THE SCENE:
On hole #5 you hit a tee shot over the water. You watch as the ball lands on the bank beside the green and then rolls back down towards you. But you lose sight of it before it reaches the water. You don’t know whether it is in the hazard or not.What would you do?
A. Drive up to the hole, get out of your golf cart and walk over to your ball. If it is in the water, drive or walk back to the other side of the water hazard and drop a ball there?
B. To save time, hit a provisional ball from the tee?
The correct answer is A.
You can’t hit a provisional ball for a ball that may be in a water hazard.
Look in your Rules of Golf book under DEFINITIONS. Find Provisional Ball. It says:
Provisional Ball: A “provisional ball’’ is a ball played under Rule 27-2 for a ball which may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds.
Look in your Rules of Golf book under DEFINITIONS. Find Provisional Ball. It says:
Provisional Ball: A “provisional ball’’ is a ball played under Rule 27-2 for a ball which may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds.
Notice that the definition says OUTSIDE a water hazard. This means that if you hit a second ball from the tee, even if you call it a provisional ball it won’t be one. The ball you hit could not be a provisional ball because the reason you hit it was because you thought your ball might be IN a water hazard.
Suppose you hit a 2nd ball. What is it?
If it is not a provisional ball, what is it? It is your ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance. In other words, you now lie three. And your original ball is deemed to be lost.
If you arrive at the green and discover that your first ball is playable, can you abandon your second ball and play the first one? No. That ball (your first ball) is no longer your ball in play. In fact if you hit it you would be hitting a wrong ball and would incur a two stroke penalty!
REMEMBER: If you think your ball might be in a water hazard, check it out before hitting another ball
Suppose you hit a 2nd ball. What is it?
If it is not a provisional ball, what is it? It is your ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance. In other words, you now lie three. And your original ball is deemed to be lost.
If you arrive at the green and discover that your first ball is playable, can you abandon your second ball and play the first one? No. That ball (your first ball) is no longer your ball in play. In fact if you hit it you would be hitting a wrong ball and would incur a two stroke penalty!
REMEMBER: If you think your ball might be in a water hazard, check it out before hitting another ball
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