There is one flaw that stands out to me in the article. This statement:
Quote:
So that's the only time the flagstick will help a putt go in the hole that would not have gone in otherwise. The rest of the time99.99 percentthe better play is to putt with the flagstick out of the hole.
That is not an accurate statement (the last part). Probably an error on the part of the writer as opposed to the guy that did the experiment though.
It should read "the rest of the time... there was no difference."
As for when to leave it out or in based on this article, I'd say it is clear that you should leave it in any putt that has any chance whatsoever of running past the hole by more than 8 feet. For amateurs, that's a lot more often than for pros. I'd say for amateurs, basically any putt outside of 10-15 feet would likely see just as much benefit from speed control as it would from the minute chance of glancing the flag.
Either way, it's going to be a tiny tiny amount of affect regardless of what you choose. You might play all year and never have it affect your score.