Ask Linda #149-Ball leaning against flagstick

Hi Linda—
I was playing in a tournament, and all four of us chipped onto the green. One player’s ball was leaning against the flagstick for a birdie. Mine was the closest to the hole of the other three. I removed the flagstick, and the ball that was leaning against it moved away from the hole. I picked the ball up and tossed it to the player, thinking the ball was technically in the hole. He got really angry and had a few choice words for me. Did I do something wrong? Was this fixable?
Lou Lou

Dear Lou Lou,

The only unfortunate part of your tale is the “few choice words.” There is rarely a justifiable reason to harshly criticize a fellow golfer. It is my feeling that anyone who is knowledgeable about the rules should view misunderstandings about the rules as an opportunity to instruct, not to insult.

In your scenario, both you and your fellow competitor showed some ignorance of the rules. Your misunderstanding has to do with the definition of “holed.” A ball is not considered holed until it is “at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole” (Definition of Holed). If the ball was leaning against the flagstick, then part of it was most likely above the level of the lip, and so the ball was not holed.

Your fellow competitor’s misunderstanding was in thinking that your action in removing the flagstick and knocking the ball away from the hole resulted in his losing his birdie. His error was compounded when he displayed poor etiquette.

Here is what should happen. After you remove the flagstick and consequently knock the ball away from the hole, the ball must be replaced leaning against the flagstick. The other player is then entitled to try to move or remove the flagstick in such a way that the ball might fall into the hole. If the ball falls into the hole, it is considered holed with his last stroke and he preserves his birdie. If it does not fall into the hole, he has to place it on the lip of the hole and putt it in for a par [Rule 17-4; Decision 17-4/3]. Since this was a stroke play tournament, there is no penalty to either player [Rule 18-4].

When another player’s ball is leaning against a flagstick, you should leave the flagstick removal chore to him. You always want to avoid any action that will cause another player’s ball to move. However, we all make mistakes, and since this one was easy to correct and resulted in no penalty to anyone, there should have been no cause for harsh words. Ignorance is excusable, rude behavior is not.

Linda

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