Is this true?......

[Redwood]

I must admit, I wish they would find some way to do this at Bude. We have yellow front and red back, but as some of the flags are not visible you have to eyeball the green as you walk past on another hole, and if you forget then take a guess.

Obviously the little bobble on the flagstick would not work for us as you cannot see the whole flagstick a lot of the time, so at least the different colours would be a start..... as long as I could see the top of the flag!!!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If it is something you consider would benefit members and visitors alike why not put it in writing to the committee. There are a couple of long greens at Bude where it is certainly at least one club difference front to back where this would help.

In answer to the question of how do they do it, I think the answer is that the club bought a number of different flags at the time (they get damaged etc over time anyway). The flags don't exactly take up much room in the greenkeepers truck as it goes round and so they simply get the correct flag out at the time they cut the new hole and change it over on the pin itself. Takes an extra minute at most.

Again we have a few greens where it really does make a difference in clubbing. I've seen the other method of a secondary ball or flag on the pole to indicate distance but always found these a little disconcerting and had to really force myself to believe they were accurate. I do know of occasions when these have been moved during play!

I've never played a course with grid references for the day. I guess if you are pretty accurate with your wedges and short irons this could really help.

 

[Robobum]

I have played on courses with all the above methods and some with none at all.
The best I have found in my opinion is the little flags/orbs that move up and down the flag stick. Top of the stick shows the flag at the back, middle for diddle and bottom for front.
Simple

Except when the little plastic screw gets worn and the whole thing slides down to the very bottom of the flag and the plastic orb thing is in the hole Bob!!

I played at a place on Sunday that had a little chart on the scorecard and by the 1st tee. The greens were all divided into 6 sections and there would be 3 pins in each section over the 18 holes. There would then be 6 different combos of this (A-F).

So on the first tee it will say todays pins are positions A. So on the back of the scorecard pos A pins will be something like holes 1, 8, 13 front left, 2, 6, 18 front right etc.

Position B would be 4, 6, 15 front left, 3, 9, 12 front right and so on.

Sounds really complicated to explain but very simple in the diagram form they had it on.

 

[USER1999]

We get a sheet of pin positions for major comps. I don't like it, as I find it confusing. 15 paces on from the front, 5 on from the left means nothing to me. What if the green is only 6 paces wide?
I have played where they have a sheet with A,B and C on it, and find this ok, but keep forgetting to look at it.
My course has red, yellow and blue flags (white are for temporary greens). This works well. Easy to remember, don't need any paperwork. Simples.

 

[Robobum]

We get a sheet of pin positions for major comps. I don't like it, as I find it confusing. 15 paces on from the front, 5 on from the left means nothing to me. What if the green is only 6 paces wide?

Then it would say 1 from the right Murph!!

We have pin sheets for all our county OOM events, some clubs choose to use this method (x front, y left etc) and some will quadrant the green (A,B,C,D)

 

[Ethan]

Bearwood Lakes have a "code" for their pin positions on any set day, but I've yet to work this one out! The guy I play with regularly up there tries to explain it to me, but I'm too thick....

Smiffy

Easy. On any given day all flags are in position A, B or C. On the first green, A is front, B is middle, C is back. On the second, A is middle, B is back and C is front, on the third, A is back, B is front and C is middle. A, B and C push back one position each green. If you remember where the flag was on the last, you know where it will be on the next - one third further back, unless the last was on the back, in which case it restarts at the front.

It means you don't have to consult the card all the time, just remember where the last one was, or if you pass another green, take a look and you can work out the sequence again.

 

[Smiffy]

Bearwood Lakes have a "code" for their pin positions on any set day, but I've yet to work this one out! The guy I play with regularly up there tries to explain it to me, but I'm too thick....

Smiffy

Easy. On any given day all flags are in position A, B or C. On the first green, A is front, B is middle, C is back. On the second, A is middle, B is back and C is front, on the third, A is back, B is front and C is middle. A, B and C push back one position each green. If you remember where the flag was on the last, you know where it will be on the next - one third further back, unless the last was on the back, in which case it restarts at the front.

It means you don't have to consult the card all the time, just remember where the last one was, or if you pass another green, take a look and you can work out the sequence again.

Eh????

 

[haplesshacker]

We get pin position sheets for major comps at the club. But like Murph says I also keep fogetting to look at it! Mind you some of our greens you can only approach from one angle because of some devilishly sloping greens. Regardless of pin position you never want to be above the pin.

