The discussion of crowned cups has come up several times over the past few weeks, so I wanted to give some context for why this is happening and what we can do to solve the problem. In the video below, I show an exaggerated version of what is taking place out on the golf course. When we take the flag stick out of the cup, it is crucial that we don't force it. Often a little jiggle will do the trick, but if the flag stick is giving any resistance, and we continue to pull, it will bring the cup with it. Even if the cup doesn't come out entirely, that small bit of force can cause the cup to heave, pushing up the surrounding grass, which causes a "crowned" cup.
Something else important to note; we make sure to mow and/or roll the greens after we change cups. This ensures, that any possible putting surface irregularities caused by changing cups that day are smoothed prior to golfers teeing off. Our cup cutters are also fixed with a metal plate that rests on the green's surface that prohibits the cup cutter from pulling up turf when cutting the cup.