Ask Linda #4 - ball holed

Dear Linda,
I putted my ball into the hole, and before I had a chance to retrieve it, Annie putted her ball into the hole right on top of mine! Is there a penalty?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,
The rulebook says that “a ball is ‘holed’ when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.” As there is enough room in a golf hole for two balls to be at rest below lip level, the answer to your question is “no”–there is no penalty. Both balls would be considered holed. However, it is traditional to remove your ball from the hole before anyone else putts.
Linda

Dear Linda,
Is a ball considered holed when it is wedged between the pin and the hole?
Lulu

Dear Lulu,
If the ball is at rest and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole, it is holed. If it is above the lip, it’s time for some creative flag removal. If you pull the flagstick out and the ball pops out with it, you will need at least one more putt to finish the hole. So what you want to do here is gently push the flagstick away from your ball, creating enough space for the ball to fall into the hole. Once the ball has fallen down into the hole, you can remove both the flagstick and the ball, and the ball is considered holed by the stroke that put it into that cozy position leaning against the flagstick.
Linda

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