Leaving the flag in. How many are still doing it.

[Cal Carlisle]

I'm not a fan of the rounded edges the cups take on from people leaving the flag in and getting their ball out of the hole. There are days when things are pretty well-rounded over by noon. This season I've been pulling the flag out to putt and some people look at me like the pin I pulled out was from a grenade instead of a golf hole. How many of you are still leaving the flag in?

[Rob Marshall]

I leave it in on putts over 20’

[John Kavanaugh]

In 100% of the time because it is faster. I did have a short putt clunk out so I naturally punched the flag. It punched back. Knocking the cap off my head. Hilarity was had by all.

[MCirba]

I like it out.


Joe Bausch likes it in.


Others are ok either way.


Big World Theory.

[John Kavanaugh]

If you don't want my med/large cadets in the hole give me the putt.

[Peter Pallotta]

I'm leave it in over 90% of the time, because it speeds up play (when all playing partners agree), but also because on long putts it helps me see the hole better and on shorter putts it gives me a definite target -- the pin -- to aim at/off. Strangely, the only (rare) times I do take the flag out is when I have a make-able birdie putt.

[Jim_Coleman]

   I’ll leave it in on long putts to speed up play on the theory that I won’t make the putt anyway. If I think I might make it, I take it out. I never have it put back in if it’s been taken out before I putt. I think it almost never helps and can often hurt. Seen too many balls rejected by the stick that would have gone in. There’s a reason 99% of the best players in the world take it out.

[Tim Martin]

Leave it in all the time.

[JLahrman]

I don't care if it's in or out but I never take it out myself. When the rule was changed a few years ago, I never thought that I would want to putt with the flag in. But when COVID rules were in effect and the flags were left in the hole as a rule, I found that I didn't mind a bit if the flag were left in when I was putting. And if it saves 30 seconds taking the flag out each green, and 30 seconds putting it back in, that's 18 minutes a round.

[JohnVDB]

I'm not a fan of the rounded edges the cups take on from people leaving the flag in and getting their ball out of the hole. There are days when things are pretty well-rounded over by noon. This season I've been pulling the flag out to putt and some people look at me like the pin I pulled out was from a grenade instead of a golf hole. How many of you are still leaving the flag in?

I personally leave it in when I’m playing for fun.  If it was a medal day or the like, I prefer it out for putts under 10 feet.


One of my favorite complaints that came in from a pro when the Rule was changed was that the edges of the hole were getting damaged by the large diamond rings the ladies at his club wore.  Needless to say, this was a high end club in the southern US.

[Steve Lang]

   Played 4 times last week and saw 4 clunkers (three by others one by myself), hadn't seen much of any in a long time... One day one of the guys had two in the round, he was definitely frustrated, but was hitting it too hard for the green speeds... never really adjusted till the end.


Has appeared to be a plus for overall playing speed in my experience... 


I only take pin out for putts that are going to enter the hole on a high side slope... have seen some clunkers in that situation


ps touching a flagpole  during covid times was probably one of the safest surfaces you could

[R_Paulis]

It feels like Flag Stick Removers (FSRs) are frequently the type of golfers that take longer lining up their putts. Perhaps FSRs wait until the stick is removed before evaluating putts. Whereas FSKs should not have to wait to line up their putts.

Perhaps FSRs are slower golfers in general...


18 minutes savings is worth it to me but I had not considered the hole edge impacts.

Has there been research on the hole edge rising or falling by FSKs reaching into the hole to retrieve the ball?

[Jim_Coleman]

   I asked Gilles Gagnon, the long time pro at Casa de Campo who played hockey at Michigan State and coached hockey at Colgate, about leaving the pin in. His response: “Why do you think they have goalies in hockey?”.

[JohnVDB]

I’d guess there is just as much damage to holes caused by people who aren’t careful putting the flagstick back in the hole or using their putters to get the ball out of the hole as by people reaching in to get the ball out with the stick in.

[JLahrman]

ps touching a flagpole  during covid times was probably one of the safest surfaces you could

Likely but no sense taking chances especially in the early days so I understand why so many courses had that policy. I play far more tennis than golf these days, had a couple guys cancel matches in 2020. I was taking a lot of precautions, but in tennis you're always 78 feet from your opponent, can do your changeovers on opposite sides of the net, and the only surface you both touch are balls that were flying around at 60 mph and several hundred rpm during the points. Playing tennis was 10 times safer than going to church!

[Peter Sayegh]

Leave it in all the time.

Ditto.

[John Kavanaugh]

ps touching a flagpole  during covid times was probably one of the safest surfaces you could

Likely but no sense taking chances especially in the early days so I understand why so many courses had that policy. I play far more tennis than golf these days, had a couple guys cancel matches in 2020. I was taking a lot of precautions, but in tennis you're always 78 feet from your opponent, can do your changeovers on opposite sides of the net, and the only surface you both touch are balls that were flying around at 60 mph and several hundred rpm during the points. Playing tennis was 10 times safer than going to church!

Till you hit the locker room. Ouch.

[Sean_A]

Will leave it in for longer putts if nobody is around to tend the flag. Out for any reasonable chance to make a putt. I figure if a guy is in a hurry he will give me the putt. If he makes me putt it I do so on my own terms.

Ciao

[Ira Fishman]

In. Play fast. But we left it in before "they" changed the rule. However, if playing with someone I do not know, I offer to tend/take out for birdie putts. Rare enough that politeness is the right call.

[Pete_Pittock]

Since we have more foregiveable flagsticks I still putt with them in, as does my regular group. It saves bending over, plus I use a ball extractor doohickey on the end of my bullseye-putter. I gave up on my mallet-ish wand because a first-year student at Hogwarts could use their wand more efficiently.

[Peter Pallotta]

I gave up on my mallet-ish wand because a first-year student at Hogwarts could use their wand more efficiently.

I don't know how anyone makes any putts at all with these modern jail-breaking spider batted wing-headed OG mallets. I've never seen pro athletes look more stiff and uncomfortable and un-athletic doing anything than Tour golfers do standing over and stroking a putt with one of those in their hands. My goodness, Crenshaw and Daly have the easy gracefulness of ballerinas in Swan Lake compared to those guys. I think Rory and Jon and Dustin make putts in spite of them more than because of them!

[Carl Johnson]

Leave it in, as do almost all of the guys I play with.  Good target and helps the ball fall in more often.  Does help pace of play.  Hole damage from ball removal is not an issue at my club.  Excellent rule change in my opinion.

[Carl Rogers]

I like leaving it in except when the wind blows and the shadow of the flag flapping is aligned with line of the putt.  Very distracting.

[MCirba]

I believe more putts are rejected by the flagstick than helped, although that may vary by flagstick type/circumference.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I leave it in when I may need the help, and take it out when I don't need the help (i.e. my distance control is virtually certain to leave the ball within 2-3').

Often the dividing line is about 25', but slopes and other factors may affect that.