A wayward drive is part of golf. What you do next decides whether it costs one stroke or several, and a little rules knowledge saves both strokes and time.
When a ball is lost
A ball counts as lost if it is not found within three minutes after you or your caddie begin searching. If the ball turns up in that window but you are unsure it is yours, you may take reasonable time to identify it. If a ball is lost or ends up out of bounds, you take stroke-and-distance relief, adding a penalty stroke and replaying from the spot of your previous shot.
Hit a provisional when in doubt
You may save time by hitting a second ball provisionally if the first could be lost somewhere other than a penalty area, or could be out of bounds. Before you hit it, you must announce that it is a provisional ball. Saying you are hitting another or playing again is not enough, and the word provisional or something equally clear must be used.
Penalty areas
Penalty areas include water hazards and other spots a course designates because balls are often lost or cannot be played. They are marked red or yellow, and relief costs one penalty stroke.
- Yellow area: two options, stroke-and-distance relief or back-on-the-line relief behind the area.
- Red area: three options, the same two plus lateral relief.
Knowing which color you face tells you how many options you have. You are also allowed to stand inside a penalty area while playing a ball from outside it.
Quick checklist
- Watch where your ball goes and note landmarks.
- If in doubt, play the provisional.
- Start the three-minute timer when the search begins.
- Check the stake colors before choosing relief.
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