Monday, November 14, 2016

Ask Linda #1420-Hold up flagstick while ball off green

Dear Linda,
Thank you for enlightening the golf rules knowledge.
My fellow golfing mate posted a question that I am not sure of the answer.

Through the green, when a player cannot see the flagstick from his position, can his caddie hold up the flagstick to indicate the location of the hole and continue to hold it up above the hole for the player while the player is making his shot?

I appreciate your guidance.

Kind Regards,
Lou from Malaysia

Dear Lou,

Yes. The player may ask someone to attend, remove, or hold up the flagstick regardless of where his ball lies [Rule 17-1]. Since this act constitutes attending the flagstick, the person holding it up must ensure that the ball does not touch him, anything he may be carrying, or the flagstick. Should that happen, the player incurs a two-stroke penalty in stroke play, loss of hole in match play [Rule 17-3].

Linda
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