What happens if your ball hits the flagstick?

The situation

Your putt or chip rolls toward the hole and strikes the flagstick — either left in the hole, being held by an attendant, or lying on the ground nearby.

The rule

Since the 2019 rule change, hitting the flagstick carries no penalty in virtually all situations under Rule 13.2. If the flagstick is in the hole (attended or unattended) and your ball hits it, no penalty — play from where the ball ends up. This reversed the old rule where putting from the green and hitting an unattended flagstick was a 2-stroke penalty. The only edge case: if you or your caddie deliberately positioned the flagstick to act as a backstop for your shot, that could be considered cheating under Rule 1.2 — but for all normal on-course play, hitting the flagstick is simply part of the game.

Real example

You leave the flag in on a long putt. The ball rolls the length of the green and clangs off the flagstick, dropping into the hole. No penalty — that counts. Or it hits the flag and bounces away from the hole. No penalty — play it from where it stopped.

What to do on the course

• No action needed — play the ball from where it comes to rest
• Leaving the flag in is a valid strategic choice, especially for long putts or chip shots
• If you asked for the flag to be attended and it was not removed in time: still no penalty, play from where ball ends up
• The old "2-stroke penalty for hitting flag on the green" no longer exists

Penalty

No penalty. Play the ball from where it comes to rest.