May 17th, 2019
Yes, You Can Leave the Flag in!
Business and golf go together like butter and popcorn.
Like business, though, it helps to know your golf.
And this past January, a very old rule was changed for those hitting the fairways.
Did you know it’s now OK to putt with the pin in and even knock your ball against the flagstick?
Beginning last Jan. 1, that’s exactly the case.
Before this year, hitting the flagstick with your ball from on the green resulted in a two-stroke penalty.
The new rule, though (to be specific, USGA Rule 13.2a(2)) says, “There will no longer be a penalty if a ball played from the putting green hits a flagstick left in the hole.”
Players will still have the option to remove the flagstick or to have someone tend the pin and remove it after the ball is struck.
But the USGA has been concerned about pace of play, thus the change. Also, most players these days don’t use caddies.
On the PGA Tour, players like Bryson DeChambeau have already left the pin in.
So, know your rules. Post your lowest score. And, maybe, just maybe, earn a little business while doing so.