Painted cups

[jim_lewis]

What is your opinion of painted cups? Does your club paint cups? Can you name some courses where cups are painted?
Jim Lewis

[Chris_Hufnagel]

What is your opinion of painted cups? Does your club paint cups? Can you name some courses where cups are painted?
Jim Lewis

My home club does it for the club championship and I just played a course in South Carolina last week that did it – I really don't care for it (actually I think it is a little silly) and think that it is excessive and a waste of resources...but that is just my opinion.  I was always under the impression that it was done for television purposes and anyone who has seen me play knows that I will never be on TV with a golf club in my hand...

[jeffwarne]

Not a big fan, but then it does help those with poorer eyesight.
Yes we do it

In the 2010 Mid Am the setup guy takes a crew member out and painstakingly shows him how to do it, spends probably 3-5 minutes painstakingly doing an adequate demonstration, with a detailed explanation on how to get it right, complete with some fancy tools to avoid mess and speed the process.
The crew member said nothing and nodded approvingly.
On the next green, the crew member simply grabs the can and paints an absolute lazer job on the cup without the benefit of any aids or tools, in less than 30 seconds.
 

[Tom ORourke]

I see Chris played a course in South Carolina that does that. I play at Woodside Plantation in SC so maybe it is a southern thing, or maybe he played at my place, but they are painted. The advantage I see is that you can see the hole a little better on longer putts. With an older membership (like ours) the away putter may have the flag removed, followed by someone closer whose eyesight is not quite as good. There is a better chance for him to be able to see, so you don't lose time putting the flag back in. That is the only plus I see. I have not seen more lipouts or any negatives.

[Steve Lang]

  done for our toonamints at WCC.. does make it easier to see cup, which is good for old farts

[Chris_Hufnagel]

I see Chris played a course in South Carolina that does that. I play at Woodside Plantation in SC so maybe it is a southern thing, or maybe he played at my place, but they are painted. The advantage I see is that you can see the hole a little better on longer putts. With an older membership (like ours) the away putter may have the flag removed, followed by someone closer whose eyesight is not quite as good. There is a better chance for him to be able to see, so you don't lose time putting the flag back in. That is the only plus I see. I have not seen more lipouts or any negatives.

It was the May River Course at Palmetto Bluff.  They did a much better job at it than my home club...

As for visibility, I didn't take into consideration those with poorer eyesight...

[K. Krahenbuhl]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look. 

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

[Patrick_Mucci]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look. 

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

Agreed, I hate those things, I've seen so many balls "pop" back out of the hole when they hit them.

Question for Superintendents.

Does painting the cup result in the ground swelling up at the perimeter of the cup ?

[Shaun Feidt]

Patrick,

I have never noticed any swelling on the lip of the cut.  I think it definately helps visibility on long putts, but it does take some skill to paint the edge cleanly.  Can be disaterous if the right person is not assigned to change cups for the day.  We do not paint on a daily basis.  Only for member events and some outside tournments.

[Mark McKeever]

Painted cups allow for the player to see the hole better, which I think in turn speeds up play a bit.

Mark

[Paul Carey]

It actually helps a lot when playing dormant Bermuda greens when the grass color and the dirt color is about the same. 

[Dean Burke]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look. 

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

it's a fairly new thing for us though.  used to be just tournaments but now by member request it is done almost every day.  I think it helps a lot especially on big greens

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I love it and agree with above with certain grass types it really hekps us older folks to see.
It was one of the comments I made whilst at Streamsong how valuable panited cups would be when playing those greens, just a minor issue, but along with daily printed pin sheets something that the public has become accustomed to at high end resorts.
Its all in the details!!!!!

[Pete_Pittock]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look.  

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

If you use plastic liners the hole no longer conforms with the rules of golf.
***
If you can't see the hole, have the flagstick attended.

Waste of time and money unless it gives you a compettive advahtage over other area courses which don't paint their cups.

[Bill_McBride]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look. 

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

Agreed, I hate those things, I've seen so many balls "pop" back out of the hole when they hit them.

Question for Superintendents.

Does painting the cup result in the ground swelling up at the perimeter of the cup ?

Patrick, I always thought that raised doughnut around the cup was created in the process of cutting a new hole and pulling the plug out carelessly.  Not that that would ever happen. 

