GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When is a provisional ball allowed under the Rules of Golf?
Under the R&A’s 2023 Rule 18, a player may play a provisional when the original might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds. The player must announce “provisional,” or otherwise make that status clear, before the next stroke. What happens next depends on the original ball’s status and where the provisional is played.
For Golfers deciding whether a second ball is provisional or already the ball in play. · Updated
Use it only for a possible lost ball or out-of-bounds ball
A provisional can save a return to the previous spot when the original might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds. It can also be allowed when the ball might be lost in a penalty area but might instead be lost elsewhere or be out of bounds. A second ball is not automatically provisional just because it follows the first.
Say what the second ball is before playing it
Before making the stroke, tell someone that the ball is provisional. Use the word “provisional” or another clear statement of provisional status; saying only that you are hitting another ball or playing again is not enough. If the player fails to announce it, the second ball played from the previous spot is the ball in play under stroke and distance.
The original ball decides whether the provisional is abandoned
If the original is found on the course outside a penalty area before the three-minute search time ends, play it as it lies and abandon the provisional. If it is found in a penalty area—or it is known or virtually certain to be there—abandon the provisional and either play the original as it lies or take Rule 17 relief. If the original is lost outside a penalty area or is out of bounds, the provisional becomes the ball in play under stroke and distance. A provisional also becomes the ball in play if it is played from nearer the hole than the estimated location of the original.
A fictional tee shot and three search outcomes
A fictional tee shot might be out of bounds or lost outside a penalty area. Before hitting again, the player tells the group, “I’m playing a provisional.” Assume the provisional has not been played from nearer the hole than the estimated spot of the original. If the original is found on the course outside a penalty area before the three-minute search time ends, the player must abandon the provisional and play the original as it lies. If the original is found in a penalty area, or is known or virtually certain to be there, the player abandons the provisional and may play the original as it lies or take Rule 17 relief. If the original is not found by the end of the three-minute search and it is not known or virtually certain to be in a penalty area, the original is treated as lost and the provisional is the ball in play under stroke and distance.
Related questions
What if I only say “I’m hitting another one”?
That wording alone does not clearly announce a provisional. Before the stroke, say “provisional” or otherwise make the provisional status clear; otherwise the ball played from the previous spot is in play under stroke and distance.