[MSchad]

Originally Posted by kkingston57

USGA Changed rules prior to Covid and rule is that a player can leave flag stick in.

Nothing to do with Covid.

I know the rules changed. If you will reread my post I said people “pulled the pin more often.”

[Laker14]

I leave it in most of the time. Nearly always. It has become a psycho thing for me now.
If they change the rule back I'm going to need a shrink to help me adjust.

About the only times I take it out are if it's leaning hard towards the edge of the cup I'm intending to have the ball drop in, if the wind is making it rock wildly back and forth, or if my ball is near the shadow and the shadow is moving at all where I can pick it up in my vision.
Yes, I've had a couple balls hit and bounce off that would have gone in, but in my mind, and this is totally psychological now, I feel that having the pin in as I take that last glance at the hole, helps my brain memorize where the hole is as I stroke the putt.

Golf is such a head game, and I am such a head case.

[tvbound]

Originally Posted by Laker14

I leave it in most of the time. Nearly always. It has become a psycho thing for me now.
If they change the rule back I'm going to need a shrink to help me adjust.

About the only times I take it out are if it's leaning hard towards the edge of the cup I'm intending to have the ball drop in, if the wind is making it rock wildly back and forth, or if my ball is near the shadow and the shadow is moving at all where I can pick it up in my vision.
Yes, I've had a couple balls hit and bounce off that would have gone in, but in my mind, and this is totally psychological now, I feel that having the pin in as I take that last glance at the hole, helps my brain memorize where the hole is as I stroke the putt.

Golf is such a head game, and I am such a head case.

I too only take the stick out when it's leaning, or the shadow is bothering me, but Dave Pelz says us amateurs should leave it in.

Dave Pelz: The science proves you should leave the flagstick in when you putt - Golf

"You will hole a higher percentage of putts when you leave the flagstick in."

[MrFlorida]

I leave the pin in, it stops my ball from rolling another 20 feet off the green ....