Ridiculous Hole Position

[Lazkir]

Had one worse at Springwater 11th in Nottingham.
Severely sloping green and pin was cut about 15 foot from front edge where it slopes the most.
I putted just short of the hole where it stopped and then rolled all the way back past it's original position to the front edge of the green. Four tries later the only way I could get it to stop was to actually make the putt.

 

[ExRabbit]

Was this in a competition?

 

[davemc1]

We've got 3 or 4 greens like that.

I agree, I even started a thread about one.... :rofl: Haha

but really, what is the need? Isn't golf hard enough?

 

[Slab]

We had similar a couple of years ago, very quick greens and some very difficult pin positions, a lot of complaints, we now have a pin placement committee or similar.
i did understand some of the complaints, mainly being that higher handicappers had an advantage by laying up and chipping onto the green.

Low handicap players weren't permitted to lay up & chip on? That's a tough club rule!

 

[Wayman]

Was it a competition?
Has it rained a lot.
Greenkeeper will be protecting parts of the green where it will be worn over the winter.
He might of just stuck it out for a laugh. There will be a reasoning sure for it

 

[jusme]

Had one worse at Springwater 11th in Nottingham.
Severely sloping green and pin was cut about 15 foot from front edge where it slopes the most.
I putted just short of the hole where it stopped and then rolled all the way back past it's original position to the front edge of the green. Four tries later the only way I could get it to stop was to actually make the putt.

Had the same at a home course - ridiculous. The ball is either in the hole or right down at your feet 15 feet away. There your only 2 choices. 15 foot putt everytime and you keep going until you hole it. Silly, silly, silly.

 

[KenL]

http://www.usga.org/rulesfaq/rules_answer.asp?FAQidx=143&Rule=16

This link (the same info is on the R&A site also) should be compulsory reading for green keepers.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Long way to go to beat my 3 iron to 8 feet and 13 putting.

 

[Imurg]

Speed of the green is the biggest factor here.
If you're going to have 3 ft slopes you can't have lightning fast greens..
Have them at a decent pace but if you place a ball and it rolls when look at it, it's stupid.
A few years ago, at the US Open, Monty's caddie placed a ball 18 inches behind a flag ( in a practice round) and the ball moved itself and rolled 30 ft off the green - that's just mad!
Huge slopes and ultra fast greens don't mix as "He canna change the laws of Physics, Captain"

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Members complained about our fifth this weekend just on the top of the third tier so right at the back but cut on a slope so whichever way you putted there was a huge break. Thought it was unusual but the greens weren't too quick so it was fair enough (two putted it both days helped)

 

[duncan mackie]

Dropping the ball wasn't the right test really.

If a ball can't be placed such that it holds its position in a reasonable area around the hole then it's just plain wrong - for everything else it's just a challenge (but one that club golfers rarely have to deal with.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We can have pin positions like that on some of our greens. We don't like them as they are difficult - but we know to keep beneath the hole. On one hole we can be 3ft above the hole middle green and can end up off the front of the green down a 10ft drop slope and 30yds back down the fairway faced with a pitch back up. Cue potential for taking stroke and distance...

 

[Old Colner]

Low handicap players weren't permitted to lay up & chip on? That's a tough club rule!

Ha, obviously not a rule and not even everybody's opinion, some had the same thoughts as you, nothing to stop low handicappers laying up either, but they didn't have a shot on the hole.

 

[Region3]

Was this in a competition?

Was it a competition?
Has it rained a lot.
Greenkeeper will be protecting parts of the green where it will be worn over the winter.
He might of just stuck it out for a laugh. There will be a reasoning sure for it

The day I measured the slope and took the video wasn't a competition, but the pin was in the same place the day before when there was a competition.

 

[Region3]

We can have pin positions like that on some of our greens. We don't like them as they are difficult - but we know to keep beneath the hole. On one hole we can be 3ft above the hole middle green and can end up off the front of the green down a 10ft drop slope and 30yds back down the fairway faced with a pitch back up. Cue potential for taking stroke and distance...

The only way to leave an uphill putt is to miss the green long or right. I took dead aim both days because I didn't mind missing right, and pulled both of them the the left half of the green

 

[User 105]

I think the fair test would be if you putt it up that slope and it then backs up, then it's wrong.

We've had some really dodgy pins at our place the last few weeks.
- Right at the edge of slopes at the front of the green where if you run the ball a couple of inches past you'll be down the slop 10 yards away and off the green.
- On the peak of slope where it runs off in all directions. That one was like playing crazy golf. You'd putt it up the hill, it'd roll down the other side. If you tried to lag it it'd take a load of break and go off at right angles down the slope.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You need to practice on the Pitlochry Putting course. Worked in Pitlochry the hot dry summers of 1976 and 1977 and this place was baked hard and the grass looked like it had been shaved - it was mad but great fun.

 

[TheJezster]

Try playing Epsom Downs golf club, it's great fun. There are some 4 level greens, with some really steep slopes. Many people 4+ putt on these. Great fun to play from time to time I think.

 

[Robster59]

Mind you don't get thrown out of the club for posting it on YouTube