Without looking up the rule...

[Texas Wedge]

How would you answer this question?

Player A and Player B are playing in a stroke play tournament. Player B's ball is about 3 feet off the green. Player B decides to putt the ball and asks player A to tend the pin. Player A says, "You can't tend the pin when you're not on the green."

Is Player A Right or Wrong?

I'll post the answer tomorrow if someone else doesn't look it up and post it.

My brother and I have argued about this particular rule a couple times in a tournament. I'm just curious what other people think...

[JPsuff]

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I'm not 100% sure but I believe you can ask to have a pin tended from anywhere on the course.


-JP

[Ty_Webb]

I'm pretty sure that you can have it tended from anywhere. If it's tended and your ball hits it, that's a two-shot penalty in strokeplay or loss of hole in matchplay, same as if you were on the green.

[jwaldrop]

Originally Posted by Ty_Webb

I'm pretty sure that you can have it tended from anywhere. If it's tended and your ball hits it, that's a two-shot penalty in strokeplay or loss of hole in matchplay, same as if you were on the green.

You are correct, sir, yes.

[coralpro]

Originally Posted by Texas Wedge

How would you answer this question?

Player A and Player B are playing in a stroke play tournament. Player B's ball is about 3 feet off the green. Player B decides to putt the ball and asks player A to tend the pin. Player A says, "You can't tend the pin when you're not on the green."

Is Player A Right or Wrong?

I'll post the answer tomorrow if someone else doesn't look it up and post it.

My brother and I have argued about this particular rule a couple times in a tournament. I'm just curious what other people think...

Well without looking it up I would say you can't have it tended while off the green. You do have the choice to have the pin removed but I don't think it can be tended. That could fall under alignment aid which is not allowed.

[jwaldrop]

Originally Posted by coralpro

Well without looking it up I would say you can't have it tended while off the green. You do have the choice to have the pin removed but I don't think it can be tended. That could fall under alignment aid which is not allowed.

No, Coral, the rules of golf (17-1) say it can be tended anywhere on the course. I was thinking the same as you when I looked it up.

[Fourputt]

Player A is wrong... period. You can have the flagstick (it isn't a "pin") attended when you are playing a shot from 300 yards, assuming that you are so delusional as to think that will make a difference.

[JungleJ]

This has been a good one for me - I did know that you can have the flagstick tended any time you wanted, but I didn't know about the penalty for hitting the flagstick if it was being tended and you were off the green. Useful to know.

[Texas Wedge]

HA! Only FourPutt got it right. There is NO such thing as a PIN! It was a trick question.

Please excuse my improper use of the slang word, PIN. For those of you who didn't have a clue what I was talking about...I was referring to the FLAGSTICK. Heaven forbid someone refer to it as a PIN!! (How did I know someone was going to jump on that? I almost even changed it, but didn't think anyone would be so petty. I guess I should have known better.) My bad!

And yes, you guys are correct. The FLAGSTICK can be tended while your ball is anywhere on the course. As noted, see rule 17-1...

17-1 Flagstick Attended, Removed or Held Up
Before making a stroke from anywhere on the course, the player may have the flagstick attended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole.
If the flagstick is not attended, removed or held up before the player makes a stroke, it must not be attended, removed or held up during the stroke or while the player’s ball is in motion if doing so might influence the movement of the ball.
Note 1: If the flagstick is in the hole and anyone stands near it while a stroke is being made, he is deemed to be attending the flagstick.
Note 2: If, prior to the stroke, the flagstick is attended, removed or held up by anyone with the player’s knowledge and he makes no objection, the player is deemed to have authorized it.
Note 3: If anyone attends or holds up the flagstick while a stroke is being made, he is deemed to be attending the flagstick until the ball comes to rest.

I'm glad this helped a few people with this rule. I know it's a commonly misunderstood rule about when the flagstick can be tended.

