Flagstick

A flagstick is the tall pole that stands in the hole on a golf green. Its job is to mark the hole’s location so players can see and aim at it from anywhere on the course.

What is a flagstick?

At its simplest, the flagstick is what makes the hole findable. A golfer hitting an approach shot from 150 yards out has no realistic way to spot a 4.25-inch cup in the middle of a green without something tall and clearly marked above it. That something is the flagstick.

The official definition comes from the Rules of Golf, written jointly by the USGA and R&A, the two governing bodies of the sport. The rules describe a flagstick as “a movable pole provided by the Committee” that is placed in the hole. The full rulebook adds that the term also covers the flag itself and anything else attached to the pole, so when the rules use the word “flagstick,” they mean the whole assembly, not just the bare stick.

Most golfers use the words “pin” and “flag” to mean the same thing as flagstick. The governing bodies always use “flagstick” in their official rules and equipment standards, but on the course, a player is just as likely to hear “leave the pin in” or “pull the flag.” All three terms refer to the same piece of equipment.

How a flagstick is used on the course

On every green, the flagstick stands in the hole throughout the round. Players use it as a target when hitting approach shots, chip shots, and pitches. From the fairway or rough, the flag at the top of the pole is often the only way to spot the hole.

When a player reaches the green, they have a choice: leave the flagstick in the hole, have someone tend it, or take it out entirely. This choice was not always available. Before 2019, putting on the green with the flagstick still in the hole resulted in a two-stroke penalty. The rule change made pin-in putting a normal option, and many golfers now leave it in to save time.

Some courses use the flagstick itself to communicate information. A coloured flag, or a small secondary marker placed high or low on the pole, can tell players whether the hole is cut at the front, middle, or back of the green. This system is not standardised across the sport, so checking the scorecard or asking the pro shop is the only way to know what a particular course’s flags mean.

Flagstick rules at a glance

The rules covering the flagstick sit in Rule 13.2 of the Rules of Golf, which deals with putting greens. Under that rule, a player can choose to leave the flagstick in the hole or have it removed before making a stroke. There is no penalty if the ball strikes a flagstick that has been left in.

The rule change took effect on 1 January 2019. The USGA cited pace of play as the main reason for the update. Asking every player to pull the pin and replace it on every putt, especially in groups playing without caddies, was adding noticeable time to each round. The governing body also concluded that leaving the pin in offers no clear scoring advantage on average, since some balls that would have dropped will bounce out, and some that would have missed will go in.

A separate section of the Rules of Golf, called the Equipment Rules, sets the physical specifications. The flagstick must be circular in cross-section. It cannot include shock-absorbing material or any other feature designed to influence how the ball moves when it hits the pole. The USGA used to recommend a minimum height of seven feet, but that specific language has since been removed from the guidelines. PGA Tour events typically use eight-foot fiberglass flagsticks.

Flagstick vs. pin vs. flag

These three terms get used interchangeably, but they have slightly different shades of meaning.

Term	What it refers to	Where it is used
Flagstick	The full assembly: pole, flag, and any attachments	The Rules of Golf and other official documents
Pin	The pole itself, often used as shorthand for the whole flagstick	Conversational golf, broadcasts, casual play
Flag	The cloth banner at the top of the pole, or a casual shortening of “flagstick”	Informal speech, gear shops

Related phrases follow the same pattern. “Pin position” and “pin placement” describe where on the green the hole is cut that day. “Pin high” means an approach shot finished level with the flag. “Tending” is when one player holds the flagstick for another, pulling it before the ball arrives.

What the colour of a flagstick means

Many courses use coloured flags to signal where the hole is cut on the green. The most common system in the United States works like the tee marker colours: red for the front of the green, white for the middle, and blue for the back. Some courses swap blue for yellow. A few use only one flag colour for every hole and rely on a smaller secondary flag, positioned high or low on the pole, to indicate front-middle-back.

The system is not universal. Augusta National uses yellow flags with the tournament logo on every hole. Some courses use no colour code at all, and others assign colours by which nine the hole sits on. Players visiting a new course can usually find the local convention printed on the scorecard or pinned up in the pro shop.

This information matters because hole position can change a player’s effective yardage by 10 to 20 yards from front to back of the green, which is often a full club difference.

Related Golf Terms

Cup — The hole itself, lined with a plastic or metal sleeve.
Fairway wood — A wood club designed for shots from the fairway (3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood).
Fat shot — A shot where the club strikes the ground before the ball.
Fairway — The closely mown area between the tee and the green.
Fairways hit — The percentage of tee shots that land on the fairway.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is a flagstick?

Most flagsticks are between seven and eight feet tall. The Rules of Golf no longer set a specific height requirement, but PGA Tour events use eight-foot poles, and most public and private courses fall in the same range. The tallest flagstick in regular use, according to Golf.com, is a twelve-footer at Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, Arizona.

Can a player putt with the flagstick in the hole?

Yes. Since the 2019 update to Rule 13.2, a player may leave the flagstick in the hole on any putt without penalty, even from the putting green. The choice has to be made before the stroke. Once the ball is in motion, the flagstick cannot be removed to affect the result.

Is a flagstick the same as a pin?

In casual use, yes. The Rules of Golf only use the word “flagstick,” but golfers, broadcasters, and equipment makers use “pin” and “flagstick” to mean the same thing. “Flag” usually refers either to the cloth banner alone or, informally, to the whole assembly.

What is a flagstick made of?

Most modern flagsticks are made of fiberglass, which both the PGA Tour and USGA prefer because it deadens the impact of a ball striking the pole. Aluminium and wood flagsticks are also in use, particularly on older or budget courses, though they tend to reject more putts than fiberglass.

Does the flagstick help putts go in?

Research is mixed. A study by Cal Poly mechanical engineering professor Tom Mase, conducted for Golf Digest, found that on putts struck dead-centre into the hole, the flagstick made little difference at normal pace, but a flagstick struck off-centre often deflects putts that would otherwise have dropped. Many tour pros now remove the flagstick on most putts for that reason, though others leave it in for short, fast putts where the pole can act as a backstop.

Sources

USGA and R&A. “Rules of Golf, Rule 13: Putting Greens.” randa.org and usga.org.
USGA. “Major Change: Ball Played from the Putting Green Hits Unattended Flagstick in Hole.” usga.org.
USGA. “Equipment Rules, Part 8 Rule 2: The Flagstick.” usga.org.
Northern California Golf Association. “Rule of the Month: The Flagstick.” blog.ncga.org, July 2024.
Stachura, Mike. “The science behind why the flagstick should be pulled 99.9 percent of the time.” Golf Digest.
Passov, Joe. “Why flagsticks are way more interesting than you ever knew.” Golf.com, September 2022.
Kelley, Brent. “Flagstick: Defining It and Its Role in Golf.” LiveAbout, July 2019.
USGA. “A Brief History of Revisions to the Rules of Golf: 1744 to Present.” usga.org.