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New Rules & Cup Damage

Earlier this year, under the new Rules of Golf, there is no penalty if a ball is played from the putting green and hits the flagstick.  As a result, leaving the flagstick in the hole while putting has been a favorable option.  From a pace of play standpoint, golfers no longer have to wait for all players to be on the green and for the flagstick to be pulled.  Now you can putt when ready, without worry of penalty; which will help speed up pace of play.  From a scoring standpoint, many studies have been conducted and the results have suggested that leaving the flagstick in will increase your chances for a made putt.

However, since the rule change, there has been an unintended consequence observed on the course resulting in the edges of the cups being damaged (seen below).



The damaged cup (seen above) is after one days’ worth of play; notice how the edges are frayed and have deteriorated.  Most of the damage is attributed to golfers inadvertently damaging the edges of the hole with their hand, as they attempt to retrieve their ball with the flagstick in the hole.  Obviously, when the flagstick is in the hole, there is less room available for your hand; so extra care is required to be sure you don’t accidently damage the edge of hole.  The best way to retrieve a golf ball out of the cup, with the flagstick in, is to grab the ball with two fingers and have the ball ride up the flagstick until it is out of the cup (seen below).

 

Please do not use the flagstick or putter as a tool to remove the ball, because in doing so, you can damage both the hole and the flagstick.  Similar to other course care etiquette, like repairing ball marks or divots, being careful while removing the ball from the hole can help maintain good playability for all.

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