Putting a new ball into play

[IanM]

Drop and hit another ball from where you've just played and DO NOT declare it a provisional BEFORE you hit it.

Good show... that the point..... dropping the new ball, not calling it a provo renders ball one "dead" and some helpful chap finding the original in knee high nettles doesnt change that! ( I play with someone who is often very keen t look for someone elses ball in bad stuff)

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Although apart from speed up play you're ruling out potential opportunities rather than improving your options.

Declare it a provisional, you can play your second shot from same spot and if not good you don't go looking - feels slightly more dubious.

Go looking, find it in a good location or drop within 2 clubs - great, if not then you have a choice of dropping back in line or original spot so gives options and means in exactly same position than if you "declared it lost". Only benefit of immediately "declaring it lost" is mentally you may still be annoyed when rushing to play from the original location if you go to look first.

 

[Kellfire]

Good show... that the point..... dropping the new ball, not calling it a provo renders ball one "dead" and some helpful chap finding the original in knee high nettles doesnt change that! ( I play with someone who is often very keen t look for someone elses ball in bad stuff)

Yea but you might want to play your original if it's in a beneficial spot. So you could call it a provisional and just make sure you don't take sight of it, if it isn't where you want it to be... but that's risky, should the other people in your group find it before you've played your provisional.

 

[shortgame]

No problem doing it
But I'd play a provisional and then if that's a good shot I'd only look for the first ball in reasonable areas (if at all) no need to search in the deep clag where it'd be unplayable (unless there's a good place to drop) 👍

 

[shortgame]

Oh and of my provisional was also terrible I'd search like mad for the first ball for 4 mins 59 secs

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Oh and of my provisional was also terrible I'd search like mad for the first ball for 4 mins 59 secs

Ha, exactly this!

 

[Orikoru]

They can assume all they want - but if someone doesn't declare a provisional and then tries to play their first, I'll always advise that they shouldn't and tell them the potential repercussions.

I prefer to ask them when they get the second ball out, 'is that a provisional?' - saves any chance of an argument later. I think more often than not, they are intending it to be a provisional, just haven't said so, possibly out of grumpiness at the first shot.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

OP is about putting another one in play after her bad 2nd shot though. Not a drive. That's why people could think it's not the "done thing"

exactly the same logic applies

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Only if you find the original ball though. You can't estimate where it finished and drop from that point.

In my case the only place I could have gone back to in this way, that would have not been awful, was back to the tee

 

[North Mimms]

Thanks for your feedback.
As someone pointed out, I could have found the original ball, declared it unplayable then returned back to where I hit second shot from and played 4th shot.
Pure laziness on my part that I didn't do this!

 

[Foxholer]

Drop and hit another ball from where you've just played and DO NOT declare it a provisional BEFORE you hit it.

Small, but possibly important clarification.... In this situation (errant ball not the Drive) 2nd ball becomes the ball in play as soon as you drop it - not when you hit it! So calling it 'Provisional' (if that's what you want) has to be done BEFORE you drop it! Of course, in this instance, you don't need to mention 'provisional' at all!

As for the OP's query..... It's allowed within The Rules, so absolutely nothing wrong with it! It has, of course cost you a penalty!

 

[Kellfire]

Small, but possibly important clarification.... In this situation (errant ball not the Drive) 2nd ball becomes the ball in play as soon as you drop it - not when you hit it! So calling it 'Provisional' (if that's what you want) has to be done BEFORE you drop it! Of course, in this instance, you don't need to mention 'provisional' at all!

True. I knew that in my head, honest.

 

[backwoodsman]

In response to OP, there's nothing wrong with doing it. The problem of "the done thing" just doesn't come into it. That said l can only recall a handful of times I've done it. Usually I'll say something like "that will be nowhere nice, and I'll not want it found. I'm going to leave it be & play stroke & distance ".

But mostly i will indeed play a provisional. If, as one approaches the genaral area, the land does look as horrible as originally feared, then l just say l don't want the original found and that l will continue with tbe provisional. So far, l have never had issue by someone not respecting that wish - even opponents in matchplay. (Ok, occasionally one may have to reiterate the fact ifsomeone is being overly keen & helpful ).

 

[Imurg]

I've done it. Unfortunately, quite often down the years.
Nothing against the rules and can save time and scratched bodywork!

 

[Foxholer]

In response to OP, there's nothing wrong with doing it. The problem of "the done thing" just doesn't come into it. That said l can only recall a handful of times I've done it. Usually I'll say something like "that will be nowhere nice, and I'll not want it found. I'm going to leave it be & play stroke & distance ".

But mostly i will indeed play a provisional. If, as one approaches the genaral area, the land does look as horrible as originally feared, then l just say l don't want the original found and that l will continue with tbe provisional. So far, l have never had issue by someone not respecting that wish - even opponents in matchplay. (Ok, occasionally one may have to reiterate the fact ifsomeone is being overly keen & helpful ).

I find that a bit distasteful - if, again, within the rules!

I can rememmber watching a match between John Daly and someone else (can't remember) at St Andrews (10th) where Daly had hit a reasonable shot and his opponent had hacked it into the really nasty stuff left! His 'Provisional' ended up a couple of feet from the pin. Daly never even considered looking for his opponent's 1st! The hole was halved!

 

[Lump]

If I take this option.
I always declare that I’m taking another under stroke and distance.
I’ve seen it a few times where people should have used this option but simply do not understand the rules. One I can remember where a player has sailed his putt that far past a pin it’s taken a huge slope and ran off into a bunker. He’s then taken 2 to get out the bunker and another 2 putts to finish off. If he’d taken stroke and disntnce from the point of his first putt he could have saved himself a few shots possibly

 

[shortgame]

I can remember where a player has sailed his putt that far past a pin it’s taken a huge slope

Wasn't a left handed American chap was it? 🤔

 

[ademac]

If I take this option.
I always declare that I’m taking another under stroke and distance.
I’ve seen it a few times where people should have used this option but simply do not understand the rules. One I can remember where a player has sailed his putt that far past a pin it’s taken a huge slope and ran off into a bunker. He’s then taken 2 to get out the bunker and another 2 putts to finish off. If he’d taken stroke and disntnce from the point of his first putt he could have saved himself a few shots possibly

Genuine question.
If I putt the ball badly and it ends up off the green in a bunker, I can then take a penalty and play the same putt again instead of playing out of the bunker?

 

[Sports_Fanatic]

Yes, although I would suggest working on your putting.

In practice, one shot penalty, then presumably unlikely to hole the putt given how hard it was first time, so probably two putt.

Miss, bunker shot out somewhere on the green, two putt so no different in end result but I suggest this second option is how the game is better played. Plus you could hole the bunker shot and then you've cost yourself a shot at least.

But if really difficult bunker shot, you may think it's the better route.

 

[backwoodsman]

Genuine question.
If I putt the ball badly and it ends up off the green in a bunker, I can then take a penalty and play the same putt again instead of playing out of the bunker?

Yes.