Linda… Earlier this week I was playing a round of golf with
a friend. I was on the green about 40 feet from the cup and he was having
trouble in some deep grass. We were holding up the group behind us so I decided
to putt at an unattended flagstick, knowing the odds of my hitting the pin were
slim. As luck would have it I hit a great putt that was tracking right at
the hole. It appeared the ball stopped just on the lip of the cup but then as I
was walking toward the hole it fell in. The bottom line is I holed a putt to an
unattended flagstick, but I honestly do not think the ball actually hit the
pin. Is this still a penalty?
Thanks,
Lou from Texas
Dear Lou,
I’m afraid so, Lou. The penalty is two strokes in stroke
play, loss of hole in match play. A ball is not holed until it is at rest in
the hole [Definition of “Holed”]. It is not possible for a ball to come to rest
in the hole without touching the flagstick [Decision 17-3/1].
Linda
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