# Provisional Balls



## Limey (Aug 13, 2011)

Here is an incident that new golfers might find interesting and am sure Mr Surtees will give an answer.
My opponent hits his tee shot over trees where we cannot see its landing point, he hits a Provisional to the same area and plays a second provisional, now I already knew he was playing a Srixon but whilst walking I asked him what make was his ball - Srixon No 4, and your Prov ?, same its a new sleeve of 3 just bought, all with No 4 on them. 
When we get to the hidden area we find all three of his balls.
Question - which ball does he play and how many strokes has he taken.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Limey said:


> Here is an incident that new golfers might find interesting and am sure Mr Surtees will give an answer.
> My opponent hits his tee shot over trees where we cannot see its landing point, he hits a Provisional to the same area and plays a second provisional, now I already knew he was playing a Srixon but whilst walking I asked him what make was his ball - Srixon No 4, and your Prov ?, same its a new sleeve of 3 just bought, all with No 4 on them.
> When we get to the hidden area we find all three of his balls.
> Question - which ball does he play and how many strokes has he taken.


Rule 27/11 Provisional ball not distinguishable from the original ball. The line by line bit is in decisions (Solution 4) but basically under the equity rule, i.e. he doesn't have to go back to the tee, he has to declare one as his last provisional ball and play what will be his 6th shot.

Or at least that's how I read it. Fourputt is a Rule Official and will no doubt put it right if I'm wrong.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Hi Limey Sorry I cant help you there but I am sure Fourputt will be along soon his our local rules guru.


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## Limey (Aug 13, 2011)

My apologies to Fourputt + Surtees, assumed that the latter posting a weekly rules question was the rules guru. Seems that when playing a Provisional Ball it is a good idea to use a different make from the first ball.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

That cool Limey I'm not the Guru but its always great to gain more knowledge on the subject.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Here is the rule: my question is did he inform you of his intent to hit a provisional? also look at 27-2c since you found all three you play the original.

Rule 27. Ball Lost or Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball 
Definitions
All defined terms are in italics and are listed alphabetically in the Definitions section.
27-1. Stroke and Distance; Ball Out of Bounds; Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes
a. Proceeding Under Stroke and Distance
At any time, a player may, 
under penalty of one stroke,
play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5), i.e., proceed under penalty of stroke and distance.
Except as otherwise provided in the Rules, if a player makes a stroke at a ball from the spot at which the original ball was last played, he is deemed to have proceeded 
under penalty of stroke and distance.
b. Ball Out of Bounds
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, 
under penalty of one stroke,
as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).
c. Ball Not Found Within Five Minutes
If a ball is lost as a result of not being found or identified as his by the player within five minutes after the player's Side or his or their caddies have begun to search for it, the player must play a ball, 
under penalty of one stroke,
as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).
Exceptions: 
1. If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball that has not been found is in an obstruction (Rule 24-3) or is in an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1c), the player may proceed under the applicable Rule. 
2. If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball that has not been found has been moved by an outside agency (Rule 18-1) or is in a water hazard (Rule 26-1), the player must proceed under the applicable Rule. 
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 27-1:
Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes.
27-2. Provisional Ball
a. Procedure
If a ball may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds, to save time the player may play another ball provisionally in accordance with Rule 27-1. The player must inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he must play it before he or his partner goes forward to search for the original ball.
If he fails to do so and plays another ball, that ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play
under penalty of stroke and distance
(Rule 27-1); the original ball is lost.
(Order of play from teeing ground - see Rule 10-3.)
Note: If a provisional ball played under Rule 27-2a might be lost outside a water hazard or out of bounds, the player may play another provisional ball. If another provisional ball is played, it bears the same relationship to the previous provisional ball as the first provisional ball bears to the original ball.
b. When Provisional Ball Becomes Ball in Play
The player may play a provisional ball until he reaches the place where the original ball is likely to be. If he makes a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, the original ball is lost and the provisional ball becomes the ball in play
under penalty of stroke and distance 
(Rule 27-1).
If the original ball is lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, 
under penalty of stroke and distance
(Rule 27-1).
If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball is in a water hazard, the player must proceed in accordance with Rule 26-1. 
Exception: If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball is in an obstruction (Rule 24-3) or an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1c), the player may proceed under the applicable Rule.
c. When Provisional Ball to Be Abandoned
If the original ball is neither lost nor out of bounds, the player must abandon the provisional ball and continue playing the original ball. If he makes any further strokes at the provisional ball, he is playing a wrong ball and the provisions of Rule 15-3 apply.
Note: If a player plays a provisional ball under Rule 27-2a, the strokes made after this Rule has been invoked with a provisional ball subsequently abandoned under Rule 27-2c and penalty strokes incurred solely by playing that ball are disregarded.


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## Limey (Aug 13, 2011)

Wow ! - thanks for that, Yes he did said he would play a provisional ball (twice), yes we did find the original and both provisionals, the problem being that all three balls had the exact same markings and we could not tell which was which, the question was -having selected one of them to play which one had he selected ? was it the original or one of the two provisionals.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Limey said:


> Wow ! - thanks for that, Yes he did said he would play a provisional ball (twice), yes we did find the original and both provisionals, the problem being that all three balls had the exact same markings and we could not tell which was which, the question was -having selected one of them to play which one had he selected ? was it the original or one of the two provisionals.


I'm hoping Rick will read this, but if I was the rules judge, knowing all three were his yet not knowing which was the first. I say abandon the two closet to the pin and hit from there. this is a good topic for rule of the week its got my brain cell working


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## Limey (Aug 13, 2011)

I believe he can choose to play whichever ball he likes, this is however deemed to be his 2nd Provisional ball.
I always use a different make ball for the Provisional so there is no doubt which is which.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

Situatin 4 of Decision 27/11 states:



> Situation 4: Both balls are found in bounds, whether in a playable or an unplayable lie, and (1) one ball is in a water hazard and the other is not or (2) both balls lie through the green or in a bunker.
> 
> Solution 4: One could argue that both balls are lost. However, it would be inequitable to require the player to return to the tee, playing 5, when the player has found both balls but does not know which is the original and which the provisional. Accordingly, the player must select one of the balls, treat it as his provisional ball and abandon the other.


This means that if he had only played one provisional ball, he would be deemed to be playing that provisional ball, lying 3 and hitting 4. Since in this scenario, the player played 2 provisional balls, in equity, he must be lying 5, hitting 6. 

To answer Limey's second question, yes, you should always have some way of identifying each ball. I will either play one with a different number, or I will get out my Sharpie and mark a "P" on the first one, then maybe a "P2" if a second one is deemed necessary. As I read the decision, if you can't positively identify which ball is which, then it is deemed that you are playing the last one played as a provisional ball.


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