Pin In or Out when you Putt?
It’s SO Simple
There is a really simple way to decide whether to putt with the pin in or out — but even some well-known experts have yet to figure it out…
In this article on the Ryder Cup, golf.com goes back and forth on the subject. Maybe you should, maybe you shouldn’t! It references various “experts”, one of whom even suggests that one player’s choice is for “psychological” reasons. But the fact is, there are times when it is definitely helpful to have the stick in — and times when it is most definitely helpful to take it out.
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When You Want the Pin OUT
When you are putting uphill, you definitely want the pin out. As described in Comprehensive Keys to the Green, on an uphill putt the back of the hole acts as a “backstop”.
Steep Uphill
For a steep uphill, it would take a pretty mighty putt to shoot the ball over the hole. The ball would have to be traveling at many miles per hour! So for a steep uphill putt, take the pin out and stroke it. Even if you miss, the slope will keep the ball from traveling too far.
That rule applies to something like a 45-degree wedge below the hole. So if are below the hole, within 20 degrees or so on either side of the fall line, take the pin out.
Shallow Uphill
For a shallower uphill slope, you still want the pin out, for a percentage-increase in putting success.
For that kind of slope, you could still shoot the ball over the hole if you putt too fast. But few of us ever do that. Mostly, the tendency is to leave the ball short. But if you do putt fast enough, there are speeds at which the ball will fall into the cup with the pin out, but bounce out with the pin in. So you increase your chances of making the putt (if only slightly) by taking the pin out.
Flat Green
On a relatively flat green from any reasonable distance, you also want the pin out, for the simple reason that you are unlike to roll the ball so fast that it shoots over the hole — and again, there are speeds at which the ball would bounce off the pin, if you have it in. (So in the picture above, the pin would ideally be out, rather than in.)
When You Want the Pin IN
Long Distance Putt
You are unlikely to hole a long putt in any case, so leaving the pin in makes sense. For one thing, it saves time. For another, it’s easier to see your target and gauge the distance the ball needs to travel — and no one needs to stand there, “tending the pin” to help you out. Instead, they can be lining up their own putts, which helps to speed up the game.
Danger Past the Hole
Another time to leave the pin in is when there is a steep drop-off behind the hole that will take the ball farther away than where you started. In that case, it makes sense to trade a small increase in the one-putt “drop” percentage to increase your two-putt chances.
In that situation, leaving the pin in can keep a too-fast putt out of the danger zone and leave the ball in better position for a two-putt if it bounces off the pin.
High Speed Down-Hill
Any time a ball will be traveling fast enough to shoot over the hole, you want the pin in. That situation only occurs when the green is steep, of course. But the rule applies not only when putting downhill, but when putting across the slope.
The nice thing about developing a feel for green speed is that you learn to putt high enough that the ball is traveling very slowly when it nears the hole, even on a steep slope. But until you develop that feel, it is possible to aim too low, putting fast to “take the break out”, creating a situation where the ball arcs toward the hole at a speed that makes success unlikely.
That kind of situation is rare, but if you are in a (horrific) “unmakeable putt” situation, there may be no other option.
Imagine:
- There is a steep slope down to the hole, but a little way above the hole, the slope flattens out.
- You are putting across that slope, from some distance away.
In that situation, there may be no target to aim at! For a fast green, the ideal target for a slope that steep may be so far above the hole that it is up in the flat area. But if you get the ball that far up, the ball won’t break!
If you aim lower, on the other hand, the steepness of slope will take the ball below the hole before it gets anywhere close — unless you putt really fast, to reduce the break.
But putting that fast once again increases the chances that the ball will shoot over the hole or lip out. So there too, leaving the pin can slightly improve your chances of success.
The Rules!
The bottom line is that there are some pretty simple rules for determining whether or not to leave the putt in:
- If you’re putting uphill, take it out.
- If you are far away, or the ball is likely to approach the hole at speed, leave it in.
- Otherwise, taking it out slightly increases your chances of success.
So you need to decide if bettering your odds slightly is worth the time and trouble of removing the pin and restoring it when you’re done.
Bonus Section: Take the WIND into Account
These tips come courtesy of Christopher D, in the LinkedIn Golf Networking group. He was quite right: I neglected to take the wind into consideration when writing this article! (I recall thinking about it, once upon a time. But it had totally slipped my noggin by the time I got to writing this one. :__)
Here the additional rules:
- When putting into a stiff wind, the flagstick can bend towards you and keep the ball from going in the hole. You want the flag out.
- When putting with the wind, the flag bends away from you, allowing the ball to go in the hole even if it hits the stick pretty solid, so it can help to have the flag in.
About Eric
As the author of Comprehensive Keys to the Green, Eric has deciphered the science of feel, as it relates to putting. Perhaps more importantly, Eric finds that spending time on the golf course gives you a chance to practice the kind of energy-flow meditation he teaches — a happy-making practice that can connect you to the greater energy of the universe, with a bit of golf thrown in!
Learn more: About Eric (golfer — & meditator)
