Golf is a sport of precision, with a lot of luck involved, and sometimes even the most perfectly executed strokes can meet a cruel fate. Conversely, there are times in golf when less-than-perfect shots turn out stellar. Golf balls bouncing back out of the hole is not a common occurrence, but one that does happen.
Poorly Cut Cup
The primary reason that a golf ball would enter the cup, fall to the bottom and bounce back out would be a poorly cut cup. Golf holes must be cut straight into the ground. Any tilt or misconfiguration by the greens keeper brings the possibility of a ball entering the hole and bouncing out into play. This happened at the PGA Tour Qualifying School finals, where Joe Daley's ball bounced in and out. He ended up missing his PGA Tour card by one shot.
Extremely Improper Spin
Golf balls that enter with extreme spin -- imparted by the putter -- have a chance to enter the hole and pop out if the hit the correct part of the bottom of the cup. Putts rolled with correct, end-over-end spin will topple into the cup and stay down -- the definition of a "holed" golf stroke. However, if a golfer imparts extreme spin by slicing across or pushing across with the putter blade, the ball could spin improperly once it hits the bottom liner and pops out.
Force And Velocity
Golf balls holed off full shots commonly come back out of the cup. This is caused by the speed of the ball and the angle of decent, along with the angle of the cup liner. Golf balls descend on the hole and are traveling at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. If they strike the rounded part of the cup that is tilted perpendicular to the path, the ball will enter and come back out.
Grabbing Flag
Often, shots from the fairway or around the green hit the flag stick. If the ball is descending, and hits the absolute middle of the flag stick, the ball will ride the flag down into the hole. What happens after that is part physics, and part luck. The ball might nestle against the side of the hole and the flag, or the bottom of the cup, and remain holed. There are instances, however, in competition and recreational play, where the ball rides the flag stick to the bottom and it bounces back out.
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