Linda, could you please resolve the ruling for us on
something that happened yesterday . . .
We were putting out on the green of a relatively short Par 4
when the group behind played their tee shots. One of their drives landed on the
green and the ball ended up in the hole!
During the post-round celebrations, one of the players
suggested that the hole in one should not count because the flag was not in the
hole and the player had not asked for it to be removed, This (of course) was not
a serious attempt to have the hole-in-one discounted but, as with all golf
questions, once the question has been asked you need to come up with the
correct answer. I have no idea where to look for the answer and (as usual)
hoped that you could help.
Regards
Lou from England
Dear Lou,
The Definition of “Holed” is as follows: “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.” So far so good for the player in your
scenario – we know that his ball was holed.
Rule 17-1 states that the player may have the flagstick attended, removed, or held up before making
a stroke from anywhere on the course. “May” is not “must.” The player did not
violate any provisions in the flagstick rule. He had a hole-in-one.
Linda
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