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Removing Flag/Relacing Flag

• billh021 7 Posts

  Thu, Oct 6 2016 3:13 PM

  I watched a player on a forum post  (Ryder Cup, 30+ page or so) who taped himself playing at PB and posted it here. On each approach shot he took the flag out before he hit, and just after he hit, replaced flag while ball in the air.  

  Two Questions....What is the purpose/advantage of doing that? And second, isn't that against the rules in real golf?  (e.g. having your partner replace flag on your chip shot as ball is moving)  Thanks for any input.

  billh021

• Young46 1,298 Posts

  Thu, Oct 6 2016 7:08 PM

  That would be me you are referencing ;)

  I pull the pin before each shot because I don't want it to glance off the pin and ricochet off the green or OB. The game only recognizes the state of the pin at impact ... meaning once you hit the ball it doesn't matter if the pin is in or out, the game only sees it as being pulled. I simply put the pin back in mid-air so I can see the line of the shot.

  To your second question, yes you are correct ... sort of. According to rule 17 of the USGA handbook, pulling the flag and then replacing mid-air would result in a penalty IF the ball then hit the flagstick. However, that obviously will not occur in this game because of what I said above regarding the state of the pin at impact.

• alosso 21,054 Posts

  Thu, Oct 6 2016 11:02 PM

  You're not alone, Y: fmagnets does it, too, in his recorded rounds.

• Randy5900 6 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 5:25 AM

  How do you pull the pin?

   

• PaulTon 10,731 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 6:38 AM

  I think Young and Mags etc. put the pins back in so we see better what's happening.

  They pretty much know where the balls going to end up anyway.

• K7JBQ 1,468 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 8:42 AM

  I pull it too, but I don't put it back. I'll know soon enough where it ends up.

• billh021 7 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 1:37 PM

  Thank you Young46 for your understandable, and civil explanation. I must add that you are Quite a player and obviously know a lot about the detail of how WGT can be played. And thanks for the Detail on USGA Rule 17.  The penalty occurs only IF the ball strikes a pin that has been replaced while ball is moving.

  Good luck,

  billh021

• billh021 7 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 1:43 PM

  To All-----Young46 said he removes flag stick so it doesn't glance off.  Is there any data that says the ball will go into the hole more often if pin is removed vs leaving pin in???? 

  billh021

• K7JBQ 1,468 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 6:54 PM

  Don't know about data, or how it could be gathered. I've had them go in both ways...but I've also had two hit the flagstick and end up in the water. Reason enough to remove it, I say.

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Fri, Oct 7 2016 9:24 PM

  Randy5900:

  How do you pull the pin?

   

   

  a little icon in the corner that looks like a flag stick, click on that to toggle in/out