Putting with the flag in the hole

[3offTheTee]

With the rule at present that there is no touching the flag stick what is the position if a ball hits the flag stick and does not drop in the hole. Has there been any guidance/ amendment however temporary to The Rule?

Previously a player had the option to have the flag removed.
Many thanks

 

[PaulS]

With the rule at present that there is no touching the flag stick what is the position if a ball hits the flag stick and does not drop in the hole. Has there been any guidance/ amendment however temporary to The Rule?

Previously a player had the option to have the flag removed.
Many thanks

If it hits the flag and doesn’t go in the hole then it’s not holed - it’s as simple as that.

 

[peter_w]

It sounds like this is more in reference to the ball coming to rest against the flagstick but not dropping ‘in’ the hole, in which case it would count as holed if any part of the ball was below the surface.

 

[Rlburnside]

With the rule at present that there is no touching the flag stick what is the position if a ball hits the flag stick and does not drop in the hole. Has there been any guidance/ amendment however temporary to The Rule?

Previously a player had the option to have the flag removed.
Many thanks

The rule was changed when you were allowed to put with the flag in, Peter w is correct.

 

[rulefan]

This is what CONGU says about the current situation.

If clubs have made the decision to modify the depth of the hole to allow players to remove the ball without touching the flagstick, scores will be acceptable for either competition or supplementary score purposes. In such cases, the ball is considered holed if any part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green, even if not lodged against the flagstick.

And England Golf says:

Hole and Holed
• The hole liner (sometimes referred to as the hole ‘cup’) is to be set in a way that means that all of the ball cannot be below the surface of the putting green, so the ball is considered holed if any part of it is below the surface of the putting green
• To minimise the need to lift the ball from the hole, it is recommended that the Committee provides that a ball is holed with the next stroke if it is within 12 inches of the hole (which is just over the length of a standard putter grip). This does not prevent a player in match play conceding a stroke that is outside this length
• The Committee may decide to have the hole liner sitting above the surface of the green and treat a ball as holed if it strikes the liner

So, it depends on how your club words its Local Rule.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If it hits the flag and doesn’t go in the hole then it’s not holed - it’s as simple as that.

When we were using upturned cups in the hole then if our ball hit the flag then it was deemed to be holed. We are now using a piece of foam tubing to stop the ball dropping below the surface of the green and that works well. Hit the flag now and it doesnt drop then now not holed.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

We have been using the upturned cup method and it has to be holed. As we're casual golf anyway, most are play gimmees so the debate about holed or not has been largely irrelevant. As there are no comps does holing out for the score really make too much difference at the moment?

 

[rulefan]

We have been using the upturned cup method and it has to be holed. As we're casual golf anyway, most are play gimmees so the debate about holed or not has been largely irrelevant. As there are no comps does holing out for the score really make too much difference at the moment?

If you are returning a supplementary score it will.

 

[mikejohnchapman]

When we were using upturned cups in the hole then if our ball hit the flag then it was deemed to be holed. We are now using a piece of foam tubing to stop the ball dropping below the surface of the green and that works well. Hit the flag now and it doesnt drop then now not holed.

We are using form around the flag (below the surface) and this works well leaving approx 1/3 of the ball above ground when holed. No issues with interpreting whether the ball has been holed and easy to retreive without touching the flag.

Wouldn't mind this staying valid going forward.

 

[DickInShorts]

If you are returning a supplementary score it will.

Are supplementaries allowed at the moment? UK

 

[Imurg]

Are supplementaries allowed at the moment? UK

If clubs have the procedures in place to safely process the scores then comps and supplementary cards can be allowed.
Not recommended, I believe, but not outlawed either.
Depends on the club.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If you are returning a supplementary score it will.

Not an issue as my club has clearly stated no comps or supplementary cards permitted at this time

 

[rulefan]

Not an issue as my club has clearly stated no comps or supplementary cards permitted at this time

We are not yet running comps but 9 hole supplementaries are allowed

 

[Diamond]

So we have a gizmo that you hit up and ball pops out. However it does make the flag pole thicker at point of contact of thr golf ball. i am only playing social golf and it happened once but I took it that it went in, mainly based on the fact it was not a hard hit shot.

 

[clubchamp98]

Has anybody else noticed that they have been lipping out a lot more recently?
Without hitting the flag.
We think it might be the hole is not as sharp on the edge with the grass being a bit longer.
The amount of times the ball has just ran over the hole as well.

 

[clubchamp98]

No, but sounds like the holes are crowned. Wouldn't be surprising with all the usage if the holes aren't changed for a few days.

Holes were cut that day ,but when we looked close there was a small like( Bell housing ) Roundness to the edges.
Normally very tight cut.
So we were thinking it was just the grass a bit longer ,as there were still some seed heads on the grass.
Good putts that still missed , good job they were not important
Some cursing though.

 

[jim8flog]

We have now received guidance from the Union for comps and supplementary scores

Holes
If clubs have made the decision to modify the depth of a hole to allow players to remove
the ball without touching the flagstick, scores will ONLY BE ACCEPTED if the hole is
modified to the extent that it still allows any part of the ball to drop below the surface of the
putting green.
In such cases, the ball is considered holed if any part of the ball is below the surface of the
putting green, even if not lodged against the flagstick.

Raised hole liners (i.e. Those sticking up above ground level) CANNOT be used for
Qualifying or Supplementary Scores.

We recommend the following Local Rule:
Local Rule – Ball Holed
A player’s ball is considered ‘holed’ when any part of the ball is below the surface of the
putting green, even if not lodged against the flagstick.
Penalty for Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty

 

[jim8flog]

Has anybody else noticed that they have been lipping out a lot more recently?

.

As per a lot of other posters

We have overcome that problem - we now have a small section of foam pipe lagging below the top of the hole around the flagstick which seems to stop the ball almost dead

 

[jim8flog]

The other recommendation we have received is that if a player deliberately removes the flagstick then they incur a penalty.

 

[rulie]

The other recommendation we have received is that if a player deliberately removes the flagstick then they incur a penalty.

That's a tough call without a clear definition of "deliberately". If a player removes the flagstick instinctively, as in out of habit, was the flagstick removed "deliberately"?