Do you resent your Greenskeeper?

[Bechambo]

I don't resent them, but I do question his / her intelligence when they set really difficult pin positions on the weekends and holidays when the course is most crowded.  You would think they would plot out the pin locations on a calendar to ensure they don't set ridiculously hard pin locations on days when the course is expected to very busy. The "While we're young" initiative directly addressed pin placement, but like most initiatives these seem to be ignored or forgotten.

I agree with you on that. In order for most of the public to enjoy themselves, they need to play fairly well relative to their handicap. When pins are placed in difficult positions, it causes most to shoot below those expectations and thus not enjoy themselves as much as they would like. It seems to me that these public courses should be more sensitive to this and thus placing these pins in easy positions. Perhaps public courses should distinguish different days for different difficulties of pins? Just a thought.

[Shindig]

It seems to me that these public courses should be more sensitive to this and thus placing these pins in easy positions. Perhaps public courses should distinguish different days for different difficulties of pins? Just a thought.

I think having a balance of easy-medium-hard (not in equal amounts) each day is preferable, maybe with the slider moving a little towards easier -- or at least less penal in case of a missed green -- on weekends or other busy days. There's also the matter of which hole(s) you place the hard pins, even if the greens are equal. Seems to me that play - and maybe this is just my imagination - seems to slow down at the first par-3 on just about every course I play, even if later par-3s don't have this problem.

[bkuehn1952]

Most of the courses I have played typically try to vary the locations (6 in front, 6 in back, 6 in the middle) as well as the difficulty.  I can't recall ever playing a course where the majority of the pin placements were extrordinarily difficult but if that were to regularly occur, I'd likely not frequent that course.

[boston blackie]

kudos to the guy at my course.  i have never seen an unfair pin, and believe me there is plenty of opportunity.

[tefunk]

I worked on the grounds crew when I was in college for a few years. There were a few things that could cause less than desirable pin positions: 1 - there were some guys on the crew who usually didn't cut cups, but depending on schedules, sometimes they had to. Some of them weren't big golfers any didn't know any better about where to cut a cup. 2 - we would rotate pins to different areas of the green, depending on the day of the week, and then try to cut them away from prior cuts in the same area. 3 - if someone hit into me while I was out working on the course... Everyone paid the price with tough pin positions that day

[flopster]

I don't know why they still try but #8 green at my home course cannot have a middle pin placement and be fair, also I have seen pins less than a foot from the fall line of a false front at this place as well.

[imsys0042]

I belong to a 27 hole facility and to give you an idea of how odd shaped some of the greens can be, 9 of them could legitimately have a chip shot from one area of the green to where the hole is, if you find yourself in the wrong position. So there are a lot of oppertunities to put insane pins in positions, especially since the greens have a lot of undulation to them. The pro shop encourages people to mention if the pins are bad, so that they can make sure new people doing the pins don't make it insane. I actually played one day with 6-7 pins in insane positions, and when I quipped in the pro shop about I didn't realize Hitler got up that early to do the pins, they sent someone out to look at them, I hope no one got in trouble.