diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 153cfa22d8e..3e48a8f3c2f 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -306,10 +306,11 @@ probe_need CFG_CURL        curl
 # and shouldn't attempt to load submodules
 if [ ! -e ${CFG_SRC_DIR}.git ]
 then
+    probe CFG_GIT          git
     msg "git: no git directory. disabling submodules"
     CFG_DISABLE_MANAGE_SUBMODULES=1
 else
-    probe_need CFG_GIT              git
+    probe_need CFG_GIT     git
 fi
 
 probe CFG_CLANG            clang++
@@ -482,14 +483,6 @@ done
 # Configure submodules
 step_msg "configuring submodules"
 
-# If we have no git directory then we are probably a tarball distribution
-# and shouldn't attempt to load submodules
-if [ ! -e ${CFG_SRC_DIR}.git ]
-then
-    msg "git: no git directory. disabling submodules"
-    CFG_DISABLE_MANAGE_SUBMODULES=1
-fi
-
 # Have to be in the top of src directory for this
 if [ -z $CFG_DISABLE_MANAGE_SUBMODULES ]
 then
@@ -679,14 +672,8 @@ putvar CFG_PREFIX
 putvar CFG_TARGET_TRIPLES
 putvar CFG_C_COMPILER
 putvar CFG_LIBDIR
+putvar CFG_DISABLE_MANAGE_SUBMODULES
 
-# Setting this again because it may have been changed
-if [ $CFG_DISABLE_MANAGE_SUBMODULES ]
-then
-    putvar CFG_DISABLE_MANAGE_SUBMODULES
-fi
-
-# Ditto for pandoc
 if [ ! -z $BAD_PANDOC ]
 then
     CFG_PANDOC=