When am I considered to have authorized someone to attend the flagstick?

You're considered to have authorized someone to attend the flagstick if you ask them to tend it, or if they do it with your knowledge and you don't object. This matters because if you haven't authorized anyone and another player moves the flagstick to affect your ball, they get the general penalty.

The two ways you authorize attendance

Rule 13.2b(1) spells out exactly two scenarios. First, you explicitly ask someone — your caddie, a playing partner, anyone — to attend the flagstick for your stroke. Second, someone starts attending it on their own, you're aware they're doing it, and you say nothing. Silence while knowing it's happening counts as authorization.

Why the distinction exists

The rule draws this line because of what happens next. Under Rule 13.2a(4), if you've left the flagstick in the hole and haven't authorized anyone to attend it, another player who deliberately moves or removes it to affect where your ball might come to rest gets the general penalty. But if you have authorized attendance, that person is allowed to handle the flagstick — they're acting with your permission.

What counts as knowledge and lack of objection

You don't need to say "yes, please tend it." If you see your caddie walk over and grab the flagstick, or a fellow competitor steps in to hold it, and you don't say "stop" or "I didn't ask for that," you've authorized it. The rule treats your awareness plus inaction as consent. This prevents gamesmanship where a player stays quiet hoping to penalize someone later.

How this differs from hitting the flagstick

Authorization is about who may touch the flagstick before your stroke. A separate question — whether your ball hits the flagstick during the stroke — is covered by Rule 13.2 and carries no penalty either way. See what happens if your ball hits the flagstick? for that scenario.

Frequently asked questions

Does my caddie need me to ask every time?

No. If your caddie attends the flagstick with your knowledge and you don't object, that's authorization — even if you didn't explicitly ask for that stroke.

What if a playing partner tends the flagstick without me noticing?

That's not authorization. You must be aware they're doing it. If you genuinely didn't see them, you haven't authorized it, and they could be penalized if they move it to affect your ball.

Can I authorize someone after they've already started attending?

Yes. If you see them attending it and you don't object, that retroactively counts as authorization from the start.

What happens if an unauthorized person moves my flagstick to help me?

They get the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play) under Rule 13.2a(4), even if they were trying to help.

Does authorization carry over to the next hole?

No. Authorization is per stroke. You have to authorize (or not object) for each stroke where someone attends the flagstick.