Cup
A cup in golf is the round hole cut into the putting green where the golf ball must come to rest for a hole to be completed. It measures 4.25 inches (108 mm) in diameter and is at least 4 inches (101.6 mm) deep, with these dimensions set by the Rules of Golf governed by the USGA and The R&A.
What is a cup in golf?
The cup is the target. Every shot a golfer plays, from the opening tee shot to a tap-in putt, exists for one reason: to get the ball into that small round hole on the green. A round of golf is built around 18 of them.
The word “cup” is used in two ways in everyday golf language, and both are correct. It can refer to the hole itself, the cylindrical opening cut into the surface of the green. It can also refer specifically to the plastic or metal liner that sits inside that hole and gives it its rigid edge. Most golfers use “cup” and “hole” interchangeably for the first meaning, and that is how the term appears in casual conversation about putting and pin positions.
The cup is what makes golf measurable. Each hole on a course has a par value, and a player’s score is the number of strokes it takes to move the ball from the tee box into the cup. Until the ball drops, the hole is not finished.
Standard cup dimensions and the official rule
The size of a golf cup is fixed across every regulation course in the world. According to the Rules of Golf, the hole must be 4 ¼ inches (108 mm) in diameter and at least 4 inches (101.6 mm) deep. The depth has no specified maximum, and most courses cut between 4 and 6 inches deep, depending on soil and conditions.
The rule also covers the liner. Its outer diameter cannot exceed 4 ¼ inches, and it has to sit at least 1 inch (25.4 mm) below the putting surface, with a small allowance for soil that does not permit that depth. That 1-inch offset matters more than it sounds. A liner sitting flush with the surface would deflect putts off its rim. Sinking it below the turf makes sure the ball is interacting with grass on its way in, not plastic.
For some context on how small the target is, a regulation golf ball has a minimum diameter of 1.68 inches. The cup is roughly 2.5 times wider than the ball, which is exactly the kind of margin that makes putting feel both achievable and infuriating.
| Specification | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Cup diameter | 4.25 in | 108 mm |
| Minimum depth | 4 in | 101.6 mm |
| Liner sunk below surface | 1 in (min) | 25.4 mm (min) |
| Golf ball diameter (min) | 1.68 in | 42.67 mm |
These numbers are not optional. Any course hosting sanctioned tournaments or issuing official handicaps follows them exactly.
The anatomy of a cup
Although golfers often talk about the cup as one object, it is made up of a few distinct parts.
The hole is the cylindrical opening cut into the putting green. A greenkeeper uses a hole-cutter, a tool that removes a clean plug of turf and soil so the new hole has straight, even sides.
The liner is the rigid insert, usually white plastic or metal, that sits inside the hole. It keeps the round shape from collapsing under foot traffic and protects the edges of the turf from damage.
The flagstick, often called the pin, is the tall pole with a flag on top that drops into the cup, marking the location of the hole so players can see it from the fairway or tee. Under the current Rules of Golf, players may leave it in the hole while putting.
The lip is the rim where the turf meets the hole. Its condition matters a great deal. A raised or damaged lip can deflect a well-struck putt, and the most familiar reference to it is the “lip-out”, when a ball catches the edge and spins away instead of dropping.
Cup vs. hole: is there a difference?
In most contexts, no. “Cup” is a synonym for “hole” when referring to the target on the green, and the two words are used interchangeably in broadcasts and in everyday conversation about the game.
There is a narrower technical distinction worth knowing. The hole is the actual opening in the ground. The cup, in its strictest sense, is the liner that sits inside that opening. So when a course superintendent talks about “changing the cup”, they mean moving the liner to a new location and cutting a fresh hole. When a commentator says “the ball found the cup”, they mean the ball went in.
Both usages are correct, and listening to the context will tell anyone watching golf which sense is meant. For most golfers, treating the words as identical is the right call.
Why cup placement changes
The position of the cup on a green is not fixed. Greenkeepers move it regularly, often daily on busy courses, and always for tournament play. Two reasons drive this.
The first is turf protection. The grass immediately around a cup takes heavy wear as players walk up to the hole and reach in for their ball. Leaving the cup in one spot for too long would kill the grass in that small area and leave a noticeable scar on the green.
The second is variety. Course setup teams use cup placement to change how a hole plays from one day to the next. A cup tucked behind a bunker on the front-right of the green creates a much harder challenge than the same green with a cup in the back-left. Tournament organisers use this deliberately to ratchet up difficulty over the course of a four-round event.
When a new cup is cut, the old hole is filled with the plug of turf taken from the new location, then watered and rolled flat. A skilled greenkeeper can do this in minutes, and within a few days, the previous spot is almost invisible.
Other meanings of “cup” in golf
Beyond the hole on the green, “cup” appears in golf as the name of trophies and the team competitions named after them. The most famous of these is the Ryder Cup. It is contested every two years between teams of male professionals from the United States and Europe, with the trophy itself named for Samuel Ryder, an English businessman who donated it for the first edition in 1927. The Solheim Cup is the women’s equivalent. Other notable examples include the Presidents Cup (US versus an International team excluding Europe) and the FedEx Cup, which is the season-long points competition on the PGA Tour.
These usages have nothing to do with the hole on the green. They are named after the physical trophies awarded to the winning team or player, much like the Stanley Cup in hockey or the FA Cup in soccer. Context makes it clear which sense of “cup” is in play.
Related Golf Terms
- Crosswind — Wind blowing across the line of play rather than with or against it.
- Concession — In match play, allowing an opponent’s putt without requiring them to hole out.
- Course management — Strategic decision-making about shot selection and risk management during play.
- Course rating — A numerical value representing the difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer.
- Condor — A score of four under par on a single hole (extremely rare).
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a golf cup?
A regulation golf cup is 4.25 inches (108 mm) in diameter and at least 4 inches (101.6 mm) deep. These dimensions are set by the USGA and R&A and apply to every course following the official Rules of Golf.
Why is a golf cup 4.25 inches?
The size dates back to 1829 at Royal Musselburgh Golf Club in Scotland, where greenkeepers built the first known hole-cutting tool. The dimension was reportedly based on a piece of drainpipe available at the club. The R&A formally adopted 4.25 inches as the standard in 1891, and the USGA followed.
Is a cup the same thing as a hole in golf?
In casual golf language, yes. Most golfers use “cup” and “hole” interchangeably to mean the target on the green. Strictly speaking, the hole is the opening in the ground, and the cup is the liner inside it, but the distinction rarely matters in practice.
What is a cup liner?
A cup liner is the plastic or metal insert that sits inside the hole and keeps its circular shape under foot traffic. It also supports the flagstick. The Rules of Golf require it to be sunk at least 1 inch below the putting green surface so that putts interact with grass rather than plastic.
How often is a cup moved?
On most courses, the cup is moved every day or every few days. During tournaments, it is moved daily to vary the challenge and to give the previously used spot time to recover.
Sources
- USGA and R&A. “Rules of Golf, Rule 5.1c: The Hole.” Accessed 2026.
- Wikipedia. “Golf course.” Accessed 2026.
- Wikipedia. “Glossary of golf.” Accessed 2026.
- Wikipedia. “Ryder Cup.” Accessed 2026.
- Caddie HQ. “What Is the Regulation Size of a Golf Cup?” Accessed 2026.
- Dimensions.com. “Golf Hole | Golf Cup Dimensions & Drawings.” Accessed 2026.
- LiveAbout. “Explaining the Different Meanings of ‘Hole’ in Golf.” Accessed 2026.
