Find the Right Putting Speed: Flagstick in vs out

Why Does Bryson Dechambeau Leave the Flag Stick In?

If you watch Bryson Dechambeau putt, you’ll notice he almost always leaves the flagstick in the hole when putting. Why does he putt with the flagstick in?

According to Dechambeau it gives you a better make percentage overall when you factor in a variety of speeds you hit putts with.

There are more putts missed because they were hit too hard with too much speed, bouncing off the back of the cup lip, popping up into the air, and missing.

Leaving the flagstick in helps stop the ball and turn a missed putt into a made putt.

The ball now has the flagstick to dampen its speed so it drops into the cup instead of the usual hitting the back of the cup and missing from too much speed.

Make sense?

Golf Speed Putting Drill

Here is a golf putting speed drill to try with the flag stick out:

  • Putt your first ball so that it will reach the front edge of the hole and then slowly fall into the hole.
  • Putt your second ball so that it hits the back wall of the hole, pops up into the air and goes into the hole.
  • Putt your third ball so that it glides into the hole at the pace you want, which falls between the first and second putting speeds.

Doing this drill will give you better feel over speed and tempo on your putts. You’ll learn what putts are too soft and too strong helping you find the happy medium.

We encourage you to hit a few putts pretty hard that go dead straight but enough speed to still hit the back wall of the cup and miss.

This will show you why Bryson leaves the flagstick in, and how you can take advantage of this new golf rule change to your benefit.

Other Recommended Putting Drills:

Here are additional golf drills to help your short game skills improve and lower your golf scores consistently:

  1. Tiger Wood’s Double Gate Putting Drill
  2. Jordan Spieth’s Stare at the Cup Practice Drill
  3. Golf Putting Drills Routine for Speed Control
  4. 5 Best Putting Drills to Practice Like the Pro’s

golf practice drills

Golf Practice Plans:

Try our step by step golf training plans that give you daily practice routines to complete. Each practice routine has putting drills, chipping drills, and golf swing drills for the driving range. Learn more about each.