Ball in play question

[grumpyjock]

Played on friday and PP sent his shot out towards the OOB down the fairway, lost sight when it landed.
He played a provisonal and knobed it 100 yards down the fairway.
Without looking for his first ball he went to play his Provisional, I said that as he played this that the ball would then become his ball in play and he automaticaly declared his other ball as lost.
He thought that he could play his provisonal and the go look for his first ball and if it was in play use that one instead of his provisonal.
Thoughts please!

 

[Twire]

Yes he can still play it as a provisional if it's further away from the hole, and as you said he knobed it 100 yards I take it, it wasn't as far as his first ball. If he played his provisional, and it was closer to the hole then that would become the ball in play.

 

[USER1999]

You can hit your provisional as many times as you like, and it is still the provisional, until you strike it from a position in front of the original, when it then becomes the ball in play.
So your provisional can be nearer the hole than the original, but is still a provisional until you strike it from this position.

 

[grumpyjock]

Cheers for the info.
so he was right, ah well you live and learn.

 

[Leftie]

The other thing to bear in mind from your OP is that declaring a ball lost has no meaning or validity.