From Tommy Witt CGCS at Northmoor Country Club's Blog -
http://northmoorturf.blogspot.com/Who decides the daily cupping locations for the greens?
What factors are involved in where the cupping locations are set?
For daily play, the Golf Course Superintendent determines the cupping locations.
For particular tournament play, the Golf Chairman or the Golf Professional may provide input.
The consideration and actual placement of the cupping locations on the greens each day is dependent on numerous factors. They include, but are not limited to:
Undulations and slope of the green
Wind direction
Wind velocity
Actual speed of the green
Moisture level of the green
Number of ball marks in the vicinity
Distance of the hole on a particular day
Entry and exit points of the green
Traffic flow and wear patterns of the green
The health of the turf in the localized area within the green
The quest to meet a 6 easy 6 medium 6 challenging cupping location set-up
Even distribution of front middle and back cupping locations (preferably 6 each)
Even distribution of left center right cupping locations (preferably 6 each)
Make the course play at a designated distance each day
Number of available and fair cupping locations on a given green
Suggestion by the Golf Committee for the degree of course difficulty for given events
Meet general USGA course setup guidelines as related to greens edges, slopes, etc.
The particular design of the hole
The distance and difficulty of the approach shot for that particular day
The skill level of golfers for a particular event
The firmness of the green