A ruling question involving a provisional shot....?

Question

My tee ball veers right and is close to being O.B. So to conserve time, I hit a provisional ball. I dubbed it ten feet off the tee. Instead of going to see if my first ball was in bounds and playable, I hit the provisional again to conserve time.

At this point, do I HAVE to play my provisional? or (as I thought) if the original tee ball was findable do I HAVE to play that one?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Here is the provisional ball rule striaght out of the 2008 USGA Rules of Golf book. Bottom line, you may continue playing the provisional as a provisional until you reach the spot where the original ball is likely to be. If the original ball is found in bounds, the provisional ball is abandoned and the original ball is in play. If the original ball is found out of bounds, the provisional ball is used for the duration of the hole under penalty of stroke and distance; ie, the provisional ball tee shot was shot #3 and all succeeding shots made with that ball count. If you continue to play the provision ball past the spot where the original is believed to be, the provisional ball is in play and the original is considered to be abandoned.

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 Rule 27 81 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.

Answer 2

According to the rules of golf you may play the provisional ball until you get to the point where your original ball is likely to be. If you play the provisional after that the original ball is considered  lost and you must play the provisional ball with a one stroke penalty.

Answer 3

It is only reasonable to hit the provisional a second or third time until you get to the area to search for the original ball.  If you find the original ball (in bounds) you have to play it, or take an unplayable or whatever, but you cannot just abandon it once it is found.  It is the ball in play and you must proceed with it.  If it is found OB, then you must play the provisional.

Answer 4

only if you dont find the original ball ..

and you will be playing your 5th shot with your provisional  because of the penalty stroke for a lost ball  and if you play the original ball and its not OB you would be playing your 2nd shot