Holes cut into steep slopes

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

I went out to play yesterday, and struck the ball really well for me. I hit 7 fairways and 7 GIR, which is much higher than my previous best in both categories. There were actually 2 more GIR that I was just a couple feet off the edge. If I had averaged 2 putts per hole, I would have shot my best score ever by 6 strokes, and would have shaved a couple off my handicap.

But instead the holes were all cut into the steepest spots on the green, and I had 48 putts. 48!!!!! I 5-putted one hole from 15 feet. The first 3 putts all rolled up near the hole, and would have been tap-ins, but the ball made a u-turn and rolled back to my feet each time. The 4th one finally found a spot where it could stop without rolling back, and the 5th one was finally my tap-in.

I don't think I left my first putt on any green within 6 feet of the hole. The ball just couldn't stop near the hole, unless you hit it IN the hole (which I'm not that great at from 20 feet).

What do you guys do when the course is playing fine, but the hole placement is just downright mean-spirited?

-Andrew

[andemw01]

Was it a Donald Ross designed course. I have played two and seemed like every other green is like this. Refuse to play those courses anymore ;)

[pittpanther]

This is really unfortunate.

If this (putting the hole on a slope) was done on the PGA tour, the players would scream at the top of their lungs at how unfair it is, and that it's not a true test of golf skill, only luck.

If guys who get paid 6 and 7 figures wouldn't put up with it, why should we have to deal with this when I'm trying to have fun?

I agree with the previous poster - don't play courses that pull these stunts, and let them know why.

[colin007]

yeah, ive really only once played a course/hole where a putt i hit rolled back to the spot i putted from.

[BostonSully]

I used to work a course, and there was this one guy who was a complete D!ck. Whenever we knew his "scramble" was going to play we would change cups that morning and put them in the most ridiculous spots like ones you mentioned so that the ball would roll back at you. If you go more than 1in past it would roll like 10ft away etc.. We would then change em back the next morning.

Maybe someone upset the help and you payed the price?

[ET-Taylor]

They do it at augusta dont they

[iacas]

They do it at augusta dont they

No, not really. There may be slope around but you should be able to stop a ball reasonably close to the hole.

[Mrd19abhs]

@ my course this weekend they did this. We have double tee times in the morning and we played the back frist. We got thru the back in 1hr 45mins, never had to wait for a shot. When we hit the turn there were 3 groups waiting to tee off on 1 because the cup was cut three paces off the left edge of the green on a wicked down slope. I made a putt @ hole was 2" short and ball rolled back completly off the green further then where I made the first put from. Everyone was furious becasue course go so backed up @ turn luckly it opened up right after turn cause every group took so long to putt out.

[Leftygolfer]

Yeah that isn't fair. I don't know what they are thinking sometimes. There are places you just can't put pins on some greens.

[Stretch]

Seen a couple of those too. When the greenskeeper has a fight with his wife, we all suffer!

[Mrd19abhs]

Seen a couple of those too. When the greenskeeper has a fight with his wife, we all suffer!

LMAO best reponse yet.

[hondo1312]

Kinda off topic, but one of the practice greens at my regular course has the holes cut like this. Last week I putted 15 balls at one hole before I made one. It was kind of fun to try and run a ball past the hole, then hit it on the way back down. It would probably irritate me if I was playing, though.

[WUTiger]

....What do you guys do when the course is playing fine, but the hole placement is just downright mean-spirited?

Rules of golf say the greenskeepers should cut cups on a place that's relatively flat for a couple of feet in either direction. One greenskeeper I know said that the largest green on his course had only a few legitimate pin placement areas, because so much of the green had up and down roll.

If a course has a couple of tricked-up cup locations for a scramble, that's one thing: If four people hit the putt, chances are someone will make it. But for solo players, it violates the spirit of the rules. That's why I'm probably going to add a 58* CG14 to my bag - strictly as a "dart" wedge. The shorter courses seem to be really bad about putting a couple of impossible pins out each round.

[zeg]

Kinda off topic, but one of the practice greens at my regular course has the holes cut like this. Last week I putted 15 balls at one hole before I made one. It was kind of fun to try and run a ball past the hole, then hit it on the way back down. It would probably irritate me if I was playing, though.

Yeah, there's one practice green near me that has maybe one reasonable pin location. The rest are ok for practicing reading breaks, but if you want to practice putting on a line, you have to ignore the holes and just put at a coin or something so you can find a level run of ground.

[andymane]

i play a course here in Shanghai called Sun Island Golf Club. these guys are real a$$ holes when it comes to pin locations, I mean you wouldnt believe these pin locations, its like Sunday pin location in a major tournament, everyday of the week! .............


also quik question, what is the minimum distance from the edge of the green they can place the pin? i wanna say 4 ft but im not sure..... thanks

[shankalots]

Played a captains choice tournament 2 weeks ago and there was a hole like this. Out of our foresome EVERY chip ran back down to the bottom of the green and off onto the fringe, including a great semi-flop 60* wedge that almost rolled in and then back down. I used our 1 mulligan and used an 8i to chip and roll the ball up and it lipped out and stayed. Learned later that the other foursome we were playing had almost the same experience on that hole. 9-hole course, our second trip to this hole, the pin location was moved to a better spot.

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

Okay, so apparently this is something that makes all golfers frustrated and angry, and not just me. I've played this course several times before (it's the one closest to my house), and this is the first time the pins have been set unfairly. If it happens again, I'll talk to them about how they're going to lose customers if they keep doing that.

-Andrew

[Yukari]

Okay, so apparently this is something that makes all golfers frustrated and angry, and not just me. I've played this course several times before (it's the one closest to my house), and

There you go. The greenskeeper is taking his frustration out on golfers because he probably didn't get laid the night before.