Provisional Ball

What is a Provisional Ball: how do you create one and use it in play?

A Provisional Ball is intended to be a time and distance saving device in case you have hit a shot that may be lost in the General Area (e.g. not likely to be in a Penalty Area), or may be Out of Bounds. If you hit a shot and the ball flies towards an area of rough or heads towards going out of bounds, you can decide to play a provisional ball in case the original cannot be located or is found out of bounds.

The provisional ball rule (Rule 18.3) is designed to handle the situation where the only action a player can take legally within the Rules of Golf is a Stroke and Distance Penalty (where you have to count a penalty and return to the point of the last stroke). Once a ball is lost or Out of Bounds, you would need to return to the point of the original stroke and play again with a penalty assessed.

Note that in 2019 an Alternative to Stroke and Distance Local Rule has been allowed if your ball is lost in the General Area or Out of Bounds. Under this Local Rule, you may proceed to move out to the fairway not closer to the hole, and drop there but with a two stroke penalty. (see Alternative to Stroke and Distance in our Local Rules section). However, of you decided to hit a provisional ball, this Alternative to Stroke and Distance is NOT permitted.

A new option, Local Rule #13 now allows a player to play a provisional at the point where their ball entered a Penalty area. They may then move forward in case their ball cleared the Penalty area and is found in play, or a more forward point where it last crossed into the Penalty Area can be determined.

Deciding to play a Provisional Ball

If you decide to introduce a provisional ball you are required to announce it explicitly. Using the word "Provisional" in a declaration to those in your group is the most common style of announcement. You then play your next stroke with another ball from the same position as the original was played. At this point, there is not yet a penalty associated with introducing the Provisional. The penalty is assessed if you cannot locate the original ball in the General Area or it is known to have gone out of bounds. When you make the Provisional ball the active ball the penalty is assessed.

When does the Provisional become the active ball?

If you get to the place where the original ball could have been lost or gone out of bounds, you currently have 3 minutes for the ball to be found by anyone. If the original ball is found in bounds, the provisional is picked up and cannot be used. So even if the original is "unplayable" you cannot use the provisional and must instead take relief based on where the original ball lies. If the original ball is found or known to be in a Penalty Area you cannot use the provisional.

Note that if your provisional does not go as far as you believe the original may have gone, you can continue to play the Provisional, counting shots until you are up to the point where the original is believed to be.

When you make the provisional ball the active ball, the penalty stroke is assessed and all shots made with the provisional ball are added to the count.

What happens if your Provisional ball is also wayward?

Your original ball may be lost, so you play a similar stroke with a provisional ball (A) and that also may be lost. You declare another provisional ball (B) from the same position as the original stroke. If you do not find the original, the first provisional (A) becomes the active ball with one penalty stroke assessed. If you cannot find the first provisional (A) the second provisional (B) becomes the active ball with another penalty stroke assessed. ad nauseam.

What is not a Provisional ball?

Unless you hit from the same place as your previous stroke (or under Local Rule #13 you hit from where the ball crossed into a Penalty Area) and you announce a "Provisional ball" it is not one and could be a "wrong ball" that you have hit and you would be assessed the General Penalty (two penalty strokes in Stroke Play).

So it is worth it?

Since the introduction of the Alternative to Stroke and Distance Local Rule, there is less incentive to play a provisional. If you do play a provisional, you cannot subsequently use the 'Alternative to Stroke and Distance' Local Rule, so this affects whether a provisional is necessarily a good choice.

Consider the following scenario ...

At the tee (e.g. Doon-18 hole # 16) you hit a long shot into the cedars beyond the beginning of the fairway to the right. It might be lost in there, so you could declare and play another shot from the tee as a Provisional. Note that if the original is found by anyone within three minutes of a search starting the provisional must not be used. This by the way is irrespective of what the player requests such as "please don't look for my ball, I am better off if it is lost!".

If you also hit the provisional well, and it stays safe (fairway or rough) you would be sitting at 3 (assuming the original is not found). However, that provisional shot could go awry itself - there is often that risk. So by going forward without a provisional, if the original ball cannot be found, you can move out to the fairway, not closer to the hole, and drop there. You would also be sitting at three and be on the fairway guaranteed! So it tends to depend on your likelihood of hitting a better provisional than where the alternative to Stroke and Distance would position you on the fairway. You can also use the Alternative to Stroke and Distance (with its 2 penalty strokes) if you find the ball and declare it unplayable whereas you cannot use a Provisional if you declare the original as unplayable.