Dear Linda,
Frequently the flagstick is found to be leaning in one direction, usually because of a strong wind, or sometimes because the apparatus to hold the flagstick in the hole is faulty. But the player may prefer to leave the flag in.
In some of our social games, in such a circumstance, if the flagstick direction is against the player, other players will centre the flagstick and hold it in place. Am I right in believing this is illegal? Is a penalty applied only if the ball hits the flagstick? And if so would the penalty fall on the person holding the flagstick, if there was no explicit request from the player?
What if this act was performed by another caddie, or a third party such as a spectator?
Thank you as always,
Lou from the UK
Dear Lou,
A player may elect to leave the flagstick in the hole when he putts. If it is not centered, he may choose to leave it as it is or center it. If the flagstick will not remain centered, and the angle will disadvantage the player, the player may decide to have the flagstick removed or attended.
If someone has been asked to attend the flagstick, that person may hold it in, above, or next to the hole to show the player where the hole is, and then remove it once the stroke has been made. If he is holding the flagstick in the hole, he may hold it centered.
If the person attending the flagstick deliberately fails to remove it after the player putts, and the ball subsequently hits the flagstick, that person (if he is a player or a player’s caddie) will get the general penalty (two strokes/loss of hole). To clarify, if your caddie deliberately allows your ball to hit the flagstick, you get the general penalty; if another player or his caddie does the same, that player gets the general penalty [Rule 13.2b(2)]. The stroke does not count. The original ball or another ball must be replaced on the original spot and the player will replay the putt [Rule 11.2c].
There is no penalty to anyone if the ball does not hit a flagstick that has been deliberately held in the hole.
Linda
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