kchacker
Our club rotates the pins based on numerical sequence. For instance: Tuesday might be pin location #1 for the day, meaning the hole is front on the first hole, middle on the second hole, and back on the third hole. Then on Wednesday it moves to #2, which means the opening hole is a middle pin, the second hole is a back pin, the third hole is front, etc. Then on Thursday we continue the sequence with pin location #3 for the day, which goes back, middle, front, back, middle, front, etc. Then on Friday we're right back to pin location #1, following that sequence.
The pin location system they use is practical in that they don't use colored flags as hole location identifiers (which is usually the norm elsewhere around here), and that tends to make life a little more simple for the greens staff.
But there is one notable drawback.
Our two toughest par3's both happen to be on the front (hole 5 and hole 8). They're fairly long (180 yards to the middle), the teeing sections are pretty much the same, and both holes are played in nearly the same identical direction, which means they both play into a predominant wind. Both greens are well protected with water hazards in play within a few paces of the outer edges of the greens.
So by virtue of both of those holes landing where they do in numerical sequence, that means that the pin locations for both of those greens are the same as well. Example: if we're playing #2 pin location for the day, both of those holes have back pins, and now we're looking at an additional 10-15 yards further on what are already fairly challenging holes, regardless of where the hole locations are.
If you're swinging 3-hybrid or some sort of fairway wood on hole 5, that most always means you're doing the same on hole 8.
We've come to hate that #2 pin location day.