***Committee note*** We originally implemented a rule to try and speed up the pace of play at our events allowing members to drop a golf ball at an agreed point under penalty of 2 strokes when it was thought a ball was lost or out of bounds. However, it has become clear that there has been more issues caused than problems solved and therefore this rule is cancelled with immediate effect. Please make yourself fully aware of the correct rules of golf as per below and on our website.
lost ball and out of bounds...
Golfers lose balls and hit them out of bounds all the time, so it is important to know what to do when this happens.
If your ball is lost or out of bounds you must return to where you last played from and play again from there – called stroke and distance (Rule 27-1). [Make sure you look at all the 'Frequently Asked Questions' at the very bottom of this page]
WHAT IS "OUT OF BOUNDS"?
Out of bounds [commonly referred to as "OB"] is defined as “beyond the boundaries of the course or any part of the course so marked.” This boundary is marked by white stakes (and lines connecting them) that are considered “fixed,” which means players are not allowed to move them. A player can stand out of bounds to hit a ball that is still in bounds, but cannot move the stake if it is in the way. A ball is OB only if the entire ball is OB.
"STROKE AND DISTANCE"
The penalty for OB is commonly called “stroke and distance.” This means that a one-stroke penalty is added to the score, and the ball must then be dropped as nearly as possible to the spot from which the original shot was played. In effect, this is a two-stroke penalty, since the player has gained no distance from the original shot; it is as if the original shot had never been played at all. Because of this, repeated OB shots can add several shots to a player’s score quickly.
PROVISIONAL BALL
In order to speed up the game, if a player believes that his shot has gone out of bounds, he may tell his playing partners that he is going to play a provisional ball. To do so, once the other members of his group have played their shots, he announces that he is playing a provisional ball and plays another ball from the same spot as his original shot before the group moves on. If his original ball turns out to be OB, he simply picks it up, adds his penalty shots and plays the provisional. If, however, the original ball is in bounds, it is still in play; he plays his original ball without penalty, and just picks up the provisional ball. [see diagram below]
EXAMPLE FROM THE TEE
If a player hits his original ball (first shot) and finds that it has gone OB, he picks up the ball and takes a one-shot penalty (second shot), walks back to the tee, and hits a new tee ball (third shot). Alternatively, if he believes the first ball is OB, he is allowed to hit a provisional ball. If it was indeed OB, the provisional ball becomes his third shot, and he plays his fourth shot from where it landed. In either case, if he finds that the original ball is in bounds, he plays his second shot from there.
EXAMPLE FROM THE FAIRWAY
If the player plays his second shot from the fairway and it goes OB, he adds his one-shot penalty (third shot), drops a ball as close to his second-shot divot as possible, and that becomes his fourth shot. Or, if he is uncertain whether the second shot is in bounds, he may play a provisional ball; if the second shot was OB, his provisional becomes his fourth shot and he plays his fifth shot from where it lies. Either way, if he finds that the original shot remained in bounds, he will play his third shot with that ball.
If your ball is lost or out of bounds you must return to where you last played from and play again from there – called stroke and distance (Rule 27-1). [Make sure you look at all the 'Frequently Asked Questions' at the very bottom of this page]
WHAT IS "OUT OF BOUNDS"?
Out of bounds [commonly referred to as "OB"] is defined as “beyond the boundaries of the course or any part of the course so marked.” This boundary is marked by white stakes (and lines connecting them) that are considered “fixed,” which means players are not allowed to move them. A player can stand out of bounds to hit a ball that is still in bounds, but cannot move the stake if it is in the way. A ball is OB only if the entire ball is OB.
"STROKE AND DISTANCE"
The penalty for OB is commonly called “stroke and distance.” This means that a one-stroke penalty is added to the score, and the ball must then be dropped as nearly as possible to the spot from which the original shot was played. In effect, this is a two-stroke penalty, since the player has gained no distance from the original shot; it is as if the original shot had never been played at all. Because of this, repeated OB shots can add several shots to a player’s score quickly.
