Tending the Flag: When Can I Request It, When Should I Do It?

Question: Tending the Flag: When Can I Request It, When Should I Do It?

When playing a stroke from on the putting green, your golf ball is not allowed to hit the flagstick. That means you must remove the flagstick from the cup before sinking your putt (or face a penalty).

On the other hand, sometimes removing the pin makes the hole very hard to see. How are you supposed to aim at the hole if you can't see it?

That's why it's common to see golfers "tending the flag" for one another. Tending the flag means that Player A stands next to the flagstick in order to remove it from the cup after Player B strikes his putt. That allows Player B to see the hole, yet avoid being penalized for hitting the pin.

Answer: So when can you ask someone to tend the flag for you? Whenever you want. It's OK for the flag to be tended for any shot, from any location on the golf course. But in the real world, players request tending of the flag primarily when attempting long putts (when they might have trouble seeing the hole without the flag). Players sometimes also request the flag be tended when chipping from just off the green.

And when should you tend the flag for someone else? You should tend the flag if:

• One of your playing partners asks you to; or
• You offer to tend the flag for another player, and that player says yes.

It's common practice once all golfers are on the putting green for someone in the group to ask, "Hey, anyone need the flag?" If the answer is no, the flagstick can be removed and set aside (place it off the green, out of the line of play).

As a courtesy, players should always tend the flag for one another if it's requested. Just make sure that it really is necessary if you are the one asking for the flag to be tended (which is to say, you can't see the hole without it).

Also note that if the flagstick is still in the cup and nobody is tending it, and a player putts anyway, do not rush over to remove the flagstick. If you take the flag out of the hole while a ball is in motion on the green, it's a penalty on you if you were not attending the flag to begin with.

See How to Tend the Flagstick if you aren't sure about the proper procedure and etiquette.

In the Rules of Golf, situations involving the flagstick are covered in Rule 17.

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