Should you putt with the flag in? New Golf Rules 2019
► In this video, Neil Tappin takes a look at the new rules for 2019 and focuses on whether or not you should putt with the lag in?
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If the ball hits the flag stick and it doesn't go in does the it coun't
Came back from gold after 3 years and this is honestly awful. Just made time on the greens longer not shorter. Some people wanted it in, some out then some tended. Was such a pain.
Bryson is such a loser for using big words like that in press conferences. He doesn’t usually understand what they mean
They should change the rule again! It is irritating and slow the game down, one player wants it out , the next player wants it in so you have to walk back and threw over the green!!
Great video! Can you please do the same test but with a normal size golf ball vs the new callaway magna to see if a larger ball holes easier or not.
For long distance putts I defiantly would leave the flag in but for short putts I would have it out as for me it makes the hole seem bigger for some reason
Could I suggest that there's a little bit of a question in my mind about being able to repair parts of the green but not allowing us to either repair or take a drop from filled or unfilled divots? Both are man made so I have trouble seeing the difference in principle.
What happened if the ball does not go all the way down and gets stuck between the flagstick and the edge of the hole ? Any rule around that ?
Leaving the flag in is ruining the game of golf they should be ashamed of themselves by bringing out a rule like that.
The flagstick gives you something to aim at rather than just a hole in the ground. It's much easier to try to hit the stick than hit the hole.
Time saving? I don't think so . There is one rule change you completely forgot about. You are now allowed to repair just about any type of imperfection on your line of putt. So players will be spend lots of extra time doing this. Also players will have different preferences for the flagstick and it will be put in, out, in, out etc. Not time saving at all. I can see players taking 2 or 3 minutes EXTRA to putt out. This will add 30 to 60 minutes to a round!!! The R&A really are stupid!
Those who say that they will leave the flag in because it helps them proves that the flag will be used as an aid and why this stupid, stupid rule change must be scrapped.
Leaving it in might help me bang in those touchy 4 foot putts. (worst part of my game)
I've played thousands of holes on my own, putting with the flagstick left in. I can't think of one time a makeable putt has been denied by striking the flagstick and then rebounding out. The only time a rebound has stayed out, the ball would have never gone in anyway due to high speed. ON the other hand, many times I've had a too fast putt strike the flagstick and go in or stop next to the hole when it would otherwise have stopped far far away. In my experience, putting with the flagstick in is statistically the better call.
I could make an argument that a downhill putt that stops 10 feet beyond the hole is moving much slower as it passes the hole than an uphill putt that stops 6 feet past the hole. Therefore, it is the uphill (fast-moving) putt that needs the flagstick for stopping. Of course, any player who hits their downhill putt super hard and goes 40 feet past, well, I don't know what to say.
A lot of courses have gone out of business due to profitability, speeding up play with a few more groups a day may be the difference between staying open or not.
Ill leave it in, with a bad back it's easy to quick pull the stick when the ball is holed, then i have a putter that scoops the ball from the green.
The only change to this rule I want right now is you have to announce what you want before you putt it. I don't think it's fair if you accidentally hit it hard and you are telling your playing partners to put leave it in or hit a good putt and are telling your playing partners to pull it. Either pull it, leave it in or tend it. Let it know what you want then putt it.
Totally unnecessary vandalism of the game of golf. Nothing wrong with the current rules which have operated fine for decades. The rule change.allowing the leaving the flagstick in the hole is absolute stupidity and provides an aid to bad putters. Won't speed up play as flag will be put in, then out, then in, then out if players have different preferences. If you can ground your club in a penalty area, then it is not really a penalty area is it? What can possibly be the reason for having to drop the ball from knee height instead of higher. Stupid. Looks like people with bad backs won't be able to play. How can allowing the picking up of loose impediments in bunkers, and repairing of every single imperfection on a green make the game quicker. Nonsense.
I think a lot of people’s thoughts on this will be influenced by what they see on TV in the next few weeks. Think I’ll be a flag in man 100% of the time outside of ten feet. I like the comment about downhill putts leaving the flag in aswell. It should be very interesting to see how it affects putting/scoring.
I played in the 60s when you could putt with the flag in- no one at the the course I played really understood why they changed the rule ( I think in 1968?) My recollection, it slowed down play ( in a day when pace of play was important so we noticed the nuances you showed in the video) and also the condition of the area around the hole in winter was much more crowned. The people who see this rule being a waste of time because players will keep wanting the flag alternatively in our out, I don't see happening- it did not back then, but we are in a new age, so lets see what happens.
Practically I think this is a good rule. Ever since I started playing golf as a kid (40 years ago) with my father or friends we would often leave the flag in when putting during practice rounds and it definitely speeds up the game. There isn't really an issue with some players wanting the flag in and some wanting it out, as whoever putts first simply marks their ball and then leaves or removes the flag for the next player. By the time the next player goes to their marker to replace their ball and have a last look at the line of their putt leaves more than enough time for another playing partner to replace the flag or leave it out and so on. This should be even more slick in the professional game where caddies are on hand to manage the flag.
I don’t see how things could be more efficient than removing the flag stick when everyone is on the green and replacing it when everyone is done. The occasional need to tend it for someone isn’t slowing down play, it’s just part of playing the game.
I don’t like the flagstick becoming part of a golfer’s strategy. It’s supposed to mark this hole location not aid golfers in holing shots. The USGA is going to have to standardize and regulate flagsticks or it could create an unfair advantage for some golfers. It also invites your opponent to replace the flag in a way that may not be perfectly straight. Just a subtle lean in any direction can effectively block off half the hole.
Great video!
You mentioned “that seems like a bad idea” to remove the flagstick while the ball is in motion after someone has asked you to leave it in. It will actually be a penalty.
And as a player, after playing 9 holes of golf with the flag left in, I discovered that it was distracting to have the flag left in at around three feet or less. I will probably only have it left in for very long putts, such as over 20 feet.
But I completely agree that this new rule will certainly speed up play in the long run, for the first few months we are all getting used to this it will be a bit confusing and can actually slow down play and be distracting to the players.
Use a ramp or stimpmeter to get the ball rolling fast enough to jump center of the hole or hit the back of the lip hard enough to hop out. Do this 10 times and then put a fiberglass flag in the hole and roll 10 more times. You'll be surprised by the results. For 2019 I'm leaving the flag in unless my groups old fashion and needs it pulled. At which point I won't make them put it back in just so I can putt.. that would waste time.
All psychological I know, but I've always hated having the flag attended as the person (kindly) holding the stick is in my peripheral vision which I find distracting. The new rule will definitely help in this respect, although I agree with Neil that for short putts I don't think I would like having the pin "filling" the hole!
Visual purposes make sense: distance or ease of seeing a target below ground versus above ground. We shall see if it influence pace of play. I do agree it is important to be clear with playing partners including but not limited to the flagstick.