Provisional question

[mcbroon]

What Happen here ......

I hit my tee shot far into the bushes and announce I'm going to play a provisional. I hit a career best down the middle and realise I'm never going to get the original anywhere near that in 3. Can I not bother looking for the original ? Or MUST the original be searched for ?

I lost a comp by not knowing this rule.

Our last is a par 3, 230 yds. Hit my first one right, near the OOB and then smashed the provisional onto the front edge. Went looking for the first ball and only bloody found it. It was sat in a ditch, so had to take an unplayable and left myself a pitch up a steep bank, over a bunker to a green sloping away from me, off a tight lie. Ended up making 7 when I could have played the provisional and made 5 with 2 putts.

Lost the comp by 2 :rofl:

 

[rulefan]

Silly boy.

 

[beggsy]

I would look for it for you if I was playing in your group as it might be me you beat by not looking for it

 

[mashleyR7]

Reading through this thread its clear that the rules are not easy to follow for new comers, I still have to ask for clarification to my playing partners sometimes and I carry a rule book.

I have a few friends taking up the game and I've told them to read the rules (and learn the etiquette of the game) but I know in reality they're not going to read the rules end to end like I did on holiday.

Is there not a Golf Rules for Dummies that exists at all? I think at least producing something like this would give people the basic rules that would allow them to play the game fairly, maybe better scores and maybe even quicker rounds?

 

[MashieNiblick]

Mashley, fear not, the R&A are on it.

There's this online

http://www.randa.org/en/Playing-Golf/Quick-Guide-to-the-Rules.aspx

You can also order a free hard copy from here

http://www.randa.org/en/RandA/Downloads-and-Publications.aspx

or buy the illustrated guide or Rules in Action DVD

http://shop.randa.org/index.cfm?cfi...9632261347f&action=productlist&deptid=2&free=

 

[Imurg]

However, the game is built on honesty.

It is but we are all aware of instances where this has been discarded.
And if the game is built on trust, why are we not allowed to present scores made whilst playing solo..? You can be trusted to keep to the rules on the opposite side of the fairway but a not for a score made on your own.
I'm not advocating it at all but trust and honesty are trust and honesty.....

 

[freddielong]

I still think that you should not be able to play in events without an understanding of the basic rules, the Provisional one is so important that it can really affect your score if you are unsure.

 

[Old Skier]

I still think that you should not be able to play in events without an understanding of the basic rules.

Thats an end to the pro tour then :lol:

 

[davemc1]

Again as a newbie, not only to this site but golf in general, May I add a question to this?

You drive your tee in the trees, you smack the provisional right down the middle. You go look for your ball and find it oob.

What next?

My guess you pick up your original an play the provisional?

 

[MashieNiblick]

Correct

Rule 27-2b

When Provisional Ball Becomes Ball in Play

The player may play a provisional ball until he reaches the place where the original ball is likely to be. If he makes a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, the original ball is*lost and the provisional ball becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1).

If the original ball is lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, the provisional ball becomes the ball in play, under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1).

Exception: If it is known or virtually certain that the original ball, that has not been found, has been moved by an outside agency (Rule 18-1), or is in an obstruction (Rule 24-3) or an abnormal ground condition (Rule 25-1c), the player may proceed under the applicable Rule.​