I have several flagstick "hits" to say the least. Some of them helped it go in the hole, some did not. The fact that you ended up 40 yards is quite strange, but if u want to see something even stranger, then feel free to have a look at one of my replays entitled "how to lose a chuffing ball the impossible way "
Do not know if it was flagstick, a new WGT bouncy hole or what, but its the 1st time I have hit a 386 yds shot off the tee with a 4 iron.
Maybe your idea of an automatic flagstick removal could be an option for the player to decide on when it is his/her shot.