[Emile Bonfiglio]

Great topic Jim, I was just thinking the same questions a few days ago!

We don't see it much here in the Pacific NW. I wonder if that has to do with the wetter conditions?

[Anthony_Nysse]

We paint everyday here at Pine Tree. We painted at Colonial and also at Long Cove when I was there. I think its a nice touch, especially with a lite spray of hairspray to keep the paint from chipping throughout the day.

[John Gosselin]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look.  

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

If you use plastic liners the hole no longer conforms with the rules of golf.
***
If you can't see the hole, have the flagstick attended.

Waste of time and money unless it gives you a compettive advahtage over other area courses which don't paint their cups.

If the members like it and are willing to pay for it, why would it be a waste of time and money? How much extra time and how much money does it cost to add this service when changing cups?

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look.  

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

If you use plastic liners the hole no longer conforms with the rules of golf.
***
If you can't see the hole, have the flagstick attended.

Waste of time and money unless it gives you a compettive advahtage over other area courses which don't paint their cups.

If the members like it and are willing to pay for it, why would it be a waste of time and money? How much extra time and how much money does it cost to add this service when changing cups?

Attending the flag slows up play!!
Unless of course you are using Caddies which is more expensive than painting the cups...see it really is expensive at all..and speeds up play

[Patrick_Mucci]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look. 

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

Agreed, I hate those things, I've seen so many balls "pop" back out of the hole when they hit them.

Question for Superintendents.

Does painting the cup result in the ground swelling up at the perimeter of the cup ?

Patrick, I always thought that raised doughnut around the cup was created in the process of cutting a new hole and pulling the plug out carelessly.  Not that that would ever happen. 

Bill,

There's a ring device that's used once the cup cutter is extracted.

It's inserted/set and the rim and area around the cup is flattened.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Hole liners are ok as long as they sit one inch below, or more, the surface of the green. Well that's how it reads in the Rules anyway.

I think the liners should be painted Mucci green.

[Pete_Pittock]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look.  

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

If you use plastic liners the hole no longer conforms with the rules of golf.
***
If you can't see the hole, have the flagstick attended.

Waste of time and money unless it gives you a compettive advahtage over other area courses which don't paint their cups.

If the members like it and are willing to pay for it, why would it be a waste of time and money? How much extra time and how much money does it cost to add this service when changing cups?

If a person is designated time to paint cups, maybe 1/2 hour a day, that is time spent that the person could be doing other jobs, such as mowing, buner work. I think 'waste' is a relative term in that what some people consider waste, is not considered as such by others.

How much money? Figuring about 30 minutes a day (maybe 90 seconds a hole), about 180 hours a year, so figure $1500-$2000.

[Pete_Pittock]

Hole liners are ok as long as they sit one inch below, or more, the surface of the green. Well that's how it reads in the Rules anyway.

I think the liners should be painted Mucci green.

The metal part of the cup, sunk an inch below green surface, is not a problem. However, the white plastic ring, placed atop the cup for visibility sake, causes the problem.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Hole liners are ok as long as they sit one inch below, or more, the surface of the green. Well that's how it reads in the Rules anyway.

If they sit an inch below the surface, they lose their visibility and therefore their function and purpose.

Even an inch below the surface can result in bounces that result in the ball not being holed

I think the liners should be painted Mucci green.

Then you're a moron, and thereby welcome to join us at dinner

[jeffwarne]

We do it every day.  It can be done quickly and effectively with the right equipment and it provides a good look.  

The worst thing you can do is install plastic liners in place if painting.

If you use plastic liners the hole no longer conforms with the rules of golf.
***
If you can't see the hole, have the flagstick attended.

Waste of time and money unless it gives you a compettive advahtage over other area courses which don't paint their cups.

If the members like it and are willing to pay for it, why would it be a waste of time and money? How much extra time and how much money does it cost to add this service when changing cups?

If a person is designated time to paint cups, maybe 1/2 hour a day, that is time spent that the person could be doing other jobs, such as mowing, buner work. I think 'waste' is a relative term in that what some people consider waste, is not considered as such by others.

How much money? Figuring about 30 minutes a day (maybe 90 seconds a hole), about 180 hours a year, so figure $1500-$2000.

Good points as everything has a cost, but I'd be shocked if there was a club changing cups 360 times per year!