Rules Guy: Are all flagsticks the same diameter?

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During a recent match, I putted with the flagstick in. My ball hit the flagstick but didn’t drop in the cup. This got me thinking: Are all flagsticks the same diameter, or is there a range they must be within? —Dave Jones, via email

Dave, you’ve sent me scurrying to the Equipment Rules. Here’s what was ascertained: Per Section 8, Part 1a(iii), the flagstick’s pole must have a constant diameter of no greater than 0.75 inches from a point 3 inches above to 3 inches below the putting surface. There is no standard with respect to the size of the pole’s remaining sections, other than it can’t exceed 2 inches from its top to a point no less than 3 inches above the putting surface. That said, according to a flagstick fetishist friend, the vast majority of flagsticks in the U.S. fall in the 0.5-inch range.

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