Ready golf makes holing out from off the green easier and faster: leave the flagstick in, plan your chip while others play, and when it’s your turn, play to hole it rather than just to get it close. A chip-in saves you a putt, and ready golf habits make sure the attempt never slows your group down.

What Does “Hole Out” Mean?

To “hole out” means to finish a hole by getting your ball into the cup. Your last stroke on a hole is your hole-out, and once the ball drops, you’ve completed that hole.

• It’s usually the final short putt. If your first putt stops a foot from the hole, tapping it in is holing out.
• But it can happen from anywhere. Chipping in from the fringe, pitching in from the fairway, holing a bunker shot or making a hole-in-one off the tee are all holing out. What matters is that the ball ends up in the hole.
• The ball must be fully in. Under the Rules of Golf, a ball is holed when it comes to rest in the hole with all of it below the surface of the green. One exception: if it’s resting against a flagstick left in the hole and any part of the ball is below the surface, it also counts as holed.
• In stroke play, you must hole out on every hole. Your score only counts once the ball is in the hole.

A quick example: you miss the green, your chip from the fringe rolls into the cup, and you’ve holed out without needing a putt.

In the photo above, the golfer sets up for a chip from just off the green, with the flagstick left in. Holing out from off the green is one of the most exciting moments in golf, and the way you set it up says a lot about your pace of play. That’s where ready golf comes in.

Why Ready Golf and Chip-Ins Go Together

Off the green, the old routine slows everything down: walk to the ball, wait, walk onto the green to look at the line, ask someone to tend the flag, wait for them to walk over, chip, then wait for the flagstick to be pulled before anyone can putt.

Ready golf cuts all of that out. You prepare while others play, you leave the flagstick where it is, and you play as soon as it’s your turn. That’s the heart of ready golf: you don’t rush your shot, you just remove the waiting.

And there’s a bonus. A ball played with the flagstick in has a better chance of finishing close, and sometimes of dropping, than one hit toward an open hole that nobody is tending.

What the Rules Say

• You may leave the flagstick in from anywhere. Since 2019, there’s no penalty if your ball hits a flagstick left in the hole, whether you play from on or off the green. Decide before you play.
• A ball resting against the flagstick counts as holed if any part of it is below the surface of the green. You don’t need to pull the flag and watch it drop.
• You may play out of turn in stroke play. Under Rule 6.4b, playing out of turn is allowed and encouraged when it’s safe. A player who is ready to chip doesn’t need to wait for someone farther away who isn’t ready.
• Match play is different. Your opponent can ask you to replay a stroke played out of turn, so agree on ready golf before you start.

Five Ready Golf Habits for Holing Out From Off the Green

1. Plan your chip while others play.
As you walk up, notice the slope of the green, where the flag is and how much green you have to work with. While your partners hit, choose your landing spot and your club. Our guide on how to chip it close covers the technique, and putting from the fringe is often the best option when the grass is short.

2. Bring the right clubs.
Carry your chipping club and your putter together to the ball. If you chip close, you can walk straight up and finish without going back to your bag.

3. Leave the flagstick in.
There’s no need to ask anyone to tend it or pull it. It saves time, and it gives the ball something to hit. Read more in our tip on leaving the flag in or not.

4. Play to hole it, not just to get it close.
From short range, pick a landing spot that lets the ball roll at a speed that would finish just past the hole if it misses. A chip that comes up short never had a chance. With the flagstick in, a firm, confident roll is rewarded.

5. If it goes in, collect your ball carefully.
Lift the ball out by hand without leaning on your putter or stepping close to the edge of the hole, so you don’t damage it for the players behind you. Then step aside so others can play.

If You Don’t Hole It

Most chips won’t go in, and that’s fine. If your ball finishes very close and you’re not on anyone’s line, finish your putt right away instead of marking and waiting. If it’s farther away or on someone’s line, mark your ball and putt in turn.

Common Mistakes

• Walking onto the green to read a 10-yard chip while others wait. Do your looking while they’re playing.
• Asking someone to tend the flag for every chip. Leave it in; it’s faster and allowed.
• Leaving the putter in the bag. Then you’re walking back to the cart after a good chip.
• Chipping too softly “to be safe.” Short chips don’t go in. Aim to finish a little past the hole.
• Celebrating on the green for too long. Enjoy the moment, then clear the green so the next group can play.

FAQ

Is it okay to chip with the flagstick in?
Yes. Since 2019, there’s no penalty if your ball hits the flagstick, whether you play from on or off the green.

Who plays first when some balls are on the green and some are off?
Traditionally the player farthest from the hole. In ready golf, whoever is ready and safe can go, though players off the green often play first so the flagstick can stay in for them.

Does a chip-in count as a hole-out even if I didn’t putt?
Yes. Holing out just means getting the ball in the hole, from anywhere.

What if my ball stops leaning against the flagstick?
If any part of the ball is below the surface of the green, it’s holed. If not, carefully remove the flagstick, and if the ball drops in, it’s holed.

Key Takeaways

• Holing out means getting the ball in the hole, from anywhere on the course.
• In ready golf, plan your chip while others play and bring your putter with you.
• Leave the flagstick in; there’s no penalty and it saves time.
• Play to hole it: firm enough to finish just past the cup.
• If it doesn’t drop, finish short putts promptly or mark and wait your turn.

Have you ever chipped in? Try leaving the flag in on your next chip and give it a real chance to drop. New to golf? Start here.

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