Attending the flagstick may seem like a no-brainer, but doing it incorrectly can cost you strokes. It's a player's responsibility to make sure someone removes or attends the flag when she's ready to putt. If, when putting on the green, a player's ball hits a flagstick that's still in the hole, or hits a person attending the pin, the player receives a two-stroke penalty or loss of hole in match play (Rule 17-3, Ball Striking Flagstick Attendant).
When attending a flag, make sure you're not standing on the putting lines of any of the players in your group. Stand on the side of the hole that will make your shadow fall away from the line of the player who's putting. Grasp the flag and pin together to keep the fabric from rippling in the wind. Once the player has made her stroke, remove the flag from the hole before the ball reaches it. If no one else needs the flag attended, place it on the ground, away from the hole, until all players have holed out. Note that the USGA?s 2008 revisions of the Rules now allow you to move a flagstick that's lying on the ground when a ball is in motion (see Rule 24-1, Movable Obstruction). .
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