PROVISIONAL BALL
In order to speed up the game, if a player believes that his shot has gone out of bounds, he may tell his playing partners that he is going to play a provisional ball. To do so, once the other members of his group have played their shots, he announces that he is playing a provisional ball and plays another ball from the same spot as his original shot before the group moves on. If his original ball turns out to be OB, he simply picks it up, adds his penalty shots and plays the provisional. If, however, the original ball is in bounds, it is still in play; he plays his original ball without penalty, and just picks up the provisional ball. [see diagram below]
EXAMPLE FROM THE TEE
If a player hits his original ball (first shot) and finds that it has gone OB, he picks up the ball and takes a one-shot penalty (second shot), walks back to the tee, and hits a new tee ball (third shot). Alternatively, if he believes the first ball is OB, he is allowed to hit a provisional ball. If it was indeed OB, the provisional ball becomes his third shot, and he plays his fourth shot from where it landed. In either case, if he finds that the original ball is in bounds, he plays his second shot from there.
EXAMPLE FROM THE FAIRWAY
If the player plays his second shot from the fairway and it goes OB, he adds his one-shot penalty (third shot), drops a ball as close to his second-shot divot as possible, and that becomes his fourth shot. Or, if he is uncertain whether the second shot is in bounds, he may play a provisional ball; if the second shot was OB, his provisional becomes his fourth shot and he plays his fifth shot from where it lies. Either way, if he finds that the original shot remained in bounds, he will play his third shot with that ball.
frequently asked questions...
Can a player drop a ball in the area where he thinks his original ball is lost, rather than going back to where he last played from?
No. Whilst doing so may save time, the player must return to where he last played and put a ball into play under penalty of stroke and distance.
Can a player play a provisional ball if he thinks his ball has gone into a water hazard?
It is not possible to play a provisional ball simply when you think your original ball may have gone in a water hazard. However, you are entitled to play a provisional ball if the original ball might also be lost outside the water hazard - in bushes or long grass outside the hazard, for example – or if it may have gone out of bounds. In such a case, if the original ball is found in the hazard, the provisional ball must be abandoned.
What do I play if I hit the ball into the water or a hazard?
Water hazards have their own rules YOU CAN SEE THESE BY CLICKING HERE
But in short, if you were to be allowed to play a provisional that had gone in a hazard you would be denying yourself a better advantage as you are entitled to take drops nearer the position where the ball went into the hazard or by using "drop zones".
Say a player hits his tee-shot into the trees and so he correctly plays a provisional ball which comes to rest next to the hole. Must the player look for his original ball?
No. It is up to the player if he wants to look for his ball or not. If the player walks directly to the provisional ball and plays it, as the provisional ball is nearer the hole than the place where the original ball is likely to be, play of the provisional ball renders the original ball lost.
No. Whilst doing so may save time, the player must return to where he last played and put a ball into play under penalty of stroke and distance.
Can a player play a provisional ball if he thinks his ball has gone into a water hazard?
It is not possible to play a provisional ball simply when you think your original ball may have gone in a water hazard. However, you are entitled to play a provisional ball if the original ball might also be lost outside the water hazard - in bushes or long grass outside the hazard, for example – or if it may have gone out of bounds. In such a case, if the original ball is found in the hazard, the provisional ball must be abandoned.
What do I play if I hit the ball into the water or a hazard?
Water hazards have their own rules YOU CAN SEE THESE BY CLICKING HERE
But in short, if you were to be allowed to play a provisional that had gone in a hazard you would be denying yourself a better advantage as you are entitled to take drops nearer the position where the ball went into the hazard or by using "drop zones".
Say a player hits his tee-shot into the trees and so he correctly plays a provisional ball which comes to rest next to the hole. Must the player look for his original ball?
No. It is up to the player if he wants to look for his ball or not. If the player walks directly to the provisional ball and plays it, as the provisional ball is nearer the hole than the place where the original ball is likely to be, play of the provisional ball renders the original ball lost.