Linda,
When you think your ball may be lost outside the hazard,
what’s wrong with stating on the tee box that if the ball is in the hazard this
is my 3rd shot and if the ball is not lost or in the hazard, this is my
provisional shot?
It would save coming back to the tee box if the ball is in
the hazard and you want to use the option of hitting from the original position
when a ball is in a hazard.
Lou from Wingham, Ontario, Canada
Dear Lou,
The Rules state quite clearly that if the original ball is
found, the player must abandon the provisional and continue with the original.
Please read Rule 27-2c.
While you may hit a provisional for a ball that may
be lost outside a hazard, if it is determined that your original ball is
in the hazard you must abandon the provisional and proceed under the
Water Hazard Rule, Rule 26-1, if you do not want to play the ball as it lies in
the hazard. If you choose relief option “a” under 26-1 (stroke and distance),
you must return to where you hit your previous shot and hit another ball. Your
provisional ball was hit under the Provisional Ball Rule; when you return to
the tee to hit another ball, you are now playing under the Water Hazard Rule.
You do, of course, have at least one other relief option for a ball in a hazard
– you may choose to drop on the flagline (any type of water hazard) or take the
two-club-length drop (lateral water hazards only).
I understand this seems like a waste of time to you, when
you consider that if you could count your second shot from the teeing ground as
both a provisional ball (if your original turns out to be lost) and a ball hit
under relief option “a” in Rule 26-1 (if your original ball is found in the
water hazard). But consider this: If the Rules were to permit this double meaning
for a second shot from the teeing ground, the player would have a choice of
which ball to play. For example, if the original were found in the hazard, and
the player’s second tee shot from the tee were a poor shot, he could say: “I’m
going to drop on the flagline for relief,” or “I’m going to play the ball as it
lies in the hazard.” It is not the intent of the Rules to give a player a
choice of shots, which would give the player an unfair advantage.
All of this being said, there is a Local Rule that, if
adopted, permits a player to hit a ball provisionally under 26-1. It is a Rule
that requires very specific conditions to exist. Look in Appendix I, Part A, #5
(p.151). If these conditions apply to a particular hole at your course, discuss
this Local Rule with your Committee or a golf course manager and see if they
would consider adopting it. Here is a link to a column I wrote in 2011
explaining this Local Rule:
http://lindamillergolf.blogspot.com/search?q=+provisional+ball+for+ball+in+water+hazard
Linda
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