[coralpro]

Originally Posted by jwaldrop

No, Coral, the rules of golf (17-1) say it can be tended anywhere on the course. I was thinking the same as you when I looked it up.

Thanks! I was going to check after we had some more listings to see what others thought.

[Porter20]

Sounds like a good strategy. On the last hole, if you have honors, tell your oponent to go down the 400 yard fairway and tend the pin. Then hit your shot, wait for him to walk back (winded) and hit his. Then do it again. At the worst he is going to be a little peeved at you & you get him out of his game.

[Bulls9999]

I'll guess that Player A is wrong. Tending the pin is a courtesy to the player who is on the green, doesn't matter if the other playing tending the pin is not on the green, imo.

I do know that:
a) if you tend the pin without being asked to do so, it's a penalty on you.
b) if you are asked to tend the pin and you don't pull the pin out and the guy putting sinks the putt, it's a penalty on the guy putting (he takes responsibility that you know what you are doing).

Originally Posted by Texas Wedge

How would you answer this question?

Player A and Player B are playing in a stroke play tournament. Player B's ball is about 3 feet off the green. Player B decides to putt the ball and asks player A to tend the pin. Player A says, "You can't tend the pin when you're not on the green."

Is Player A Right or Wrong?

I'll post the answer tomorrow if someone else doesn't look it up and post it.

My brother and I have argued about this particular rule a couple times in a tournament. I'm just curious what other people think...

[atticusfinch]

I do know that:
a) if you tend the pin without being asked to do so, it's a penalty on you.

A little more complicated than that, as you might imagine.

17-2 Unauthorized Attendance

If an opponent or his caddie in match play or a fellow-competitor or his caddie in stroke play, without the player’s authority or prior knowledge, attends, removes or holds up the flagstick during the stroke or while the ball is in motion, and the act might influence the movement of the ball, the opponent or fellow-competitor incurs the applicable penalty

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Bulls9999

I'll guess that Player A is wrong. Tending the pin is a courtesy to the player who is on the green, doesn't matter if the other playing tending the pin is not on the green, imo.

I do know that:
a) if you tend the pin without being asked to do so, it's a penalty on you.
b) if you are asked to tend the pin and you don't pull the pin out and the guy putting sinks the putt, it's a penalty on the guy putting (he takes responsibility that you know what you are doing).

In response to your 2nd point... if it is determined that a player allowed the ball to hit the flagstick with the intent of causing his opponent/fellow competitor to incur a penalty, then the penalty is on him..... not to mention that he is a jerk...

[Bulls9999]

That scenario actually happened to my son in one of his junior Tournament of Champions. He was on the bottom of a 2 tier green, about 50 feet from the flag and asks a player in his group to 'tend the flag'. The player stands with his hand on the flag....my son putts...the ball is moving up the slope, across the green and toward the flag. The kid just stands there with his hand on the flag...my son starts yelling "pull the flag, pull the flag"...the kid just stares at the ball as it goes in the cup and says to my son, "nice putt". Everyone was rolling their eyes at what happened....the rules official came by and...actually, he was very nice about it...he told my son that "you'll have to wait for a ruling after you get back in", but then he mentioned to me when I asked him about it that, "it will be a 2-stroke penalty on my son, but he didn't want to tell him now and spoil the rest of his round." He said when you ask someone to tend the flag for you, you take responsibility he knows what he's doing. Yes, and I agree....that being done by a fellow competitor.

The problem is, how do you determine if it was done purposely? Actually I really think he didn't know what he was doing. Shame on my son for asking a stranger who supposedly scored in the money to earn enough points all summer to make it to the Tournament of Champions and not know better than to leave the flag in while tending it...duhh!!

Originally Posted by Fourputt

In response to your 2nd point... if it is determined that a player allowed the ball to hit the flagstick with the intent of causing his opponent/fellow competitor to incur a penalty, then the penalty is on him..... not to mention that he is a jerk...