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Playing greens with no pin, score better?

Long Shot said:
So I went out this afternoon for a quick 9 at a local muni to test the Exotics EXS 220 Some more. They pulled all the pins, (I assume to limited contact exposure). I had my gps watch with me, and I played to the center of all the greens (not huge greens, most 30-40 yards circumference). I hit more greens than usual and and of the greens I hit I had more short putts than I usually did when aiming at pins. I actually played a little better than my index. I always tell myself to aim in the middle of every green, but that is so hard to do no matter how much I tell myself. Having no pins let me do that Without the sub conscience thought of where the pin actually is.

Do you think you would play better if there where no pins and just played to middle of green yardage?
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I tried this twice in the last couple of years and once I shot better and the other time was about the same.
 
It couldn’t hurt. You’d think just out of dumb luck I’d end up near the hole every now and then, but I can’t tell you the last time my first putt was shorter than 12 feet or so.
 
JB said:
It couldn’t hurt. You’d think just out of dumb luck I’d end up near the hole every now and then, but I can’t tell you the last time my first putt was shorter than 12 feet or so.
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Kind of what happened today two dumb lucks gave me my two birdies. One was a good shot center of green, other was a hook that came up short front of the green to what ended up being a left front pin position. Also paid the price, one with a super long putt that I ended up 3 putting.
 
i try to shoot a little short and run up then playing the middle
 
My buddy in Nashville said he played yesterday and his course had a flag or a mounting on the flag that had went in the hole and covered it with a flattish cone.
 
I bet no pins would help my score. Hit more greens and not leave myself short sided and in trouble.
 
I went out one time and it was really foggy. The Pro said my bud and I could go out now. The fog should clear shortly....We were walking. We knew the course. The fog never cleared and visabilty was like 50 yards...So we played the whole way shooting at center of greens/or at least where we thought the center was....No way was I walking ahead to figure out where the pins were. The course had a few big greens. I hit more greens than normal but didn't luck out much with miss hitting to spots where pins where. Was fun and we were about only ones out there.
 
I think I would struggle. I'm very target oriented. I really don't like playing to an area.
 
I have played this way before, didn't enjoy it at all. It is good to have the reference of the flag in the cup.
 
I generally shoot for the fat part of the green anyway, so pins or no pins probably wouldn't make much difference to me. The bigger problem is not consistently being able to hit what I'm aiming at.
 
Definitely worse as my home course has very large greens, with most having at least one dimension over 35 yards and quite a few that are 45 yards deep. Above the hole even 10 feet on 13 of those greens means a scary downhiller and a very possible 3 putt.
 
Interesting. Given the undulations on our greens, I’m not sure I’d like it once on the green. Sometimes, without the pin, the cup is hidden and you’re putting blind.
 
It might help, I try to aim for the center, but tend to think about the pin.
 
I’ve often wondered if this would help. Recently I’ve gone soft with my Mickelson all-or-none strategy on the course and I have gone for the center of the green rather than the pin. Or pitched back into the fairway from the trees rather than taking the low percentage shot. But I’m still pin hunting on most holes if there isn’t too much trouble around.
 
There was a Golf Digest article about this several years ago where a instructor pulled all the pins and had his students play to the center of the green. The results were actually better for his students. I do remember thinking, at the time, that the sample size was too small to be very conclusive but, I did find the results interesting.
 
I don’t think I would. I think it also depends on where your score comes from. I am pin high a fairly high amount of the time, so having no pins for me I think would hurt. Also it depends on the greens on the course a lot, because if it’s a course that has tiered greens or anything like that, you’d be screwed hitting to the wrong part of it.

so, my answer is probably not. Not saying I’d shoot much worse though if at alll. Just not better in my case.
 
I'm pretty sure I'd still suck without the pin...... but it would be fun to give it a try
 
I'll see what happens tomorrow, have an 816 tee time. I stopped by and putted around for 20 minutes or so and there were no flags on the putting green. There were flags on the greens on the course but who knows what tomorrow will bring.
 
Long Shot said:
So I went out this afternoon for a quick 9 at a local muni to test the Exotics EXS 220 Some more. They pulled all the pins, (I assume to limited contact exposure). I had my gps watch with me, and I played to the center of all the greens (not huge greens, most 30-40 yards circumference). I hit more greens than usual and and of the greens I hit I had more short putts than I usually did when aiming at pins. I actually played a little better than my index. I always tell myself to aim in the middle of every green, but that is so hard to do no matter how much I tell myself. Having no pins let me do that Without the sub conscience thought of where the pin actually is.

Do you think you would play better if there where no pins and just played to middle of green yardage?
Click to expand...

Not huge? Those have to be the smallest greens I've ever heard about.

I had a couple of pins today thst had been blown over. I could see the color, but not much else. I didn't do too well.
 
This would be a fun tournament! No sticks!
 
I think my greens in regulation would certainly increase, but actual scores? Hmm, not sure about that one. Although if GIR goes up then maybe less need to scramble around dodgy lies near the green so more likely lower numbers? I really don't know. Suppose the only way would be to just ignore the pins completely, might give it a go when I go for my Working from Home 9 holes later today.
 
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