Flag in....

[theoneandonly]

I remember playing a match, before the new rule, where my opponent had me tend the flag for all his putts except absolute tap ins. Tending the flag from 6 feet is really irritating and apparently he regularly did this as it niggled opponents and gave them a lot less time to concentrate on their own putts and upset their routine. The sort of petty gamesmanship that people who can’t win through their own golf are apt to use.

Oh this was definitely a feeble attempt at gamesmanship. Backfired though.???

 

[Orikoru]

This topic is obviously designed to annoy people. I kind of agree that it's silly to ask for it to be tended nowadays, but if someone did ask me, I would ask why and probably have a laugh at their expense, but I wouldn't refuse outright!

Just yesterday actually someone said to me that somebody had asked them to tend the flag on a long putt, and when asked why, they said that having a person next to the flag gave them a better frame of reference for distance, because of scale or something or other. I'd never considered that before.

 

[ger147]

I remember playing a match, before the new rule, where my opponent had me tend the flag for all his putts except absolute tap ins. Tending the flag from 6 feet is really irritating and apparently he regularly did this as it niggled opponents and gave them a lot less time to concentrate on their own putts and upset their routine. The sort of petty gamesmanship that people who can’t win through their own golf are apt to use.

I wonder what would happen in this scenario if horror of horrors, while tending the pin it becomes stuck and I can't get it out of the hole in time...

Would that be a penalty for my opponent?

 

[SaintHacker]

This topic is obviously designed to annoy people. I kind of agree that it's silly to ask for it to be tended nowadays, but if someone did ask me, I would ask why and probably have a laugh at their expense, but I wouldn't refuse outright!

Just yesterday actually someone said to me that somebody had asked them to tend the flag on a long putt, and when asked why, they said that having a person next to the flag gave them a better frame of reference for distance, because of scale or something or other. I'd never considered that before.

So you can't hit a tee shot as you can't see the hole yet you'll have a laugh at someone who would like the pin tended probably for that very reason. Ok then.

 

[Robster59]

I wonder what would happen in this scenario if horror of horrors, while tending the pin it becomes stuck and I can't get it out of the hole in time...

Would that be a penalty for my opponent?

Previous experience of tending the flag makes me check that it can come out before the player putts.

 

[Orikoru]

So you can't hit a tee shot as you can't see the hole yet you'll have a laugh at someone who would like the pin tended probably for that very reason. Ok then.

That doesn't make any sense. I would laugh at them in the sense that I'd probably make a joke about getting with the times and just leave the pin in etc, but if they insist on someone tending it then it's fair enough, each to their own. Do you not have any banter in your rounds? Just walk round stony-faced taking everything at face value?

For the record, I'd have no problem with someone laughing at me for not being able to hit a green I can't see either. As I say it's banter, and it's deserved.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Unless my putt is very long, I have now moved almost 100% of the time to flag out.

This often requires me to ask playing companions to remove the flag. They might wonder why since I can putt with flag in, and they might all be 100% flag in…but if I chose to have flag out then someone has to walk to the flag, take it out, and put it to the side. And I doubt very, very much that any such request would ever be refused.

 

[Orikoru]

Unless my putt is very long, I have now moved almost 100% of the time to flag out.

This often requires me to ask playing companions to remove the flag. They might wonder why since I can putt with flag in, and they might all be 100% flag in…but if I chose to have flag out then someone has to walk to the flag, take it out, and put it to the side. And I doubt very, very much that any such request would ever be refused.

I always leave the flag in, a combination of getting used to it over the Covid years, and laziness since leaving it in is quicker and less effort. Yesterday though I missed a putt because I hadn't noticed the flag was leaning slightly towards the front right edge of the cup, my ball would have gone in had it not hit it. So I should have taken it out. Gave me food for thought and I might just leave it in on quick downhillers going forward.. or I'll just continue to be lazy most likely. ?

 

[ger147]

Previous experience of tending the flag makes me check that it can come out before the player putts.

It was specifically in reply to the post about a player insisting on having the flag tended at all times in a matchplay situation as a form of gamesmanship.

I wonder how they would react in that scenario if somehow the flag didn't come out in time...

 

[Robster59]

It was specifically in reply to the post about a player insisting on having the flag tended at all times in a matchplay situation as a form of gamesmanship.

I wonder how they would react in that scenario if somehow the flag didn't come out in time...

Well, you were asked to hold it at all times, you could have it "accidentally" stick a few times as they were putting at the hole. That would get into their head a bit.

 

[ger147]

Well, you were asked to hold it at all times, you could have it "accidentally" stick a few times as they were putting at the hole. That would get into their head a bit.

What's good for the goose etc...

 

[BiMGuy]

I always leave the flag in, a combination of getting used to it over the Covid years, and laziness since leaving it in is quicker and less effort. Yesterday though I missed a putt because I hadn't noticed the flag was leaning slightly towards the front right edge of the cup, my ball would have gone in had it not hit it. So I should have taken it out. Gave me food for thought and I might just leave it in on quick downhillers going forward.. or I'll just continue to be lazy most likely. ?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.go...-should-be-pulled-999-percent-of-the-time/amp

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I always leave the flag in, a combination of getting used to it over the Covid years, and laziness since leaving it in is quicker and less effort. Yesterday though I missed a putt because I hadn't noticed the flag was leaning slightly towards the front right edge of the cup, my ball would have gone in had it not hit it. So I should have taken it out. Gave me food for thought and I might just leave it in on quick downhillers going forward.. or I'll just continue to be lazy most likely. ?

I have gone ‘always out’ for other than the longest putts as I found I was possibly more focussed on the flag than the hole. I think I was losing my line on putts with borrow as the flag had me subconsciously hitting the ball more towards the flag than along the line of the borrow and into the ‘side’ of the hole. Since I have been putting ‘always out’ my holed % is definitely improving - though that might also be due to a change in my putting address position.

Before I putt on the 1st green I always tell my playing companions that I am ‘always out’ unless I say otherwise, so they know and can remove the flag without delay whenever it’s my turn.

 

[Bamberdele2.0]

Couple of hundred rounds under my belt and not once have I been asked to tend to the flag.

Did he have a caddy and was a green jacket on the line?

 

[Beezerk]

I tended it a couple of times at the weekend out of my own choice, we had very high winds and the flag was almost bent sideways lol.