Dodgy hole positions!

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turkish

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Not really talking about difficult pin positions but the odd time recently our green keeper (who has been excellent in every other respect) has put holes, which in my opinion, are silly spots, such as on the crest of a hill on an undulation, or actually on the hill part of a 2 tiered green....

but just wondering if this is normal practice? It’s not happened a lot just the odd time and seems a bit silly to me?
 
turkish said:
Not really talking about difficult pin positions but the odd time recently our green keeper (who has been excellent in every other respect) has put holes, which in my opinion, are silly spots, such as on the crest of a hill on an undulation, or actually on the hill part of a 2 tiered green....

but just wondering if this is normal practice? It’s not happened a lot just the odd time and seems a bit silly to me?
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They call it Greenkeeper's revenge :eek:
 
We often have a couple of holes that are on the cusp of hill so it is essential to leave yourself the right side but if you are only seeing it first time on a Saturday morning more often than not you've a testing two putt. I wouldn't say they were unfair or unplayable. I would agree the hill of a tier seems a random and poor position but without seeing its hard to be too critical
 
it might not be pleasant, but isn't it a good thing the hole is moved around and sometimes placed in positions where you have to think a little more?
 
There should be a area around the hole where a ball coming to rest will stay in position - I believe within 3ft is recommended.

However there may only be one direction from which you can get a ball to stop in that area (other than by sinking the shot)! Thisnis quite normal for some course - and a very rude awakening for those used to flat slow greens..huge fun on a couple of Sundridge Park greens in a match today, and the greens weren't particularily fast for them. Had they been, the pin positions would have been available.
 
We have a few brutal pin positions at our place, put the ball in the wrong place on the green and a 3 putt isn't a bad result.
 
Played Caversham Heath in a match not so long ago. They have elephant graveyard greens at the best of times and very slopey and coupled with some strategic hole placements it could and did make you look silly. Even their members were struggling. I like the challenge and feel if I can make a good two putt on any greens with these tricky positions I'm picking up a half shot on most of the field in a comp
 
duncan mackie said:
There should be a area around the hole where a ball coming to rest will stay in position - I believe within 3ft is recommended.

However there may only be one direction from which you can get a ball to stop in that area (other than by sinking the shot)! .
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Thanks Duncan.
That's good to know. (Gives me an excuse to soothe my mate when I miss😁) Is the recommendation a code, a rule, and by whom please?
 
williamalex1 said:
They call it Greenkeeper's revenge:eek:
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At a club I used to play, virtually every evening, on the way home from work, they had a (Saturday) competition where EVERY pin was in this sort of place! It was rather shambolic! Several 7-putts on a couple of greens that had serious slopes!

To demonstrate that (club) golfers are truly masochists....it became an annual event - to the 'joy' of those that scored worst on that initial event!!
 
duncan mackie said:
There should be a area around the hole where a ball coming to rest will stay in position - I believe within 3ft is recommended.

However there may only be one direction from which you can get a ball to stop in that area (other than by sinking the shot)! Thisnis quite normal for some course - and a very rude awakening for those used to flat slow greens..huge fun on a couple of Sundridge Park greens in a match today, and the greens weren't particularily fast for them. Had they been, the pin positions would have been available.
Click to expand...

Glad you enjoyed them Duncan and, yes, they are a bit slow at the moment - about 9.2 - 9.5 or so I believe. They are watering greens and fringes like mad as we have had virtually no rain recently.

Sadly I wasn't selected for this match. It's always a well supported and over subscribed fixture.
 
been some shockers at ours this year, esp on the 13th, one was an illegal pin as it was a foot from the front edge, go past the flag and it was off the green down the hill and 100 yards away
 
The pin positions you described (on the crest of a hill on an undulation, or actually on the hill part of a 2 tiered green) are indeed dodgy, and by dodgy I mean they shouldn't exist if the greenkeeper were following the R&A's hole positon guidance.

In section C the guidance explicitly states

An area of two to three feet around the hole should be as level as possible. Effort should be made to ensure that holes are not positioned within three paces of a very severe slope or ridge or of a recently used hole. If the design of the green dictates that the hole be positioned on a slope, the hole should be cut vertically, not with the slope. A player putting from above the hole should be able to stop the ball near the hole.
Click to expand...
 
Swinglowandslow said:
Thanks Duncan.
That's good to know. (Gives me an excuse to soothe my mate when I miss😁) Is the recommendation a code, a rule, and by whom please?
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See post #17. Their idea of being able to stop the ball from above the hole may not meet the average golfers working definition though! There is also a huge difference with a flat area below a tier!
 
Leftie said:
Glad you enjoyed them Duncan and, yes, they are a bit slow at the moment - about 9.2 - 9.5 or so I believe. They are watering greens and fringes like mad as we have had virtually no rain recently.

Sadly I wasn't selected for this match. It's always a well supported and over subscribed fixture.
Click to expand...
We brought the rain with us yesterday - we are considerate guests!
 
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