Rule 27, Provisional Shots

[shar1ford]

I recently watched a video regarding Provisional shots for out of bounds shots.  They stated as an extra note, if your provisional shot is topped or a bad shot, you can take it again and again until your provisional is at the same or close to distance of your out of bounds ball.  If it took three shots of a provisional to get to the same distance as the first shot, you then realize your original is out of bounds, so you use the provisional, which took three shots to get there, do you count each additional provisional shot?  

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, shar1ford said:

I recently watched a video regarding Provisional shots for out of bounds shots.  They stated as an extra note, if your provisional shot is topped or a bad shot, you can take it again and again until your provisional is at the same or close to distance of your out of bounds ball.  If it took three shots of a provisional to get to the same distance as the first shot, you then realize your original is out of bounds, so you use the provisional, which took three shots to get there, do you count each additional provisional shot?  

Yes.

If you hit your driver 220 yards but it may be OB (or lost), you can hit a provisional as many times as it takes until you pass that point.

So if you hit the ball 70 yards, 80 yards, and then 110 yards, and you find your original ball out of bounds, you lie five: one stroke with the original ball, one stroke penalty, and three at the provisional ball.

[shar1ford]

So, if my first provisional is not as far as the first shot, can I still use it?  Now I know why no one hits more than 1 provisional. HAHAHA

[Martyn W]

9 hours ago, shar1ford said:

So, if my first provisional is not as far as the first shot, can I still use it?  Now I know why no one hits more than 1 provisional. HAHAHA

Read Rule 27-2 carefully, that should answer your questions.

[Abu3baid]

9 hours ago, shar1ford said:

So, if my first provisional is not as far as the first shot, can I still use it?  Now I know why no one hits more than 1 provisional. HAHAHA

I don't get it.. What do you mean?

[disaster]

11 hours ago, shar1ford said:

So, if my first provisional is not as far as the first shot, can I still use it?  Now I know why no one hits more than 1 provisional. HAHAHA

I think you might mix something up here. It's not like you can hit as many provisionals as you like for free and than if you hit a good one, you take that. This rule just allows you to play that ONE provisional ball so often until you reached the point where your original ball should be. This is just to avoid having to walk back: Assume you hit a drive 250 yds into some bushes and then duff your provisional ball only 50 yards. If you weren't allowed to take multiple shots with the provisional that would mean that you would need to walk the 250yds to look for your original one, then you don't find it, then you have to walk 200yds back to play the provisional one. It's just a pace of play thing really

[shar1ford]

Thanks!  My husband explain in "blonde terms" that you get the one provisional and keep hitting it until you get to the original shot, then use the provisional, with all its stokes, if the original is out of bounds.  Whew, maybe watching golf videos isn't such a good idea for this old blonde!   Thanks to all for your answers!

[turtleback]

20 hours ago, shar1ford said:

I recently watched a video regarding Provisional shots for out of bounds shots.  They stated as an extra note, if your provisional shot is topped or a bad shot, you can take it again and again until your provisional is at the same or close to distance of your out of bounds ball.  If it took three shots of a provisional to get to the same distance as the first shot, you then realize your original is out of bounds, so you use the provisional, which took three shots to get there, do you count each additional provisional shot?  

You aren't hitting a second provisional, you are hitting that same provisional again and again, advancing up the course.  It does not become the ball in play until you hit it beyond the point at which your original ball is likely to be.  

[shar1ford]

Thanks Turtleback.  As stated above, once my husband explained in "old blonde" terms, it made sense! HAHAHA. No more videos on Rules for me!

[Asheville]

Here's an "Ask Linda" which talks about the provisional:

Ask Linda #1298-Is the provisional or the original in play?

Posted: 04 May 2016 12:00 AM PDT

Hi Linda,

 

Our group teed off on a hole that has a large hill to the right that is full of thick weeds. One of the golfers hit her tee shot a long distance, but unfortunately up on the hill. She wasn't certain that she would be able to find it (or it may be out-of-bounds). She announced that she was hitting a Provisional Ball, and hit a ball into the fairway, though it's not very far out there. Since her provisional ball was a lot farther from the hole than her original ball, she hit it a second time; this ball went near the green. She then went up on the hill, and found her original ball on the hill within 5 minutes, and it was in-bounds. Which ball is in play? 

Thank you,

Lulu from Denver, Colorado

 

Dear Lulu,

 

The original ball is in play.

 

The player is entitled to continue hitting her provisional ball until she reaches the area where her original is likely to be. When she arrives at that area, she may stop and search for her ball. If she finds it within five minutes, and it is not out of bounds, she is required to continue with the original and must abandon the provisional [Rule 27-2b, c].

 

The player's provisional ball stopped well short of the area where her original lay. She correctly hit the provisional a second time. Where that second shot ended up (in this case, near the green), is not relevant. What is important, with regard to the Rules, is where she hit it from, which was short of the area where she would begin searching for her original.

 

The purpose of hitting a provisional ball is to save time. That's why the player is supposed to keep hitting it until she physically arrives at the search area. If she were to hit the provisional ball from the area where the original is likely to be, or from a point closer to the hole than that area, her provisional would become the official ball in play, and the original, even if subsequently found, would be deemed lost [Definition of Lost Ball; Rule 27-2b].

 

Linda

Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved

[VOX]

You must abandon the original ball but you could still declare the original ball unplayable and go back to the tee instead of continuing to play the original ball.

Edited May 5, 2016 by VOX

[Martyn W]

1 hour ago, VOX said:

You must abandon the original ball but you could still declare the original ball unplayable and go back to the tee instead of continuing to play the original ball.

Perhaps you need to edit this post - if the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, the original is now a wrong ball. You cannot declare a wrong ball to be unplayable.

[DrvFrShow]

But if you then find the original ball you can put it back in your bag.

[shar1ford]

Thanks everyone.  You have all answered my question.  Luckily, my provisional is usually the same length as my original drive.  I was watching videos by Thomas Golf on the Rules of Golf, and the way the instructor stated Rule 27 just confused me, which isn't hard. HAHAHA. Again, thank you all for taking the time to answer!

[VOX]

On May 5, 2016 at 1:23 PM, VOX said:

You must abandon the original ball but you could still declare the original ball unplayable and go back to the tee instead of continuing to play the original ball.

Yes I meant abandon the provisional ball.