When can I play a provisional ball?

Yes, you can play a provisional ball when your original might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds. You must announce "provisional" before you swing, and you have until the three-minute search ends to hit it.

When a provisional is allowed

You may play a provisional ball any time your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds. This covers three common scenarios: your ball hasn't been found yet and isn't yet lost; it might be in a penalty area but could also be lost elsewhere on the course; or it might be in a penalty area but could also be out of bounds. The decision is based only on what you know at that moment — if you think it's just in a penalty area with no chance of being lost elsewhere, you can't play a provisional.

How to announce it properly

Before you make the stroke, you must tell someone you're playing a provisional ball. Saying "I'm hitting another" or "I'll play again" isn't enough — you need to use the word "provisional" or otherwise make it crystal clear you're playing under Rule 18.3. Acceptable phrases include "I'm playing a ball under Rule 18.3" or "I'm going to play another just in case." If nobody's nearby to hear you, go ahead and play it, then tell someone as soon as you can.

How long the provisional stays alive

You can keep playing the provisional ball as long as each stroke is from the same distance or farther from the hole than where you estimate the original ball to be. It stops being provisional — and becomes your ball in play under stroke and distance — in two cases: when the original is lost anywhere except a penalty area or is out of bounds, or when you play the provisional from a spot nearer the hole than where the original is estimated to be. You can also play a second provisional if the first one might be lost or OB; it relates to the first provisional the same way the first related to the original.

Exceptions that change the answer

• You announce a provisional but weren't allowed to play one → The ball you hit becomes your ball in play under stroke and distance (Rule 18.1), not a provisional.
• You play a provisional after starting search but before three minutes expire → It's allowed. If the original is found within the three minutes, you must abandon the provisional and continue with the original.
• You play multiple balls from the same spot without announcing → Each ball relates only to the previous one. If the original isn't lost or OB, you play the original; the others are wrong balls.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to say the exact word "provisional"?

It's best to say "provisional," but phrases like "I'm playing under Rule 18.3" or "I'll hit another just in case" also count as long as they make your intent unmistakable. Saying only "I'm playing another ball" does not.

Can I play a provisional if I think my ball went in a penalty area?

Only if it might also be lost outside the penalty area or out of bounds. If you're certain it's in the penalty area with no other possibility, you can't play a provisional — you take penalty area relief instead.

How long do I have to decide to play a provisional?

Up until the three-minute search time ends. You can even go back to the previous spot and hit a provisional while others are still looking, as long as the clock hasn't run out.

What happens if I find my original ball after playing a provisional?

If you find it within three minutes and it's not in a penalty area or OB, the provisional is abandoned and you continue with the original. If it's lost or OB, the provisional becomes your ball in play with a stroke-and-distance penalty.

Can I play a second provisional ball?

Yes. If your first provisional might also be lost outside a penalty area or OB, you can play another. The second provisional relates to the first the same way the first related to the original.