If you like watching golf on television, you might notice that players have different ways of dealing with the golf flag stick especially when putting.
Some players like to keep the stick in the hole while others remove it completely.
The standard rules of the game indicate that players are free to choose whether or not they like to remove the flag stick from the hole.
A caddy or another player might monitor the ball closely and then take out the flag as the golfer putts.
Players have full freedom on how they wish to deal with the flag stick when playing games.
The method is actually more sophisticated than it looks because it can affect accuracy and timing significantly.
What does it mean to keep or remove the flag stick from the hole?
Taking the flag stick out from the start gives the golf ball a direct route to the hole.
In some instances, the ball hits the flag accidentally then goes out of the cup.
This can ruin the game entirely and can spell disaster for the player.
The advantage of keeping the golf flag stick in the hole is for it to act as a blocker which will keep the ball close to the cup just in case the player putts too hard.
If the flag stick remains in the hole, the cup can be seen more clearly by the player from a distance.
The ball can also hit the flag accidentally and then move either very close to the hole or dropping fully into the cup.
A number of players have won matches in this most unique manner.