What if my ball is lost but I know it's in an abnormal course condition?

Yes, you get free relief. If it's known or virtually certain your ball is lost in an abnormal course condition like temporary water or ground under repair, estimate where it last crossed the edge and drop within one club-length, no nearer the hole (Rule 16.1e).

Key difference from standard Rule 16.1 relief: When you find your ball in an abnormal course condition (e.g., on a cart path or in temporary water), you use the nearest point of complete relief. Under 16.1e the ball is lost — you estimate the crossing point instead. The reference point shifts from "nearest complete relief" to "estimated crossing point."

How to take relief under Rule 16.1e

First, you must be sure — known or virtually certain — the ball is in the abnormal course condition. Guessing isn't enough. Then find the spot where the ball last crossed the edge of that condition. That spot becomes your reference point. From there, measure one club-length no nearer the hole, staying in the same area of the course (general area, bunker, or penalty area). Drop a ball in that relief area. No penalty.

What counts as "known or virtually certain"

You saw the ball fly into the temporary water and it didn't come out. Or your playing partners all saw it land in the ground under repair. That's known. Virtually certain means the evidence is overwhelming — like a ball hit toward a single small pond with no other place it could be. If there's tall grass, bushes, or another penalty area nearby where the ball could also be lost, you don't meet the standard. Then it's a lost ball: stroke and distance.

Common mistakes to avoid

Don't drop at the nearest point of complete relief — that's for when you find the ball in the condition (for example, if you find your ball in temporary water in a bunker, the procedure is different — see what happens when an abnormal course condition interferes with your ball in a bunker). Here you're estimating the crossing point. Don't drop in a different area of the course; if the crossing point is in the general area, the relief area must be in the general area. And don't play the ball as it lies if you later find it in the condition — once you've dropped under 16.1e, the original ball is out of play.

Exceptions that change the answer

• The estimated crossing point is in a penalty area → Rule 16.1e doesn't apply. You must take penalty-area relief under Rule 17.1d instead, using the estimated point where the ball last crossed the penalty-area edge.
• The ball is known or virtually certain to be out of bounds → No free relief. You must take stroke-and-distance relief under Rule 18.2.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to find the ball to take this relief?

No. That's the whole point of Rule 16.1e — you take relief because the ball is lost but you know it's in the abnormal course condition. You estimate the crossing point and drop a ball.

What if I'm not 100% sure the ball is in the abnormal course condition?

Then you can't use Rule 16.1e. You need "known or virtually certain" — overwhelming evidence. If there's any realistic chance the ball is lost somewhere else (thick rough, another penalty area, out of bounds), it's a lost ball: stroke and distance.

Can I drop the ball in a bunker if the crossing point was in the general area?

No. The relief area must be in the same area of the course as the reference point. If the ball crossed into temporary water from the fairway, you drop in the general area — not in a bunker or penalty area.

What if the one club-length relief area is still in the abnormal course condition?

You re-drop. The ball must come to rest in the relief area with no interference from the condition you took relief from. If it rolls back into the temporary water or GUR, drop again. If it happens twice, place it where it first struck the ground on the second drop.

Can I clean the ball when taking this relief?

Yes. Whenever you lift a ball to take relief under any rule, you may clean it before dropping — unless you're lifting it to identify it or because it's interfering with another player.