Leave The Flagstick In! First published in The Putting Edge.

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...A nationally televised golf
show 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: Perhaps most surprising, when the flagstick leans either slightly
toward the golfer or away, the odds of it helping to keep the ball in the hole increase: With the
flagstick leaning away from the golfer, the hole becomes effectively larger; when the flagstick
leans toward the golfer, the ball rebounds downward, again helping shots find the hole.
Only in the most obvious case, when the flagstick is leaning so far toward the golfer that there
isn't enough room for the ball, is leaving the flagstick in a bad idea. Check the flagstick
before you chip to be sure it is sitting properly in the cup. (The Rules of Golf prohibit you
from positioning a flagstick to your advantage. But you may leave a tilting flagstick as is or
else center it in the hole.)
Even if you don't hit the flagstick dead center, it still will aid you. It proved especially
advantageous when chipping downhill and at faster speeds. The flagstick will help you make more
putts unless it is leaning severely toward you or it's so windy that it is moving and might
knock your ball away.

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