Do You Putt from Off the Green With Flagstick In or Out?

[rehmwa]

"In" is an advantage. 

But since I value relaxation over results it's simpler for me.  I just don't bother taking the time walking up to it just to move it.

-- So if it's in, I leave it in.

-- If it's out, I leave it out.

(If I have to walk past it to line up my putt, I'll usually pull it.  But that's just because I don't want to make an extra effort on my 2nd putt.)

When I'm by myself, I rarely pull it at all unless I'm feeling 'all serious'.  Then I pretty much stay rule nazi on myself and play pure (funny enough, these are usually better games)

[Golfingdad]

56 minutes ago, woodzie264 said:

I voted "take it out" based on title of thread, but afterwards I read the actual question and would change it. Off the green, I will always leave it in.

Yeah - I noticed that too at first.  I thought it was going to be more a thread geared towards people who play alone. ;)

[OrangeHog]

Off the green I leave it in unless it's a really short-sided putt and I'm sitting on the fringe.

[dedalus101]

3 hours ago, Phil McGleno said:

I do not think this is going the way the OP @dedalus101 thought it would.

Phil,

I posted the question because I am curious about what others do. It is true I believe from my own experience that I have a better chance of sinking makeable putts from off the green without the flagstick but I respect other people's opinions what I don't respect is those who insist they are right and anyone who disagrees is simply wrong. So it is refreshing to see the spread of answers as well as the caveats.

[Golfingdad]

25 minutes ago, dedalus101 said:

what I don't respect is those who insist they are right and anyone who disagrees is simply wrong.

Nobody has done this, though.

[dedalus101]

5 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Nobody has done this, though.

Patience Golfing Dad, it will arrive soon I am pretty sure ....

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, Golfingdad said:

Nobody has done this, though.

I agree

 

[jsgolfer]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

I agree

 

Second

[CCC]

When my trusty putter is in my hands, I always take the flag out. I'm going to make this shot and I don't want the flag stick to get in the way.

Why anyone would leave the flag stick in the hole is a mystery to me. And I'm talking about the Pros. I've seen so many putts from off the green get knocked out of the cup, because of the putt bouncing directly off of the flag stick and then bounce out of the cup. So many of these putts would have dropped in the cup.

Hitting the flag stick is more of a problem, whether hitting a shot from around the green or from the fairway.

[David in FL]

9 hours ago, CCC said:

Why anyone would leave the flag stick in the hole is a mystery to me. And I'm talking about the Pros. 

The reason is simple.  It's been proven that leaving the flag in actually increases the likelihood that you'll either make your shot or will have a shorter follow up putt.

87% of those responding here know that, and of course, the pros do too.  Well, all the pros except Phil Mickelson do.  

 

[jsgolfer]

9 hours ago, CCC said:

When my trusty putter is in my hands, I always take the flag out. I'm going to make this shot and I don't want the flag stick to get in the way.

Why anyone would leave the flag stick in the hole is a mystery to me. And I'm talking about the Pros. I've seen so many putts from off the green get knocked out of the cup, because of the putt bouncing directly off of the flag stick and then bounce out of the cup. So many of these putts would have dropped in the cup.

Hitting the flag stick is more of a problem, whether hitting a shot from around the green or from the fairway.

Just from your playing, where have you seen this?  I find this hard to believe, I've been playing a long time and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen the flag be a detriment to a ball going in.  In fact, just the other day I was playing a match against some buddies for money, we were on the Par 3 11th hole, I was on the green about 25 feet from the pin, my buddy was short by 10 yards.  He skulls his pitch and hits the pin squarely and it stops a foot away for a tap in 3.  Without the flag he is off the green and might've gone in the water hazard on the other side of the green.  

So again, as the question I asked to the OP before, @dedalus101

If it wasn't an advantage, why would they need to make it a penalty then?

If it wasn't a penalty, I not sure I would ever take it out.  Unless it was leaning or the flag stick itself was too big to allow the golf ball to fall in.

[Bryan Kasper]

I also just realized that the new title reads differently from what i read previously. From off the green i am definitely leaving it in. Ii think as many people pointed on , theres a significant benefit, and not very much downside to leaving the stick in when putting from just off the green. 

[Golfingdad]

12 hours ago, CCC said:

So many of these putts would have dropped in the cup.

I think you are overstating this.  Most times when the ball hits the flag hard enough that it doesn't drop, then it was traveling with enough speed that it wasn't going to fall anyway.  It was just going to skate right over the top of the hole and end up 12 feet by on the other side.

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Bryan Kasper said:

I also just realized that the new title reads differently from what i read previously. From off the green i am definitely leaving it in. Ii think as many people pointed on , theres a significant benefit, and not very much downside to leaving the stick in when putting from just off the green. 

You can change your vote. Just choose "Show Vote Options" and vote.

The question remains unchanged. The title of the thread was changed to point out "off the green," though.

The original title just said "putting" as if you were on the green.

[Lihu]

12 hours ago, CCC said:

When my trusty putter is in my hands, I always take the flag out. I'm going to make this shot and I don't want the flag stick to get in the way.

Why anyone would leave the flag stick in the hole is a mystery to me. And I'm talking about the Pros. I've seen so many putts from off the green get knocked out of the cup, because of the putt bouncing directly off of the flag stick and then bounce out of the cup. So many of these putts would have dropped in the cup.

Hitting the flag stick is more of a problem, whether hitting a shot from around the green or from the fairway.

Taking the flag out prematurely is more of a pace of play issue.

I don't really see how leaving it in with a putt that could hit it hard enough to knock it back out after hitting the stick would benefit from having the stick out? Seems like a putt that hot would end up off the green without the stick in place?

[Bryan Kasper]

4 hours ago, iacas said:

You can change your vote. Just choose "Show Vote Options" and vote.

The question remains unchanged. The title of the thread was changed to point out "off the green," though.

The original title just said "putting" as if you were on the green.

Yeah i saw that and apparently i didn't catch the "OFF the green" part when i read through the first time, i think because i had my own repsonse on my brain. i did go back and change though. now that i think about it however, my previous philosophy might lead me to go with the latter, Ill have to think through it, it might create better focus if i pull the flag out...

[iacas]

Currently the poll is at 45/5. Of course, the OP didn't vote, so it's probably 45/6.

[CCC]

14 hours ago, David in FL said:

The reason is simple.  It's been proven that leaving the flag in actually increases the likelihood that you'll either make your shot or will have a shorter follow up putt.

87% of those responding here know that, and of course, the pros do too.  Well, all the pros except Phil Mickelson do.  

 

I like the cup to be completely free of any obstruction when I'm trying to to sink the ball into the cup, even when I'm putting from off of the green. But, I totally agree - you should leave that flag pole in the cup. 87%