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Pulling Flag Beneficial?

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Fri, Oct 16 2009 5:05 PM

  I just hit the flagstick on the easy-to-do 8th hole in the Whiskey CTTH Challenge. Didn't hit it very hard, but it veared-off a couple feet after hitting it...

  Has anyone figured out if there's more of a chance for the ball to drop if the flag is pulled, on a shot from off the green? Or wouldn't it even matter... I mean... is the stick actually pulled, or is it just 'hidden' like it is when putting? From what I've read, it is actually pulled.

  I've always wondered if a shot has a better chance of falling into the hole, if the flagstick wasn't in it.

• Lefty2004 103 Posts

  Sat, Oct 17 2009 8:01 PM

  From what I understand, if you're already on the green, which is the only time you can pull the flagstick, it has no effect. If you leave it in you won't bounce off it.

• Soulcatcher 1,970 Posts

  Sat, Oct 17 2009 8:17 PM

  In WGT world pulling the flag makes sense.

  In the real world that is up for debate...here is one thread.

• nivlac 2,188 Posts

  Sat, Oct 17 2009 8:21 PM

  Lefty2004:

  If you leave it in you won't bounce off it.

  Bingo.  If it's too hard, it'll just go over the hole (or slam into the flagstick) but it still won't go in.  At least by pulling the stick you're giving the shots that might be going just a tad too fast a chance to drop.

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Sun, Oct 18 2009 8:04 AM

  Lefty2004:

  From what I understand, if you're already on the green, which is the only time you can pull the flagstick, it has no effect. If you leave it in you won't bounce off it.

  On the green, it's only a 'visual' matter. The flag is always pulled on the green. I wish that was the default, instead of having to pull it each time I putt. The pin can be pulled when off the green, but I've not managed to keep it pulled. It always goes back in, just as I'm making the shot. Unnerving, to say the least.

  When the option first became available, I remember that I tried (just for the helluvit) pulling it from off the green a couple times, and it stayed pulled. Lately, however, I've not managed, even once, to have it remain that way, essentially rendering this quandry moot.

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Sun, Oct 18 2009 8:08 AM

  Soulcatcher:

  In WGT world pulling the flag makes sense.

  In the real world that is up for debate...here is one thread.

   

  Great link. Thanks. I think our flags here must be awfully 'tight' the way balls bounce off them! Not much 'give'. Like reported in the real world blog, it would make sense to leave it, given the choice.

• PugsAce 1,825 Posts

  Sun, Oct 18 2009 8:11 AM

  nivlac:

  Lefty2004:

  If you leave it in you won't bounce off it.

  Bingo.  If it's too hard, it'll just go over the hole (or slam into the flagstick) but it still won't go in.  At least by pulling the stick you're giving the shots that might be going just a tad too fast a chance to drop.

   

  My thinking exactly. I figured the ball would have a better chance to drop, being hit correctly, and gravity doing it's thing. But I've not had the opportunity to test this theory, as I can't effectively keep the pin out of the hole when trying it from off the green.

  My question then is... has anyone been able to, or am I doing something wrong?

• Faterson 2,902 Posts

  Sun, Oct 18 2009 8:12 AM

  PugsAce:

  The pin can be pulled when off the green, but I've not managed to keep it pulled. It always goes back in, just as I'm making the shot.

  Confirmed. This feature just doesn't work, and has never worked for me.

  And while it doesn't work, it's very distracting. The "pull flag" button needlessly appears every single time I try to aim at the hole with my mouse.

  This should be a small, discreet button somewhere at the edge of the screen, not one that pops up in the middle of your screen, disrupting your preparations for every shot/putt!

  At long last, let's also make use of some keyboard shortcuts in this game. For example, press F on the keyboard = flag pulled. Pres F again = flag replaced.

• marioh 1,055 Posts

  Sun, Oct 18 2009 9:42 AM

  Maybe they can squeeze a button next to the green speed indicator to remove/replace flag.

   

• BlackDragon84 21 Posts

  Sun, Oct 18 2009 10:00 PM

  Faterson:

  PugsAce:

  The pin can be pulled when off the green, but I've not managed to keep it pulled. It always goes back in, just as I'm making the shot.

  Confirmed. This feature just doesn't work, and has never worked for me.

  And while it doesn't work, it's very distracting. The "pull flag" button needlessly appears every single time I try to aim at the hole with my mouse.

  This should be a small, discreet button somewhere at the edge of the screen, not one that pops up in the middle of your screen, disrupting your preparations for every shot/putt!

  At long last, let's also make use of some keyboard shortcuts in this game. For example, press F on the keyboard = flag pulled. Pres F again = flag replaced.

  I agree with you that the activation mechanism for this feature could be improved upon, but my experience with the feature itself has been slightly more positive than yours.  I have, sometimes, been able to pull the flag for chip-shots from just off the green.  The flag would be replaced when I started my swing, but would be pulled again once my ball hit the green, as if a caddy was monitoring the flagstick for me.  It only works for me sometimes; other times, I see what you described.