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I recently attended a six-hour rules seminar taught by three SCGA officials who could recite rule numbers, decisions and references by line and verse. While I understand the rules a little better now, it’s still overwhelming trying to decipher where and how certain rules are applied on the course. Over the next several months we’ll try to make sense of the rules so golfers have a better understanding of how they work. For some weekend warriors, a refresher course on the rules could come in handy. For others who play more seriously, it could save some strokes — or embarrassment — while playing in a tournament or competitive match. Rule 27-2: Provisional Ball If you think your ball may be lost or out of bounds, but not in a yellow- or red-staked hazard, you can elect to play a provisional ball. Again, you must announce to your playing partners that you are playing a provisional ball, and then you must hit it before anyone looks for your first ball. Let’s say you top your provisional ball and it only goes 50 yards. Your first ball is well past that point, but you’re not sure if it’s in play. You can continue playing the provisional ball until it advances to where the original ball is likely to be. You can then search for the original ball. If you can’t find it, or if you find it out of bounds, the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, and you then take your penalty of stroke and distance. If you pass the point where the original ball is likely to be and you hit the provisional ball, it then becomes your ball in play, and you take your penalty. In some cases, especially if you hit the provisional ball well, this procedure may be advantageous. However, if you find the original ball and it is playable, you must abandon the provisional ball. If you find the original ball but it is “undesirable” and you want to deem it unplayable, you cannot use the provisional ball as the ball in play. You must pick up the provisional ball, and then proceed with the original ball, using the options for an unplayable lie. |
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