Flag
The flag is the pennant at the hole that shows you from a distance exactly where on the green the hole is cut.
The flag sits on a thin pole, the pin, directly in the hole. On most courses it is coded by colour or by shape: one colour stands for a hole position at the front, another for the middle, a third for the back. This coding is usually found on the scorecard or at the first tee board. Since the rule reform of 2019 you may putt with the flagstick in, so it no longer has to be taken out of the hole. Nevertheless many players still have the flag removed or tended, because the picture without the pole is more familiar to them.
In practice the flag is your most important target and at the same time an aid. An example: you are standing 130 metres from the green, the flag is blowing visibly to the left. You know immediately that the wind is coming from the right and choose one more club. On the approach you do not play blindly at the flag but check the pin position: if it sits just behind a bunker, the middle of the green is the smarter target. On the green the etiquette applies: whoever pulls the flag lays it beside the green, never on it.
A typical mistake is rigidly aiming at the flag on every hole. Especially beginners thereby shoot straight into the hazards that are built around tricky positions. Also widespread: leaving the laid-down flag lying in the middle of the putting line — that must not be, because if your ball hits the lying flag there are penalty strokes. The pin always belongs completely back in the hole after holing out, so that the next group finds the hole in clean condition.
FAQ
May I putt with the flagstick in?
Yes, since the rule reform of 2019 that is expressly allowed; before there were penalty strokes for it. Whether you leave the flag in or have it removed is your free choice. On fast downhill putts many leave the flag in, because the pole can cushion a ball that is rolling too fast.
What do the different flag colours on the green mean?
On many courses the colours code the hole position: one colour for the front, one for the middle, one for the back. The scheme is usually found on the scorecard or at the first tee board. If you know the pin position, you choose your approach shot more wisely instead of playing blindly at the flag.
Where does the flag go once I have pulled it?
Lay it beside the green, never on it — and make sure it is not lying on any putting line. If a ball hits the lying flag it can cost penalty strokes. After holing out the pin belongs completely back in the hole, so that the next group finds the hole in clean condition.