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When removing flagstick after shot, flagstick is still physically there.

• PhiEaglesFan 617 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 8:39 PM

  Minor issue I've noticed with flagsticks.

  Since you gave us the ability to pull the flag at pretty much any time, I've noticed that if I hit a shot, then pull the stick while the ball is traveling towards the target that the flag will still be in the hole (despite me removing it).

  In other words, to reproduce:

  1.) Hit ball into the hole on any surface but the green.

  2.) Remove flag while ball is moving towards pin.

  3.) Watch ball hit "phantom" flagstick even after removing it.

  ACTUAL BEHAVIOR: 
  Despite removing the stick after playing the shot, the ball will still hit the stick.

  EXPECTED BEHAVIOR:
  When the pin is pulled I would expect to not hit the pin, regardless of the time I pulled it.

  It's tough to reproduce this since you're gonna have to hit the stick, but this definitely occurs.  Unfortunately, saving a replay will show the flagstick in the hole the entire time, so that avenue is borked.  I will submit a bug through the game client the next time it happens.

  I leave the flag in when I shoot so I can track the ball movement and launch angle from a fixed location on the ground.  I then pull the flag if the ball shows a chance of going in (or hitting the flagstick and bouncing away).  Unfortunately, I can make the case that the "phantom stick" has prevented at least a couple of my shots from dropping. 

  Thanks

• courteneyfish 15,796 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 8:43 PM

  You've never been allowed to remove the flag after the shot is taken. The graphics just make it look like it's been removed.

• PhiEaglesFan 617 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 8:46 PM

  With all due respect (and I mean that genuinely), whether or not you couldn't in the past is not important at the moment.

  As of now you can remove the flag after the shot, so logically it makes sense to not have it hit a flagstick that isn't there.

• hpurey 11,505 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 9:02 PM

  17-1. Flagstick Attended, Removed or Held Up
  Before making a stroke from anywhere on the course, the player may have the flagstickattended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole.

  If the flagstick is not attended, removed or held up before the player makes a stroke, it must not be attended, removed or held up during the stroke or while the player's ball is in motion if doing so might influence the movement of the ball.

• PhiEaglesFan 617 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 9:06 PM

  I'm asking my caddie to tend every shot.  I'm unorthodox, but still within the rules. =)

  I guess what I'm saying is that the current situation is incorrect in one way or another.  Either we can pull the flag mid-shot and it's not there, or we can't pull it mid-shot and the ability to do so should be removed.

  Just thought I'd throw it out.  There's a fair chance this gets filed as a won't fix anyway. =)

• hpurey 11,505 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 9:11 PM

  LOL  far fetched but touche` sir.  

   

  I'd think it comes down to how the game works.   We set all parameters of the shot before the shot is taken.  After that we are just seeing the shot we set up play out and can't change it until the ball stops and you move on to the next shot.

   

  I pull the pin after hitting a shot alot, but not until a few minutes ago did I know that the pin is still actually there.  I just don't hit close enough often enough to have found out the hard way lol.

• PhiEaglesFan 617 Posts

  Thu, Jul 30 2015 9:33 PM

  hpurey:

  I pull the pin after hitting a shot alot, but not until a few minutes ago did I know that the pin is still actually there.

  I still do it even though I know better. Call it blind optimism.  The upside is at least I'm getting a flagstick hit.  Now if I only knew which ones I haven't hit...

• mefitz 372 Posts

  Fri, Jul 31 2015 8:26 AM

  PhiEaglesFan:

  With all due respect (and I mean that genuinely), whether or not you couldn't in the past is not important at the moment.

  As of now you can remove the flag after the shot, so logically it makes sense to not have it hit a flagstick that isn't there.

  With all due respect, Courteney is correct :-). When WGT Finally gave us the option to remove the flag, it was Only Truly "removed" Before the shot was taken but, it Always Appeared to be removed Anytime it was clicked on whether before or after the shot.

  In other words, if you remove the flag Before your shot, the flag is removed and the ball cannot hit the stick.

  If you remove the flag After your shot,  it Appears to be removed But it`s Still there!

  This has ALWAYS been the case since Day One of the flag removal option!

  Sorry about all the caps but I`ve recently seen several posts about this issue as if it`s a New one....It`s Not!  :-). What surprises me the most is that this is brought up by people that should know better, that`ve been here when it became an option and was discussed in the forums quite a bit, but apparently didn`t read the forums or just never actually hit the stick when they "removed" it After the shot was taken.

  You can do a search for the old posts about this "way back when" if you`d like...from what I remember, there weren`t any plans to change it. I don`t remember when that option was released but, I think it was about the time you joined WGT...give or take 6 months(that should cover it, lol). GL

  P.S.-When on the green, the pin is automatically removed. If on the Fringe, it is Not removed! Even when the WGT caddie gives you the putter from the fringe, the pin is Still In and you can bounce off it. This was also discussed endlessly "way back when".

   

• PhiEaglesFan 617 Posts

  Fri, Jul 31 2015 9:04 AM

  mefitz:

  With all due respect, Courteney is correct :-)

  I did not say Courtney was incorrect.  Just that not being able to remove the pin in the past is irrelevant to the fact that I can currently remove it now (mid-shot).  There is still a discontinuity in the user experience.  Whether that discontinuity has been here for 3 years or 3 days, it is still there.

   

  As it stands...

  Ignoring for the moment whether or not I should be able to do this, the fact is I can currently remove the stick while the ball is in mid-air.  No doubt.  We know it's still there, but it doesn't appear to be there.

  We know that pulling the pin mid-shot is currently useless.  My argument is that if you're going to give me the ability to pull the pin mid-shot, then it shouldn't be just for show.  The pin should come out.

  -or- (option #2)

  If there was never any intention to allow us to pull pins mid-shot, then the ability we currently have to pull the pin mid-shot should be removed.

  What I'm saying is that it's more about cleaning up the user experience and making it consistent.  Not so much concerned about whether or not I should be able to do it.

  I'm fine with either way they ultimately decide to it.  Let's just make it that way consistently.  It's a bad user experience to be allowed to take the pin out, only to have it not actually be out of the hole.  I probably didn't explain that well enough in my first post.

  I'll see if I can come up with anything useful in search about this, because if I'm flogging a dead horse here then I'd just as soon not waste everyone's time.

  Cheers.

• YankeeJim 25,827 Posts

  Fri, Jul 31 2015 9:19 AM

  PhiEaglesFan:

  I've noticed that if I hit a shot, then pull the stick while the ball is traveling towards the target that the flag will still be in the hole (despite me removing it).

  Correct me if I'm wrong here but doesn't the click of the mouse on the swing initiate the data transfer, in which case the status of the pin would already be on its way?