The flag in rule and cup setup by the course?

[WildTurkey]

Okay so today I played 18 at Greenfield Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  It appeared that whoever set the cups in place did so in such a manner that the cup were not vertical.  In other words so that the flag stick had a forced lean by it's own weight. This was on all 18 holes, was random in direction but it seemed as if it was done on purpose. This was not the wind blowing the flag stick.  They were not placed vertical.  I had one putt that I made on a longish lag putt were the ball dropped below the lip but became pinched by the flag stick preventing it from resting on the bottom. The whole thing seemed rather odd. Has anyone else seen this type of set up?

[Missouri Swede]

40 minutes ago, WildTurkey said:

I had one putt that I made on a longish lag putt were the ball dropped below the lip but became pinched by the flag stick preventing it from resting on the bottom. 

The ball is still holed. 

No, I haven’t seen a setup like that.

[Shindig]

19 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

The ball is still holed. 

Correct;  for OP's reference purposes, see rule 13.2c:

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules/rules-2019/rules-of-golf/rule-13.html#Rule 13.2c

If it's nested against the flagstick and any part of the ball is beneath the surface, congratulations, you holed out. 

[iacas]

Plus maybe the cups were straight but the holes were worn so the stick could wobble.

[David in FL]

It’s also possible that the guy cutting the pins needs a bit of guidance/training...

[Patch]

I have seen this befor, but it was mostly due to the bottom of the pin, and the reciever in the cup being worn out. The two no longer fit tightly together. 

Other times there was debris (dirt/grass/trash) in the bottonm of the cup, that did not allow for a proper fit between the cup, and the pin. 

Very seldom have I seen a cup cut at a bad angle. I am sure it happens though. 

All in all, other than checking for a break point, or fall line, I never really worried much about a crooked flag stick. The hole was what it was. 

[kodewolf]

Most of the time the cups of one or more holes at my local club are placed tilted. On top of that the part of the cup holding the flag is worn out. So the flag is most of the time slightly tilted instead of placed vertical. Depending on the angle you are putting from, in my opinion this might make the hole smaller. When the flag is not placed vertically it also might give you a wrong read on the slope. For that reason, I always ask to tend the flag or have it removed. So not taking benefit of rule 13.2a(2) here

The guys cutting the hole don't do a particular good job on filling the old hole eiter:

 

I allready talked to the manager about it and he'll look in to it...
It's a 9 hole 3500 yard municipal course, but is only 15 minutes away, so I guess I just have to live with it.

Happy golfing!

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by kodewolf

[David in FL]

At a lower end municipal course, you likely have your basic municipal landscape workers caring for the course.  Even the manager may not be well trained in golf course operations management.  

Sadly, sometimes you really do get what you pay for...