you can see it easily (ask a hunter if orange works).

[Matt MacIver]

As far as color goes, I think orange would be the most visible color.   Non-traditional for sure, but you can see it easily (ask a hunter if orange works).

Insert politically- insensitive hunting joke here....

[Jim Thompson]

Now we know why we've never seen a photo of Cheney at the golf course!

Cheers!

JT

[Jeff Fortson]

The color Orange looks like the color Quail Brown when your sh*t faced drunk.


Jeff F.

[peter_p]

  Either Faldo or Azinger said late in the goings at LaCosta that at this point he should aim for the center of the green, which is much easier if you don't stick a flag on it.
  The American flag thing fad came right after 9/11. I putted with the flagstick in the hole at a course just outside DC.
 

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