Dear Linda
Firstly, thank you for all your hard work on our behalf, very much appreciated!
I have been tasked with typing up Local Rules, one of which reads as follows:
“Hole No. 6 (Men's) – A provisional ball may be played if you think that your tee shot has gone out of bounds or may be lost in the penalty area.
If the first ball is found then this is the ball in play.”
I am not sure about this and would like to be before I question it. It is my understanding that a provisional ball cannot be played if one believes the original ball to be lost in a Penalty Areaand that if one did play another ball then that ball would be the ball in play.
This is a blind shot for the men, it is therefore entirely possible that their tee shot could be O.O.B. or lost outside the Penalty Area.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Kind regards,
Lulu from England
Dear Lulu,
A player may hit a provisional ball if his ball might be lost outside a penalty area or be out of bounds. He may hit a provisional ball for a ball that might be lost in a penalty area provided it also might be lost outside the penalty area [Rule 18.3a].
I am going to assume that the ground adjacent to the penalty area is such that a ball might be difficult to find there. Since this is a blind shot, the player would be permitted to hit a provisional ball for a ball that might be lost in the penalty area, as it might also be lost outside the penalty area.
If it is known or virtually certain that the ball is in a penalty area (not the case here), the player is not permitted to play a provisional ball. In this circumstance, the so-called provisional ball would be the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance, as you suggest.
If you want to correct this “Local Rule” (I will explain the use of quotes shortly), change “may be lost in the penalty area” to “may be lost in the penalty area or somewhere else on the course.” However, there is no need at all for this “Local Rule,” since the use of a provisional ball in this situation is allowed under the Rules.
Linda
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