Take it out, Take it out

[EaseNgrace]

I played in a weekly medal on Saturday. Not a great round but there was the usual signs of brilliance amongst the rubbish. The highlights of the round were 2 birdies, on the 4th (par 5) and the 15th (par 4). Nothing great about just 2 birdies but they both came right when I needed them after a bad hole, this is a habit i'd like to maintain.
The only problem with the Birdie on the 15th is that (as far as im aware) it was really a Bogey.
I hit a cracking drive, 260 yards into the wind, this left a 9 iron to the elevated green. I didn't strike the approach shot very well and left a 40ft putt across the hardest green on the course.
Well I seldom hole a putt of that distance but as soon as I struck it I knew it was on it's way to the hole. The problem is one of my playing partners who was attending the pin failed to take it out before the ball dropped. He claimed he 'didn't know' you were supposed to take the flag out. I thought, so why do you think you attend it in the first place. He clearly doesn't play many comps, and it's a lesson learned now. But if I was having a good round I would have been pretty mad.
Has this ever happened to you?

 

[AuburnWarrior]

Thankfully this was during a bounce game but I was off the green, hit my putt a bit too hard. As the ball was travelling towards the hole one of our four ball took the flag out of the hole. The ball hit the back of the cup and rolled about 6 inches past. If the flag was in it may well have dropped.

The guy apologised and asked what he should have done.

As it was a bounce game they gave me the original putt and the lesson was learnt.

 

[SyR]

If I'm attending the flag for someone I always test taking it out. When I was a caddie in my teens caddying in a competition, another caddie in our group went to pull the flag out as the ball approached but couldn't as it was stuck. In a mad panic he pulled harder and not only did he pull the flag out, but also the cup with it (crowning the hole in the process causing the ball to miss to one side).

 

[big_mean_bunny]

think this is just one of those things that you have to accept. Despite having played golf since I was about 7 you always pick new stuff up once you get a bit more serious and begin playing more regularly with people you don't know. I had an incident where I had never heard of stroke and distance penalty until this year and so hadn't counted this on my card, where as my opponent was convinced I had tried to pass off having lost my ball and was being dis-honest.

 

[drawboy]

When attending the pin I always take out the flag as soon as the ball is struck, thus making sure that the ball cannot strike the pin.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I normally lift the flag out a touch (making sure not to rest it on the edge of the hole) so its easy to lift as the putt is struck

 

[viscount17]

did that - once; got distracted
I normally pull the pin and hold it to the back of the cup, no chance of it sticking then

 

[Leftie]

Yes. You are right. Although it was your fellow competitor's fault, you incur the 2 shot penalty.

Quote

"If B's failure to remove the flagstick was not deliberate, e.g. the flagstick stuck in the socket or B was distracted and did not see A putt, A incurs a penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play under Rule 17-3. B incurs no penalty."

 

[Losttheplot]

Sorry to sound thick but when someone says 'stroke and distance' what is meant by it?

 

[Leftie]

Sorry to sound thick but when someone says 'stroke and distance' what is meant by it?

As an example....

Play a shot, walk up to where you think it is but can't find it. You then have to walk back to from where you last played (distance,) drop a ball under penalty (shot), and replay.

That's why you should play a provisional if there is any doubt about whether or not you may find it - saves unnecessarily walking the distance bit.

Simples

(However, see different thread re possible lost ball in a hazard)

 

[Losttheplot]

Thanks leftie, I thought it was something along the lines of that but just never really hear it said too much.

Cheers.