Canadan

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Albatross 2024 Club
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My home course has some great character on the greens, and a few holes have some serious slope or tiers to them. Every once in a while (let's call it once or twice a month) our staff drops a cup on one of the slopes, and it gets pretty tough especially mid summer when the greens are rolling.

How often do you see the pin sitting on a slope where you play?

In the USGA's committee procedures and R&A Guidance, they express the following;
  • The Committee should avoid placing a hole on a slope where the ball will not come to rest. When the contours of the green allow, holes should be placed where there is an area of two to three feet around the hole that is relatively level so that putts struck at the proper speed will stop around the hole.
 
Last Saturday it seemed like just about every hole was cut on a slope or right above a ridge. We get that often at our course, as its staffed by a lot of work release inmates, they don't know any better than what minimal direction they're given. If we mention it to the actual golf people, it usually alleviates issues for a little while. Another big problem is the holes not being cut deep enough so the cup is near the surface of the green and the ball will ricochet off the metal rim of the cup.
 
Often when a tournament is about or just rolled through. Otherwise it's relatively rare. maybe a hole or two per month.
 
One of the courses we play regularly has a couple cups right on the slope of 3-5 of its holes.

I hate it so much lol. A good round usually goes to crap when a missed putt that should leave a tap in results in a 15 foot putt coming back up the hill.
 
Don't see it too often but definitely have seen it. We usually like to comment that somebody pissed off the guy setting the pins that day or maybe his girl dumped him or something haha
 
We have 2 greens that our super likes to cut on slopes. He is diabolical, he knows the greens so well. It does make you make sure you place the ball in the correct spot on the approach.
 
In the USGA's committee procedures and R&A Guidance, they express the following;
  • The Committee should avoid placing a hole on a slope where the ball will not come to rest. When the contours of the green allow, holes should be placed where there is an area of two to three feet around the hole that is relatively level so that putts struck at the proper speed will stop around the hole.

This is perfect.
 
I take this as a subtle response from the greenskeeper when people stop fixing their divots. :D
 
This happens at least once a round every round. Sometimes more than once. I am convinced that those that place the holes have no clue as to do it with in accordance to course setup.
 
Too often, especially on the same few holes, and it pisses everyone off.

One happens to be a par 4 with water down the entire right half of the fairway, a forced carry over water to the green, and the entire green is both undulated and massively sloped toward the water. The hole is hard enough without terrible pin placement.
 
Not so much at my home course, but I will never forget when I was partners with @DannyLe at the Las Colinas course at Mission Inn I think it was hole 7....we both 4 putted and both of our balls were both sitting 6ft below the hole. Putt, miss, come right back down, putt, miss, come right back down.
 
There were some absolutely nasty pin placements at Hype (The Callaway ball event in MA a few years ago). 18 was right on a ridge, barely off the slope, and that was true of some other holes. Then again, there isn't much in the way of flat spots on those greens.

Don't see it a lot here, save for the shoulder season, when they tend to use the sides of the greens more often.
 
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I take this as a subtle response from the greenskeeper when people stop fixing their divots. :D
haha, we're pretty vocal as a membership and usually when it happens, the pros all have to deal with us..

Just sucks, especially on one particular hole where you can't see the cup from the fairway (high bunkers). Finish 5 feet from the hole on a slope and it's pure sadness.
 
Probably once a month I'll find a pin where I'm kinda dumbfounded the pin was put there. Then again, there are some courses where the green itself is so jacked up that I'm not sure there is a legal pin placement on them when the greens have any speed to them.
 
I see this on occassions. Why the guy cuts it on a shoulder I have no idea. Maybe they dont know any better (not likely) or they are just being mean.

I dont like it, but its still part of game.

When I see it, I make a point to try and leave myself a straight up hill putt to the cup. (fall line) Usually the putt is 5 foot or less. Sometimes I make it, most times I dont, when I leave the putt short. A good miss is another straight uphill putt. I never want a missed, downhill roll. .

I have seen golfers miss a couple of putts, say "srew this" pick up their ball and move on.

Ironically, a practice green I frequent has this same cup on a shoulder placement. Its more for fun, but practice is practice. None of their course greens have this situation.
 
The course I just joined has 1 hole that the green is probably 15 feet higher on the top side and very often the cup is right on the ridge.

Not fun if you miss from the high side!
 
There are a couple of greens at my home course they do the same thing on once in a while.
I'm glad it's not too often and when it does happen, I get a wry smile from the pro shop when I mention it.
 
haha, we're pretty vocal as a membership and usually when it happens, the pros all have to deal with us..

Just sucks, especially on one particular hole where you can't see the cup from the fairway (high bunkers). Finish 5 feet from the hole on a slope and it's pure sadness.
we have one green that has two humps in the middle of the green vertical to the approach. Every once and a while they’ll tuck the hole right behind one making it almost impossible to hit or even see the cup with out overshooting the flag. Leaving the flag in has been helpful but it’s still an evil setup. Also on one of our par 3s there is essentially a triangular 2 tier green where the second tier comes to the center of the first. Every so often they’ll drop the hole at the edge of the crest and the whole group groans as you walk over the blind hill to the elevated tee box
 
A course I play around me has some severe slopes. I've actually 4-putted a few times because the ball will just go up and back, up and back, until it's holed or I pick it up.
Most courses I play though only put those there during "The Superintendent's Revenge" tournament. On purpose, they would put pins in impossible places.
It would be wise that most courses would not do that in order to speed up play.
 
Definitely one of the most frustrating things they can do while setting up a course. There are a couple courses around me where this happens quite often and it's the reason why I don't play them all that much.
 
Pretty rarely, greens are already tough as it is. Once a month they might put it in a screwy spot.
 
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we have one green that has two humps in the middle of the green vertical to the approach. Every once and a while they’ll tuck the hole right behind one making it almost impossible to hit or even see the cup with out overshooting the flag. Leaving the flag in has been helpful but it’s still an evil setup. Also on one of our par 3s there is essentially a triangular 2 tier green where the second tier comes to the center of the first. Every so often they’ll drop the hole at the edge of the crest and the whole group groans as you walk over the blind hill to the elevated tee box
damn, that sounds absolutely cruel.
 
One of the holes on my course has two slopes that are hard to hold, and one funnels the ball off the green. The two most used pin placements are right at the top of them. I've seen many a low single digit player putt their ball right off this green. Has to be played defensively. If you get it to the hole and it doesn't go in when its at the top of the bowl, your next shot is a chip.

hilaman 6th green.jpg
 
We have many double tiers greens and a couple hidden greens and elevated greens to shoot at with pins you can not see as you describe. Setup pins are not always on slopes or crowns but thinking maybe a couple pins per week. Helps if know the greens, if not sorry about your luck...
Now if where talking pin setup for tournament, they do plenty of them with sucker pins as bonus with bunker close carry o_O Can't say I like that a whole lot.
Do have to say that last year I did have one putt that I can't get out of head, probably my best ever.
Double breaker from 20ft plus on a crown right dead center, side door slow mow vision :sneaky:
 
Our greens have a lot of slopes, but the pins are only unfair once a year - we have a "Greenskeeper's Revenge" charity day where he places them into the worst positions possible. Some of the spots are literally impossible to get the ball to stop within ten feet of the hole (if you miss). Other than that, they conform to the R & A recommendation.
 
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