I've seen the pros ace a hole or throw one in from the fairway and they always reach in the hole or they adjust the flagstick before reaching in. My question is this; Is the ball actually considered holed if you pull out the flagstick and the ball pops out? In a match this weekend, buddy chips in and pulls out the flagstick to see how far he can shoot the ball out. Besides the fact that he risks damaging the hole, I told him that I believe that the ball is not considered to have been holed since he did not reach below the level of the cup to retrieve the ball. Am I right?

You are absolutely wrong. The ball was holed.

I am "absolutely wrong"? Your feeling or you know the rule?

It's not a feeling. There is no rule that says you have to reach into the cup to retrieve your ball.

Definition of ball holed:

Holed
A ball is "holed" when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.

thanks KevCarter

Just as a a point of etiquette-USGA states in the etiquette section "In order to avoid damaging the hole, players and caddies should not stand too close to the hole and should take care during the handling of the flagstick and the removal of a ball from the hole. The head of a club should not be used to remove a ball from the hole. "

Using the flagstick (or anything other than your hand or a specialized ball removal tool) to remove the ball from the holes is a really good way to damage the edge of the hole.

So what happens if the ball is nudged in between a crooked flagstick and the hole..the ball falls in when you remove the stick?

You have to straighten the flagstick so that the ball falls to the bottom of the hole. Saw this happen on a chip in ,,,, during a tournament yesterday.

On a similar note... If the ball rests against a crooked flagstick (not completely below the lip of the cup), and your opponent removes the flagstick in such a way to pop the ball out of the hole, what is the ruling?

17-4/3 Ball Resting Against Flagstick Moves Away from Hole When Flagstick Removed by Opponent or Fellow-Competitor
Q. A player’s ball is resting against the flagstick. Without the player’s authority, his opponent or a fellow-competitor removes the flagstick and the ball moves away from the hole. What is the ruling?

A. In match play, the opponent incurs a penalty stroke and the ball must be replaced against the flagstick — Rule 18-3b.

In stroke play, the ball must be replaced against the flagstick without penalty to anyone — Rule 18-4.

In either form of play, the player may then move or remove the flagstick as prescribed in Rule 17-4.


17-4. Ball Resting Against Flagstick

When a player's ball rests against the flagstick in the hole and the ball is not holed, the player or another person authorized by him may move or remove the flagstick, and if the ball falls into the hole, the player is deemed to have holed out with his last stroke; otherwise, the ball, if moved, must be placed on the lip of the hole, without penalty.