Lets talk cup conditions and impacts on your putt making

[Tevenor]

Last 3 rounds have been on courses that have had fairly long ( and therefore slow ) greens. 1 because its a muni and 2 others because they were fighting some mold/green infection. In all 3 rounds, I had a serious number of lip outs. In 1 round, I had 6 putts that dipped below the level of the green, changed direction, and then spun out the other side. None of them were hit to hard which might be normally the assumption. However one commonality I found was not only were the greens long comparatively, but the cups themselves had shaggy, misshapen hole cuts round the cup itself. Not sure if it was sloppy cup cuts the last time they were moved, or part of the growth of hte grass itself but none of them had the clean cut edges you see on pro tours.

So my question is how much does the cup condition where the cup is installed in the green affect your putting? Do you tend to lip puts more on 'messy' installs and do you get puts to 'lean' in more when they are clean cut crisp edges? What say you THP?

 

[OITW]

Doesn’t really affect me at most courses I play unless the greens are rolling fast.

usually it’s the pool noodle in the cup that wasn’t cut short enough causing lip outs

 

[Golfers Anonymous]

This year has been a hassle as most courses have foam in the cups and they are pretty high around here so if you come in with a little bit of speed it turns into a round about and I don’t like assuming it would of dropped. As far as clean cut cups I’d have to improve putting dramatically before I’d worry to much about that.

 

[Tevenor]

The cups I am talking about have grass growing into the cups and with not a clean edge to the cup and/or the cup isn't sunk deep enough. I saw one of my playing partners putt one dead in the hole with no flag and it hit the back and kicked straight back out at him.

 

[Snickerdog]

Haven't noticed that around here. We have some course with slow greens, but cups seem to be always cut well.

 

[AnthonyC]

I played a really bad muni yesterday where the cups were slightly raised. I had putts detour at the lip all day. So annoying.

 

[wubears71]

Clean cut cups are a rarity since the 2019 rule change. I miss everyone Removing the pin so edges are not damaged.

 

[parsaver]

We have cups like that at the muni I play at. I have had more putts pop out of the hole than I can count. At my muni what causes that is not porplely putting the cup deep enough. The metal cups has a lip on them and a putt gong straight into the center hits that lip and bounces out. They need to lower those holes but telling a course how to set up usually does not go well. If I have one pop out when it was dead center and not too fast I will count it as a putt. I have recently quit going to that course and the other course I go to is on a mission to improve the course so I don't have these problems there and they have much better greens.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

The cups I am talking about have grass growing into the cups and with not a clean edge to the cup and/or the cup isn't sunk deep enough. I saw one of my playing partners putt one dead in the hole with no flag and it hit the back and kicked straight back out at him.

A buddy of mine actually thought the pros putted at bigger cups than we do! I told him no, the cups are all supposed to be 4 1/4" in diameter. The thing is the pros are putting at newly cut cups every day, we aren't!

And I've had that happen to me. It was because the cup liner wasn't installed correctly. The back edge, from the direction I was putting, was about 3/8" proud of the side of the hole itself!

 

[WLG1952]

What I see the most of is a cup that has been raised when the maintenance guy pulled the hole cutting gizmo out of the ground. When the guy removed the cutter, he also raised the turf around the hole.

Your ball is rolling dead center to the hole, and just before it gets to the cup, the ball deviates to one side or the other, because of the raised turf

As for shaggy edges, around the cup, to me that's just a normal circumstance, based on the course's maintenance schedule, and the number of golfers using the course.

 

[Mmaynard11]

Haven’t had any issues with the cups around here.

 

[OldandStiff]

There is one in area I lived in NE that had cups like that all the time. They didn't move the pins as often. It just added to the reasons I didn't like that course. Haven't seen it anywhere other than a practice green elsewhere though.

 

[blueonblack]

The cup on the short game green at the range I was at the other day was grown closed to about 1". I still clanged a few in there, lumpy bumpy bounces and all. Have you putted on those smaller practice holes on practice greens? The shaggy ones on the muni are still bigger.
Your ball has traveled through many types of grasses, plagues, and other impedements at the muni before the overgrown hole ever thinks to be a burden. Don't put your hand in there anyway. Its just best.

 

[Drumdog]

The cup edge doesn't affect me as much as having to leave the dang flag in the hole. I hate the flag in the hole, expecially when the wind is blowing and leaning the flag.
I have lost several strokes this year because of that.

 

[xThor]

Had one last week. Not me, but a playing partner. Somebody must have tried to use a club or something to get a ball out of the hole, as the rim on a portion of it was pulled upwards a bit. Playing partner hits a putt right at it, and with just enough juice for it to hopefully fall into the hole. Instead, it hits the lip ramp, and rolls backwards a few inches.

 

[Junkyard]

So my question is how much does the cup condition where the cup is installed in the green affect your putting? Do you tend to lip puts more on 'messy' installs and do you get puts to 'lean' in more when they are clean cut crisp edges? What say you THP?

I think in my experience it is the opposite - the sharper the edge the greater chance my ball will catch and spin out. Obviously a lot of it is speed dependent, but they move the pins every day at my home course. I can roll putt after putt over the edge of the cup without it dropping; I think if they were slightly rounded/worn the ball might have a tendency to drop in.

What I see the most of is a cup that has been raised when the maintenance guy pulled the hole cutting gizmo out of the ground. When the guy removed the cutter, he also raised the turf around the hole.

Your ball is rolling dead center to the hole, and just before it gets to the cup, the ball deviates to one side or the other, because of the raised turf

We experience this issue quite often at my course. I have watched them move the pins and they don't use a board or tamper down the new location of the pin once they've inserted the cup. "Firm to the middle" is the new mantra, especially since the pins can't be removed.

 

[Scorp]

That looks bad but I'd rather putt at that than on an aerated green.

 

[AUWU11]

I don’t know much about the specifics, but my main golfing buddy is a former assistant superintendent at a high-end private club. Whenever we play, he looks at the cup on the first few holes and can tell if it’s going to be what he calls a “lip out day.” He says not many people understand how much affect a properly installed and manicured cup (or lackthereof) has on putting. I used to think he was full of it, until a few rounds this year I noticed more lip outs than in a usual round a few times... that he called before the round really got going. Thought it was maybe coincidence, but with how many times he’s called it and it sure enough happened to the both of us, I have to give him credit.