Forums

Pulling the Pin (

• SoCalJim23 420 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 9:13 AM

  I think in the PGA Tournaments.....you are only allowed to pull the Pin (Flagstick) when a golfer is on the Green and is about to make a Putt.

  However.......Here on WGT......I have for a couple of years now been pulling the PIN "before" I am even on the GREEN.  Even if I'm 100 to 150 yards from the Hole...I tend to pull the PIN....because there's always a chance that your BALL will want to go into the hole....but the Flagstick can crowd those holes.

  I was just now playing a WGT player on a 9 hole round.....she had a 10 ft. chip shot to make from just off the Green.  She hit her chip shot and her ball hit the Flagstick and bounced back about 2 or 3 feet from the Hole.  I feel sure that had she pulled the Flagstick "before" she attempted that shot.....she would have made a "Birdie" on that Hole.

  I can't tell you how many times my ball has bounced off of the Flagstick in the past and kept me from making a Birdie or an Eagle.

  So.....you might want to try it.  If you're off the Green, no matter what type of shot you're about to make in approaching the Green....pull the Flagstick.

  Jim

   

   

• KenBTEXAS 284 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 9:36 AM

  I will agree pulling the pin on WGT makes alot of sense. (and is probably a smart habbit to get into) As we have all had those bad bounces off the pin.

  As for the PGA ..You can have the flag in the hole, out of the hole, or tended, at any time. It doesn’t matter where your ball is. You can be in the tee on a 600 yard Par 5 and have the flag removed - if you can find someone to walk to the green and do that!.

  I think quite a bit of confusion about this arrose when they changed the rule about putting and hitting the flag stik. In the past it was a 2 stroke penalty if you were on the green and hit the stick.

  under Rule 13.2a(2), “There will no longer be a penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits a flagstick left in the hole.” Players will still have the option to remove the flagstick or to have someone tend the pin and remove it after the ball is struck.

• BlackBogey 276 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 10:10 AM

  I think in the PGA Tournaments.....you are only allowed to pull the Pin (Flagstick) when a golfer is on the Green and is about to make a Putt.

  You are allowed by the Rules of Golf (not a PGA Tournament thing) to pull the flag at any point you wish.  (Several years ago Phil Mickelson was one down on 18 and needed to hole out from fairway to force a tie.  He had his caddy go ahead and "attend" the stick even though he was hitting from a fair amount back in the fairway).

  And yes you are correct, many good players on WGT remove the flag before hitting all approaches.  I generally only do so when chipping/pitching, but I guess once my accuracy starts improving I might consider doing it for longer approaches too, since you can still see the hole in the alternate camera angles.

• BlackBogey 276 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 10:12 AM

  ^^^^^^^^^

  Was typing at the same time as you KenB

• KenBTEXAS 284 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 11:46 AM

  BlackBogey:

  ^^^^^^^^^

  Was typing at the same time as you KenB

  LoL

  you won't have to many dings off of the stick to start pulling it.. then you gert lazzy and stop.. then you smack another pin to remind you..

  WGT gives some crazzzzzzzzzy bounces off the oin..

• HamdenPro 2,412 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 1:50 PM

  BlackBogey:

  (Several years ago Phil Mickelson was one down on 18 and needed to hole out from fairway to force a tie.  He had his caddy go ahead and "attend" the stick even though he was hitting from a fair amount back in the fairway).

  When reading the OP, I too immediately thought of Mickelson. Not because I know much, or follow, PGA contest, but I was involved in the same discussion on discord a while back. I had posted a few clips of long approaches I holed out and having pulled the pin, which I do on every shot to the green.

  Someone replied to my videos saying something about how stupid it is that WGT allows you to pull the flag on shots from far away, and I went on to use "google" to obtain ammunition for my reply. I came across two instances where Mickelson had sent his caddie ahead to pull the flag.

  Here is a link to one video (the Masters I think) he was 60 yards out and had caddie go pull the pin:

  https://twitter.com/i/status/850470506000113665

  The other one I found was from 2011 Farmers Insurance Open (10th Hole, Par 5, Final Round, 3rd shot to the green-72 yards out).

  https://youtu.be/aqKweki8Sxc

  TBH, my videos of pulled pin approaches are way better than Phils' (I made mine)....just sayin'

   

• AnaNikolaj 634 Posts

  Sat, May 20 2023 3:39 PM

  KenBTEXAS:

  BlackBogey:

  ^^^^^^^^^

  Was typing at the same time as you KenB

  LoL

  you won't have to many dings off of the stick to start pulling it.. then you gert lazzy and stop.. then you smack another pin to remind you..

  WGT gives some crazzzzzzzzzy bounces off the oin..

  True. Mind you, the stick can also be helpful in stopping the ball, St. Andrews #5 for example... 

• BlackBogey 276 Posts

  Sun, May 21 2023 3:11 AM

  The other one I found was from 2011 Farmers Insurance Open (10th Hole, Par 5, Final Round, 3rd shot to the green-72 yards out).

  Yes, this is the one I was thinking of.  Only it was the 18th hole, not the 10th, and he was 2 back.  Needed to hole it for eagle to tie.  Hit it to about 2 feet instead for tap-in birdie, finishing solo 2nd to Bubba Watson, but you can see the dejection on his face that it didn't go in to force a playoff.  "These guys are good!"

  And I broke my own rule just this morning.  Had a 13 yard pitch on WC.  I didn't pull the pin and you guessed it - hit the pin and rolled back about 6".  Would've dropped for sure if pin wasn't there.

• Tabarnak777 168 Posts

  Sun, May 21 2023 7:02 PM

  Pin can actually help to let your ball in from a distant shot. But odds are better when pulled out to dodge any unlucky bounce.

  Pin can save your ass when you get out from a very difficult position where a pin hit is the way to go to stop the ball going further down. Need some luck for that but it's better than pulling it out and get no value from it.

• IamNicklaus 494 Posts

  Mon, May 22 2023 4:41 AM

  I read this thread yesterday and silently nodded my head in agreement at pulling the pin at every opportunity ........This morning 39 yds out on the 1st at St Andrews , i completely forgot about that nod and stood looking on ruefully when my ball bounced back off the pin like an exocet missile to a watery grave in the ditch.