[Jeong Ui-cheol's Golf Trivia Dictionary] "Who Decides the Pin Position?"

The PGA Tour set a special pin position on the 16th hole for the final day of the Phoenix Open to honor Kobe Bryant. Photo by PGA Tour Twitter

"Today, the pin position is quite challenging."

This is a common exclamation heard not only from amateur golfers but also from professional players. The difficulty of golf varies greatly depending on the pin position. If the hole is located near the center or on a flat part of the green, it is relatively easier, whereas placing it close to penalty areas such as greenside bunkers or water hazards makes it difficult to lower the score. The term "pin position" refers to the location of the hole on the green and is called "Hole Location."

All organizations that oversee professional golf tournaments have guidelines for selecting pin positions. The Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour also sets pin positions through the tournament committee before the start of the event. Naturally, different pin positions are predetermined for each of the four rounds. The pin location can be changed depending on various factors such as bad weather like rain and wind, wind strength and direction, and the condition of the course and green.

First, balance is maintained between the left and right sides of the green. It is problematic to concentrate too much on the left or insist only on the right side. This is because players have preferred shot shapes such as fade and draw. The pin position should not favor one side. This is why the ratio of left to right positions is similar across the 18 holes. The front and back ratio based on the center of the green is also the same. The tournament committee usually selects four candidate locations per hole considering the difficulty.

They categorize the positions from 1 to 4, from the most difficult to the easiest, and adjust the difficulty combination of each round to total 45. Although setting the pin position is the exclusive domain of the tournament committee, sometimes it leads to events where specific holes are decided by fan voting as a service to the audience. In fact, during the final round of the 2018 Korean Tour KEB Hana Bank Invitational, the pin position for the 17th hole (par 3) was decided by gallery voting, creating an off-course buzz.

The PGA Tour in the United States made a very special decision for the pin position on the 16th hole (par 3) on the final day of the Phoenix Open, which ended on the 3rd. The pin was placed 24 yards from the front of the green and 8 yards from the left side. This was to honor the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant (USA), who passed away in a helicopter crash. Bryant wore numbers 8 and 24 during his time with the LA Lakers. Additionally, the pin placement work began at 8:24 a.m., adding further significance.

KPGA Media Team Leader zec9@kpga.co.kr