I had two shots today that rolled over the hole when someone who was on the green pulled the pin on me without my permission. One was a 50 yard pitch shot that ended up about a foot beyond the hole, and I'm sure it would have sunk if the pin had been in place. The other was a little scary downhill chip that probably would have left me with a makeable par putt instead of rolling an extra 20 feet to the bottom of the green.

The guy swears to me that if a person is on the green, he must pull the pin. My understanding of the rule is that if I'm playing from off the green, no one may pull the pin without my permission.

So what's the ruling on this (extremely frustrating) situation?

Off the green is your choice. You can choose to have it pulled, tended, or left in, with no penalty.

Even on the green it is your choice and not the choice of another player.

Hitting the flag from off the green doesn't result in a penalty, if you putt from the green it is wise to at least have the flag tended because then hitting it would result in a 2 stroke penalty.

It is weird how many strange rules people come up with that just are self-made rules.

I agree that you hear a lot of made up rules on the golf course, and some of that happens because there are so many rules & decisions.

The rules are available on your iPhone, Android or BB: http://www.usga.org/mobile/

Your fellow competitor, by removing the flagstick, just incurred a two stroke penalty, BTW.

17-2. Unauthorized Attendance

If an opponent or his caddie in match play or a fellow-competitor or his caddie in stroke play, without the player's authority or prior knowledge, attends, removes or holds up the flagstick during the stroke or while the ball is in motion, and the act might influence the movement of the ball, the opponent or fellow-competitor incurs the applicable penalty.

*Penalty for Breach of Rule 17-1 or 17-2:
Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes.

p.s. did you know if the ball is rolling toward a flagstick on the ground you can pick it up without penalty? Decision 17/1-6. and rule 24-1.

Isn't there also some rule that even though your intention is not to be tending the flag stick, if you are near enough to touch the stick you are considered to be tending it?

SingleDigits wrote:

p.s. did you know if the ball is rolling toward a flagstick on the ground you can pick it up without penalty? Decision 17/1-6. and rule 24-1.

You can pick up the flagstick? Or you can pick up the ball?

Zepo1a wrote:

Isn't there also some rule that even though your intention is not to be tending the flag stick, if you are near enough to touch the stick you are considered to be tending it?

I beleive the rule is that no one is allowed to tend the pin without the permission of the person who is taking the stroke. I also believe that if the person taking the stroke asks for someone to tend the pin, and then ends up hitting the pin because the tender didn't pull it, the person taking the stroke takes a penalty.

@BJohn: you can pick up the flagstick (never touch the ball while in motion).

Zepo1a wrote:

Isn't there also some rule that even though your intention is not to be tending the flag stick, if you are near enough to touch the stick you are considered to be tending it?

That's the way the rule reads, but i believe it's under the assumption that you've asked the person to tend the flag. It basically means you don't have to touch it to be deemed "flag attendant". Like, if i'm marking my ball at 2 feet and you decide to putt without removing the flag and i'm not paying attention, you're SOL if you hit that.

What is the significance of being the flagstick tender? Isn't the putter still assessed a two-stroke penalty if he hits the pin whether it is being tended or not?

Well, yes and no> there's different stipulations when it comes to the attendance. You can actually be disqualified if you're attending and LET the ball hit the flagstick (if you knowingly did it).

This is all under decision 17-3/2 -- the same decision where it's tough luck on the putter if i wasn't paying attention. It's a real gray area, but you're just basically counting on the guy your playing with/against not to be a total peni$.

Zepo1a wrote:

Isn't there also some rule that even though your intention is not to be tending the flag stick, if you are near enough to touch the stick you are considered to be tending it?

There is a decision

17-1/1 Meaning of "Stands Near the Hole"

Q. Note 1 to Rule 17-1 states that, if anyone "stands near the hole," he is deemed to be attending the flagstick. Is such a person considered to be standing "near the hole" if he is close enough to touch the flagstick?

A. Yes.