I think it probably helps the better players, but at my level, aiming to leave he ball in the middle of the green is the best I can hope for! That is of course when coming in from any distance, at any other time (chipping and pitching) I can see where the hole is on the green anyway!

 

[Ethan]

Bearwood Lakes have a "code" for their pin positions on any set day, but I've yet to work this one out! The guy I play with regularly up there tries to explain it to me, but I'm too thick....

Smiffy

Easy. On any given day all flags are in position A, B or C. On the first green, A is front, B is middle, C is back. On the second, A is middle, B is back and C is front, on the third, A is back, B is front and C is middle. A, B and C push back one position each green. If you remember where the flag was on the last, you know where it will be on the next - one third further back, unless the last was on the back, in which case it restarts at the front.

It means you don't have to consult the card all the time, just remember where the last one was, or if you pass another green, take a look and you can work out the sequence again.

Eh????

Hmm, some serious cognitive problems, I see.

OK, try this. At the first tee, the starter tells you it is pin position A, B or C today. You ask what the hell that means. He says that means the pin is in the middle on the first. You say OK, thanks. You now know that the pin at the 2nd is at the back, 3rd front, 4th middle, 5th back and so on in a front-middle-back sequence.

 

[Smiffy]

Bearwood Lakes have a "code" for their pin positions on any set day, but I've yet to work this one out! The guy I play with regularly up there tries to explain it to me, but I'm too thick....

Smiffy

Easy. On any given day all flags are in position A, B or C. On the first green, A is front, B is middle, C is back. On the second, A is middle, B is back and C is front, on the third, A is back, B is front and C is middle. A, B and C push back one position each green. If you remember where the flag was on the last, you know where it will be on the next - one third further back, unless the last was on the back, in which case it restarts at the front.

It means you don't have to consult the card all the time, just remember where the last one was, or if you pass another green, take a look and you can work out the sequence again.

Eh????

Hmm, some serious cognitive problems, I see.

OK, try this. At the first tee, the starter tells you it is pin position A, B or C today. You ask what the hell that means. He says that means the pin is in the middle on the first. You say OK, thanks. You now know that the pin at the 2nd is at the back, 3rd front, 4th middle, 5th back and so on in a front-middle-back sequence.

The last two "smilies" were a wink and a big smile.
I got it

 

[USER1999]

But you are old and decrepid, will you remember it?

 

[Smiffy]

But you are old and decrepid, will you remember it?

Knob

 

[viscount17]

I have played on courses with all the above methods and some with none at all.
The best I have found in my opinion is the little flags/orbs that move up and down the flag stick. Top of the stick shows the flag at the back, middle for diddle and bottom for front.
Simple

so one might think, but you've left out the irritating little ticks (I'm feeling polite today) who think it funny to move the marker. strangely, this most frequently happens when we've been visited by 'one of those societies', those who need replenishing with beer and balls by the 3rd.

that some of the grommets holding the markers are worn also doesn't help, but then neither does my inability to actually see where the pin is at times.

 

[bernix]

my club does this, too. red=front, yellow=center, white=back. An idea I did like particularly is used in a club in Upper Austria. On the scorecard there is a map of every green divided into 5 sections = 5 colors. In the pro shop and on the 1st and 10th tee there are markers saying e.g.: "today blue pin positions are used". This is much more accurate then the front-center-back stuff.

 

[pigmeister]

Depending on the background you cannot see the markers on the flag sticks from a distance. If they are damaged and don`t stay in position or some knobhead moves them your knackerd.
We have Red front, Yellow middle, White back. Can`t go wrong with this system.

 

[Canfordhacker]

Depending on the background you cannot see the markers on the flag sticks from a distance. If they are damaged and don`t stay in position or some knobhead moves them your knackerd.
We have Red front, Yellow middle, White back. Can`t go wrong with this system.

And no entry signs on the water hazards?

 

[level5s]

never seen this system and I have played a few courses. not a bad idea.

 

[Herbie]

I have never knowingly come across this, but I can see how it works, I just dont see any real benefit against other measuring methods. But I wonder how this works on holes where you cannot see the flag, perhaps then you would have to resort to a yardage chart including greens and pin placements, which is probably all thats needed anyway, isnt it?

 

[Atticus_Finch]

We have a little map of the green on the tee box that tells and shows you how far on the pin is that day. We also have yards to front of green on sprinkler heads.
We also have pin position sheets at the starters box.