Can you putt with the flag in?
I · Intermediate · Bunkers and putting greens · 15 of 16A player may putt with the flagstick left in the hole or have it taken out, and must decide before the stroke. There is no penalty if the ball hits a flagstick left in the hole. A ball resting against it counts as holed if any part of the ball is below the surface.
How it works
- The Rule applies to a ball played from anywhere, on or off the green.
- Left in: the player leaves it where it is, or centres it. If the ball hits it, there is no penalty and the ball is played as it lies.
- Taken out: removed before the stroke, or attended. Attending means someone holds the flagstick in, above or beside the hole and takes it away during or after the stroke.
- Ball hits an attended or removed flagstick, or the person attending, by accident: no penalty, and the ball is played as it lies.
- A player who chose to leave the flagstick in must not have it moved while the ball is rolling in order to change where the ball might stop. It may be taken out if the ball plainly is not going to hit it.
- Deliberately leaning the flagstick off centre to gain an advantage, or leaving a removed flagstick where it might stop the ball, is penalised if the ball then hits it.
- Resting against the flagstick: holed if any part of the ball is below the surface of the green. If no part is, the ball is not holed. If the flagstick is then removed and the ball drops in or moves away, it is placed on the lip.
Tricky cases
Is it a penalty to hit the flagstick with a putt from on the green?
No. There is no penalty when a ball hits a flagstick left in the hole.
Can the flagstick be pulled out while the putt is rolling?
It depends on what was decided. If someone is attending it, that is the normal procedure. If the player chose to leave it in, it must not be removed to affect where the ball stops.
The ball is leaning on the flagstick with all of it above the surface. Is it holed?
No. Some part of the ball must be below the surface of the green.
Why the rule exists
The choice is the player's, but it has to be made before the putt, so that nobody can decide once they see how the ball is rolling.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of Golf | As above | G 13.2 |
From the rule book
The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf, Rules 11.2, 11.3 and 13.2, and the Definition of flagstick. Effective January 2023. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Golf (PDF).