Golf Etiquette & Putting Tips

Flagstick...In or Out when chipping or putting from off the green?

September 2001...The Golf Channel reported that a scientific study was conducted about the age-old question, FLAGSTICK IN OR OUT? The study concluded that 30% more putts and chips from the fringe are made when the flagstick is left in the hole! 

More results of the study:  

Repairing Ball Marks:  Ever rolled a nice putt only to have your ball careen away from a ball mark that hasn't been repaired properly? When walking onto the green, please remember to repair your ball mark...it takes only seconds and the green will heal faster. 

About Putters With Built-In Alignment System, etc...There are some terrific putters on the market today that helps one with alignment and squaring the putter blade properly. If you need help aligning your putter to your target line or line of putt, there are a number of putters that offer a built-in alignment system. The SeeMore.com Putter was used by Payne Stewart to win the U. S. Open...several models are offered. Another is the center-shafted topspin Lindsay Putter which has sight lines that provide superb dead aim alignment. An excellent mallet-style putter with a built-in alignment system is the Odyssey 2-ball Putter...while putting, the idea is to align the two white dots on top of the putter mallet with your golf ball...sort of like aligning 3 golf balls. Another is the 3-ball system which is similar in style to the 2 ball system only you're aligning 3 white dots along with your golf ball. Many Tour professionals use a putter with a built-in alignment system and have won many tournaments with them. The alignment putters all work very nice, but you first need to know how to determine your line of putt...that's where The Putting Edge will help you.

Putting From The Fringe...a most important tip!  If you have a good lie from the fringe of the green, use your putter, there is less room for error! --From The Putting Edge booklet, 1998. To support my tip, the following comment was made on National television by Ken Venturi, former U. S. Open Champion, P. G. A. Tour Player and Analyst..."If you have a good lie on the fringe, always use your putter...a missed putt will come closer to the hole than a missed chip! "---Ken Venturi, June 8, 2002.  I've personally putted from the fringe from as far as 6 feet off the green if the fringe is cut short...Larry. Always use your putter whenever the conditions are perfect for it---there's less room for error! And as Tiger puts it...PLAY THE TEXAS WEDGE..."Your putter is an underrated weapon from off the green...mine won me the British Open at St. Andrews! On lengthy putts from the fringe, I make a long, rhythmic stroke back and through. You should putt instead of chip when the situation favors it." ---Tiger Woods ...From Play The Texas Wedge (Golf Digest, October 2005)  

***If the conditions are right, always go with the putter!***

Leave The Flagstick In! The Putting Edge, 1996  Use The Flagstick To Your Advantage...Leave the flagstick IN whenever you are chipping or putting from the fringe of the green or just off the green as long as the RULES allow and as long as you have a good lie. You have that option, flagstick in or out, as long as your ball isn’t on the green. Leaving the flagstick in the hole is to your advantage as long as 1)the wind isn't moving the flagstick around the cup or 2)the cup base isn't worn and the flagstick is leaning in a manner that prevents your ball from dropping cleanly into the hole. From time-to-time we all hit this particular shot too hard, but as long as the flagstick is seated properly we can use it as a backstop.  There will be fewer occasions when your ball will hit the flagstick dead center and bounce off. Also, by leaving the flagstick in the hole for this shot, the hole direction and position is emphasized, visually.  Too many times we’ve seen golfers, including professionals, ask for the flagstick to be removed for a putt or chip from the fringe of the green and then proceed to hit their shot a little too hard and the ball rolls directly across the center of the hole leaving them with a very long putt!  The 2003 Masters...During the final round, Mike Weir left the flagstick IN for a long putt from off the green as he had a good lie on the fringe. However he hit his putt too hard, but hit the flagstick dead-center and dropped in for a birdie!  Mike went on to win the tournament. Always leave the flagstick in. UPDATE: September 2001...The Golf Channel reported that a scientific study was conducted about the age-old question, FLAGSTICK IN OR OUT? The study concluded that 30% more putts and chips from the fringe are made when the flagstick is left in the hole! 

