LOST BALL RULE

Here's a rule that has come up quite a bit lately. The three minute limit for looking for a ball does make a difference here. A quick look at your watch might help.

 
LOST BALL

By definition, a lost ball is a ball that is not found in three minutes after the player, her caddie or partner begins to search for it.

If you think a ball might be lost, to save time, you may choose to hit a provisional from the same spot, making sure you state that you are “hitting a provisional”.

When a ball is lost, and you have not hit a provisional, your only option is to go back to where you hit the previous stroke and play from there for a stroke and distance penalty of one.

NOTE 1:  If you have looked for the full three minutes and are on your way back to hit another ball and the original ball is found, it is still deemed to be lost and therefore it is a wrong ball and must not be hit. If you hit the original ball, you must correct your mistake or you will be disqualified in stroke play, wipe the hole in stableford and par, and lose the hole in match play.

NOTE 2: A player may not declare her ball lost. A ball is lost only when it has not been found within three minutes. For example, a player searches for her ball for two minutes, decides it must be in a place she doesn’t like and so declares it lost, then walks back to play another ball. Before the player puts another ball into play, the original ball is found within the three minute search time. Because a player may not declare a ball lost, it is not a lost ball so the original ball must be played.

NOTE 3: If you have had a quick look for your ball, gone back and, before the original ball is found, hit another ball from the previous spot, this ball becomes the ball in play, even if the original ball is found within the three minutes.

NOTE 4: Sometimes, rather than hitting a provisional, if your ball is in an obviously unfavourable position, you might choose to put another ball into play without even going to look for the original ball, again under stroke and distance penalty of one. In this case, you don’t need to announce anything. The fact that you have played another ball is enough.

NOTE 5: Some clubs, eg Shelly Beach, have brought in a local rule with extra options for a lost ball but we have no Local Rule for this at Breakers. Always read the Local Rules board when you visit other courses.