17-1. Flagstick Attended, Removed or Held Up

Before and during the stroke, the player may have the flagstick attended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole. This may be done only on the authority of the player before he plays his stroke.

If, prior to the stroke, the flagstick is attended, removed or held up by anyone with the player’s knowledge and no objection is made, the player shall be deemed to have authorized it. If anyone attends or holds up the flagstick or stands near the hole while a stroke is being played, he shall be deemed to be attending the flagstick until the ball comes to rest.

17-2. Unauthorized Attendance

a. Match Play
In match play, an opponent or his caddie shall not, without the authority or prior knowledge of the player, attend, remove or hold up the flagstick while the player is making a stroke or his ball is in motion.

b. Stroke Play
In stroke play, if a fellow-competitor or his caddie attends, removes or holds up the flagstick without the competitor’s authority or prior knowledge while the competitor is making a stroke or his ball is in motion, the fellow-competitor shall incur the penalty for breach of this Rule. In such circumstances, if the competitor’s ball strikes the flagstick, the person attending it or anything carried by him, the competitor incurs no penalty and the ball shall be played as it lies, except that, if the stroke was played from the putting green, the stroke shall be cancelled, the ball replaced and the stroke replayed.

17-3. Ball Striking Flagstick or Attendant

The player’s ball shall not strike:

1. The flagstick when attended, removed or held up by the player, his partner or either of their caddies, or by another person with the player’s authority or prior knowledge; or
2. The player’s caddie, his partner or his partner’s caddie when attending the flagstick, or another person attending the flagstick with the player’s authority or prior knowledge or anything carried by any such person; or
3. The flagstick in the hole, unattended, when the ball has been played from the putting green.

17-4. Ball Resting Against Flagstick

If the ball rests against the flagstick when it is in the hole, the player or another person authorized by him may move or remove the flagstick and if the ball falls into the hole, the player shall be deemed to have holed out with his last stroke; otherwise, the ball, if moved, shall be placed on the lip of the hole, without penalty.