More results of the study:  

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Short Misses and the One-Degree Rule! Occasionally miss a relatively short tap-in putt? There are two reasons for this: 1) Many times, the area around the hole gets lots of traffic and there is actually a slight indentation around the hole, almost unnoticeable. Our putts hit the ever-so-slight indentation and we wonder how we could miss such a short putt...can be as close as 12-15 inches! Make sure you use extreme concentration on this very short putt and be a little more firm with this putt in order to overcome that indentation! 2)The One-Degree Rule...Also, your putter blade may have been open or closed ever so slightly...open or closed, just 'one degree,' can cause your putt to be off-line! Once you have determined your line of putt and are set and in position to strike the putt, your putter blade must be absolutely square to that intended line of putt. If your putter blade is off just one degree, you can miss that tap-in! It's been proven...for a 10' putt, if your putter blade is off-line just 1 degree, left or right, you will miss a 10 foot putt by 2-1/2" accordingly! For a putt of 20 feet, if your putter blade is 1 degree off-line, you'll miss the hole by 5 inches! IMPORTANT: KEEP THAT PUTTER BLADE SQUARE TO YOUR INTENDED LINE. Research has shown that a poor putting stroke only accounts for 10% of poor putting performance, but poor alignment accounts for 80% of missed putts. So, you can see how important it is to use extreme concentration and square your putter blade to your target line. We don't want any 1 degree misses!

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Pre-Round Putting Routine...Before the round, your main goal on the practice putting green is to warm up and get a feel for the speed of the greens. Most of the time the practice greens are cut similarly to those out on the course. Unless of course you have more time, five to 10 minutes should be enough time to get a feel for the speed of the green. Relax, loosen up and develop a rhythm and touch with your putting stroke. I like to start with longer putts...this tends to make the shorter putts easier. Before leaving the practice green, tap-in a few short putts of 18-24 inches so that you take a positive attitude to the first tee. Again, the main reason to hit the practice green before your round is to get the feel for the speed of the greens and to work on your grip, stance, set-up, tempo and stroke. 

More about Putters...When trying out new putters, it's most important to take that putter to a real live putting green for the final test. I've practiced with new putters on those artificial greens, sank 6 to 8 six-footers in a row and thought I had found the best putter in the world, only to take it out to a real live putting green and it didn't work at all!  The final determinant that the putter is right for you, is that it performs flawlessly on a real...live...putting green! For Putter Reviews, check out GolfReview.net or ProsPlay.com.

Flagstick Etiquette on the Green...During a round of golf, try to help out with replacing the flagstick. Some folks just get caught up with their own concentration of the game and tend to overlook this important golf courtesy of replacing the flagstick. Especially if you are the first one in your group to putt out, it's common courtesy to pick up the flag and replace it after the last person in your foursome has completed his/her putt. If we all take turns replacing and tending the flag, everyone will enjoy the game more! 

ETIQUETTE TIP for Proper Ball Retrieval...GOLFER'S...DON'T BE PENALIZED! Inserting your putter blade into the cup in order to remove your golf ball can damage the edge of the cup! And under the "Rules of Golf" certain penalties can be incurred, including disqualification! If you have to do this because of a bad back or other physical limitation, you may want to purchase a plastic or rubber suction cup that fits neatly on the end of your putter handle which will allow you to remove the ball cleanly without damaging the hole. 

Note: Another option for ball retrieval would be to visit EZ-Tee.net. ...they offer some alternatives and their motto is "Never bend over to tee a ball again!"

Putting Drill

A terrific putting drill when there aren't a lot of folks on the practice putting green...find a hole that has a straight line of putt of about 36 inches...the length of your putter will work. Lay your putter down with the tip of the handle at the center of the hole. About half way up the shaft toward the blade, 18 inches or so, stick a tee in the green on each side of the shaft about 4 inches apart...width of your putter blade will do. Place your golf ball close to the end of your putter blade so that you have a straight line from your ball to the center of the hole. Pick up your putter and practice rolling straight putts directly between the two tees into the cup...a dynamite practice for those 3 footer's that don't have a break! Practice this drill often. 

For any young golfer, the practice putting green is a great place to start. Around the green, youngsters learn chipping and sand-wedge play as well, and the putting green is free! At the ages of 8 and 10, my granddaughters started their golf on the practice putting green, one of the best places to start. You begin teaching them care and respect for the putting green and the golf course. A positive attitude training about proper etiquette on the putting green and golf course also carries over to positive attitudes and etiquette in their daily lives. 

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