We now have more options due to a rule change by the USGA regarding the flagstick. It’s a major change in the possibility of helping to speed up play as well. You will now have three options when putting: 1) Leave the pin in the hole and unattended, 2) Remove the pin, 3), or you can still have someone tend the pin. If your putt hits the pin in the first scenario, there’s no penalty where before it was two strokes or loss of hole in match play.
Leaving the flagstick in the hole may have some benefits, but I have mixed emotions about it. It is unclear whether it will help or not, or increase the pace of play. There have been many studies done with mixed results on the benefit of leaving the flagstick in the hole while putting. Some say from a physics standpoint; there is zero evidence to suggest that the flagstick helps in any way but the rarest of situations. While others suggested, you have a much higher percentage of making putts with the flagstick in the hole.
However, the flagstick may occasionally reduce the length of a second putt and, therefore, possibly help reduce three-putts. Perhaps the best benefits to leaving the flagstick in are the visual benefits and distance perception. Although, you can always use the traditional method in having the flagstick attended.
Here are some of my observations:
- Leaving the flagstick in on longer putts has an advantage visually and should help increase the pace of play.
- Leaving the flagstick in may assist in keeping the ball closer to the hole if you hit the pin with too much speed.
- Dead center hits on the flagstick provide the highest percentage of making the putt.
- Off-center strikes on the pin still provided a higher make percentage versus taking the flagstick out.
My overall advice:
Do what you feel most comfortable with on leaving the flagstick in or not. Don’t let the tradition of pulling the flag out while you putt influence your decision. Leave the pin in if you want. You will likely find that you’ll hole a higher percentage of putts while doing so. I prefer the flag out on the shorter putts, and I leave it in on the longer putts.
Click here for the USGA Rule 13.2 on the Flagstick.
