Playing a Provisional Ball
SITUATION: Player A blow tees, his estimate as far as 180 yards which there is the possibility of missing in the forest shrubs, so he played a provisional ball – the ball stopgap, if that first ball is lost.
The provisional ball stopped in the middle fairway 200 yards. Then he walked with his caddy to the area in which he predicted his first ball is located.
COMMON ERRORS: After looking for his ball for about three minutes, the players had his caddy instructed to keep looking while he walked to the front to play the provision ball. The ball landed on the green. Player A then turned to his caddy and said, “Come on let’s move on”, even though there remained a minute over a five-minute time limit for searching the first ball. Suddenly, caddy Player A called out, “there is the ball!”
Player A decides to play the home ball (first). Ah, even now he played the wrong ball. This is because, once he hit his approach hit the provisional ball, which is located past the point where the ball was first estimated, then the ball was a ball-in-game (ball in play).
Penalties for such violations is lost hole in match play. In stroke play, Player worn two-stroke penalty under Rule 15-3, and he was obliged to complete the hole with the ball should be, which in this case, the provision ball. If he fails to do so and tee off at the next tee, he will be disqualified. The reason is it will not record a valid score for the hole with a ball-in-game.
CORRECT PROCEDURE: Once you do hit your provisional ball that is located past the spot where the ball likely origin is located, you are bound to Rule 27-2b to finish the hole with the provisional ball. In the above situations, so Player A hit his approach hit a provisional ball, the provisional ball is a ball-in-game.
In case when you choose to play a provisional ball, you are obliged to provide them know and made it clear to your fellow competitors, or your opponent in match play, on your intended. If this is not done, then the provisional ball it automatically becomes a ball-in-game.