This surely encourages cheating (Pins placements)

[Petercool]

For my club champs I noticed there was a blue dot spray painted on the green.

On day 2, the pin had been moved to this spot.

Then the following friday night I was playing 9 holes and noticed 2 blue dots on each green and then sure enough, during day 3 of the club champs one of the blue dots had become a pin location.

If you were serious enough you could go out and work out how the ball rolls into each location and take notes for the weekend games.

Is this considered cheating or good prep for weekend players?

 

[rulie]

For my club champs I noticed there was a blue dot spray painted on the green.

On day 2, the pin had been moved to this spot.

Then the following friday night I was playing 9 holes and noticed 2 blue dots on each green and then sure enough, during day 3 of the club champs one of the blue dots had become a pin location.

If you were serious enough you could go out and work out how the ball rolls into each location and take notes for the weekend games.

Is this considered cheating or good prep for weekend players?

Not "cheating" at all, nor a breach of the Rules. When I'm setting holes for tournaments, my policy is that everybody sees them or nobody sees them, and I prefer that nobody sees them. I select the holes for the first round very discretely before and during the practice round (day before first round) and then put the dots down after the players have left the course. If the dots are down during the practice round, the practice round becomes incredibly long. I select hole locations for the second round in the morning before the first round begins, and put the dots on the greens. The Local Rule prohibiting practice putting after the hole is complete is in effect, so players can see the second round hole locations during the first round but cannot putt or roll balls to them. Same procedure for subsequent rounds.

 

[Swango1980]

Why would you think practicing would be considered cheating?

And, if a player is willing to put that amount of effort into determining the roll of the ball to each hole before an amateur club competition, good luck to them. They deserve to have an edge over an opponent who sits on their sofa all week, and turns up 3 minutes before their tee time

 

[Orikoru]

On the Masters practice rounds they hit shots to the likely different pin locations don't they? Nobody calls that cheating.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

it’s not cheating to know where pin’s will be located

Every Friday before the club champs I have played and I have seen the spots where the pins will be

 

[kp17]

Fair play anyone putting that prep into a weekends medal

 

[howbow88]

On the Masters practice rounds they hit shots to the likely different pin locations don't they? Nobody calls that cheating.

It is most definitely cheating. I think that every single player that partakes in this should be DQ'd and have their winnings redirected straight to my bank account.

 

[rulie]

On the Masters practice rounds they hit shots to the likely different pin locations don't they? Nobody calls that cheating.

At each PGAT event (or at least, most), the players and caddies know the previous years' hole locations and will putt/play to them during practice rounds. It's not specific to Augusta.

 

[sunshine]

At each PGAT event (or at least, most), the players and caddies know the previous years' hole locations and will putt/play to them during practice rounds. It's not specific to Augusta.

When I’ve been to practice days at the Open, the players all practise putting and chipping to expected hole locations.

 

[rulie]

When I’ve been to practice days at the Open, the players all practise putting and chipping to expected hole locations.

I've been fortunate to have been involved (helping) to set hole locations at a few PGAT events. My part was simply accompanying the PGA official (and learning!). It was normally done during practice rounds and it was incredible how close the caddies had thrown the hole "disc" to what would become the actual hole locations. The "disc" was a white disc the size of a hole - they would throw it like a frisbee to the desired spot(s).

 

[Slab]

I think an AM club golfer would need to be really invested in their performance to take the practice to such length. Although like many I suppose I have done a social round the day before club champs to see how course is currently playing
Most in a club will know the breaks to the usual 4/5 pin placements the GKs use simply because we play it so often anyway, so its prob more worthwhile to look at how soft the green approach is, bunker condition, wind conditions etc where more shots can be saved

The pros take one look at a green on a course they’ve never played before and quickly identify the likely pin placements across the four days and spend a couple of mins putting to those locations on the Tuesday practice round/Wed pro-am

 

[Doon frae Troon]

For my club champs I noticed there was a blue dot spray painted on the green.

On day 2, the pin had been moved to this spot.

Then the following friday night I was playing 9 holes and noticed 2 blue dots on each green and then sure enough, during day 3 of the club champs one of the blue dots had become a pin location.

If you were serious enough you could go out and work out how the ball rolls into each location and take notes for the weekend games.

Is this considered cheating or good prep for weekend players?

I recall an occasion during my greenkeeper days when I used to go out late evening to set the pin positions for the club championship
We had one 'very keen' retired member who played about 12 rounds of golf a week, sometimes three rounds a day, he was about 12 handicap.
At some holes he would wait until I had finished and then fire a shot in, quite annoying.
So much so that when I past him I said that with his game he should be more worried about the green positions then the pin positions