We were asked to experiment last year with a plastic lip insert that sits above the cup to give the impression the hole is painted. There has been much discussion at committee level about whether to continue with it or not.
Here are some of the points we have discussed to help shed some light on the issue and have included a POLL for you to voice your opinion.
We were asked if daily painting of the holes is feasible? Hole painting is time consuming and comes with a cost. If each hole took 2 minutes to paint, it would add nearly 4 hours of labour/week to the hole changers duties. It's easy to make a mistake since many of the holes are changed prior to sun rise and a poorly painted hole is not pleasant to look at. You may also risk slight yellowing of the turf around the old hole in warmer weather which can slow recovery time.
We do agree that holes can and should be painted for special events.
The plastic lip liners are quickly installed. They are designed with a ridge to sit on top of the cup and are pushed into the hole along with the cup and set with the cup setter. They sit a millimeter or two below the turf and the hole needs to be perfectly cut to ensure a clean path for the cup to pass through, so there is not a lot of room for error. Sometimes on our rocky and tree root filled greens it's more difficult then you think. We have noticed those members using their putter to remove the ball from the hole will catch the liner and lift it above the surface. We have also seen the natural expansion and contraction of the green over the day force the liner above the turf.
However the sight line of the hole is improved.
The ball will have a tendency to lip out on a perfectly cut hole and fall in on a deteriorated hole. No doubt the lips are in much better condition at the end of a day with the liners in. We also feel the old hole recovers more quickly.
Does any of this matter? The true argument is whether they impede the ball from going into the hole or not. If they do then I believe they shouldn't be used, if they don't the discussion continues.
What's your opinion?
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