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2 October 2026 · 9 min read

Provisional ball in golf: when to play it, how to announce it and what it costs

The provisional ball under Rule 18.3: when it is allowed, which word you must say, when it counts and why it only costs a penalty stroke when the first ball is missing.

Provisional ball in golf: when to play it, how to announce it and what it costs — post image

A provisional ball is a second ball you play when your first one might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds. You announce it before the stroke and use the word "provisional". It costs nothing if you find the first ball. If you do not, the provisional becomes the ball in play and you add one penalty stroke (R&A, Rule 18.3). Here is the rule point by point, with the counting in one example.

When you may play a provisional ball

The rule allows it to save time: if a ball might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds, you may play another ball provisionally. That also applies when the first ball has not been found yet and is not yet lost. A ball is lost when it is not found three minutes after the search begins. Once it is lost, a provisional ball is no longer allowed. If you then play from where you made the previous stroke, that ball counts as your ball in play under stroke and distance.

The rule names two cases outright. The ball might be lost in a penalty area but also somewhere else on the course. Or it might be in a penalty area but also out of bounds. In both cases you may play provisionally. If the ball is known or virtually certain to be in the penalty area, you play it as it lies or take relief under Rule 17.1d, each for one penalty stroke (R&A, Rule 17). The overview of lost, out of bounds and penalty area is in Ball lost, out of bounds, in the penalty area.

How to announce it

Before the stroke you must tell someone that you are going to play a provisional ball. It is not enough to say that you are playing another ball or playing again. You must use the word "provisional" or otherwise clearly say that the ball is provisional (Rule 18.3b). One sentence is enough: "I am playing a provisional."

If you say nothing and play from where you made the previous stroke, that ball is your ball in play under stroke and distance. The first ball is then out of play, even if you find it before the three minutes are up. If nobody is within earshot, you may still play the ball and tell someone as soon as it is possible.

When it becomes the ball in play

A provisional ball is not your ball in play until it becomes so under Rule 18.3c (R&A, Definitions). That happens in two cases:

  • The first ball is lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds. It must not be played any more, even if it turns up after the three minutes.
  • You play the provisional ball from a spot nearer the hole than where the first ball is estimated to be. Then the first ball is out of play as well, even if you find it within the three minutes.

The second case has a practical consequence. As long as you play the provisional ball from a spot the same distance or farther from the hole than the estimated first ball, it stays provisional, even over several strokes. If you play it from a spot nearer the hole, it is in play and you can no longer go back to the first ball. If you want to keep the way back open, stay behind the estimated position of the first ball with the provisional.

When you abandon it

If you find the first ball outside a penalty area before the three minutes are up, you must play it as it lies. The provisional ball is now a wrong ball that you must not strike any more. All strokes you made with it do not count, nor do any penalty strokes that arose only from that ball. If the first ball is in a penalty area or virtually certain to be there, you play it as it lies or take relief under Rule 17.1d. Then too you abandon the provisional.

What it costs: the count in one example

You tee off. That is stroke one. The ball disappears into the bushes, you announce a provisional and play it. What counts now depends on what happens to the first ball:

SituationPenaltyHow you count
You find the first ball within the three minutesnoneThe provisional stroke is dropped. Your next stroke is the second, played with the first ball.
The first ball is not found after three minutesone penalty strokeThe tee shot, the penalty stroke and the provisional stroke make three. Your next stroke is the fourth.
You did not announce the provisional ballone penalty strokeThe second ball is in play, the first one is out of play. The count is the same: the next stroke is the fourth.
You play the provisional from nearer the hole than the estimated first ballone penalty strokeThe provisional ball is in play, the first one must not be played any more, even if it turns up.

The penalty is the same as for any ball that goes missing: you add one penalty stroke and play from where you last struck (Rule 18.1). The provisional ball only saves you the walk back. Playing it costs no penalty stroke as long as the first ball turns up.

Several provisional balls and mix-ups

If the provisional ball itself might be lost or out of bounds, you may play another. It stands to the first provisional in the same relation as that one to the original ball. If both balls fly into the same area and you cannot tell them apart, the rule decides: if only one ball is found on the course, it counts as the provisional and is in play. If both are found, you choose one to be the provisional ball in play, and the other is the original, which you must not play. So play the provisional with a ball you can tell from the first, for instance with a different number.

Fairness during the search

You may ask the others not to search for the first ball if you would rather carry on with the provisional. They do not have to comply. If a ball is found that might be the first one, you must make all reasonable efforts to identify it. If you do not, the Committee may disqualify you under Rule 1.2a if it decides that this was serious misconduct contrary to the spirit of the game.

The local rule E-5 and the provisional ball

Some courses introduce Model Local Rule E-5. Instead of going back, you then drop for two penalty strokes in an area between the spot where the ball disappeared and the edge of the fairway, not nearer the hole (R&A, Model Local Rules). If you have played a provisional ball, you may not use this option for the original ball. For a provisional ball that itself is not found, you may use it. Whether your course has the rule is the Committee's decision. More in Out of bounds: the rule, the penalty and internal out of bounds.

What this means for you

  • Before the stroke, ask yourself whether the ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds. If so, you play provisionally.
  • Say it out loud and with the word "provisional" before you strike.
  • Search for the first ball for three minutes at most.
  • Write down the penalty strokes only once it is clear which ball is in play.

Which further rules count on the first round is in Golf rules for beginners, and the flow and pace are described in The first round on the golf course. All the penalties side by side are in Penalty strokes in golf: the overview.

Where you prepare for the tee

How far and how straight your drive flies shows in the values of each stroke during one bay hour. The directory lists 126 venues, 110 of them indoor (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). The map shows them by canton, and for the very first visit golf simulator for beginners is the start.

Frequently asked questions

When may I play a provisional ball in golf?

When your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, and as long as it is not yet lost. It is lost after three minutes of searching. You may also play provisionally if it might be in a penalty area or elsewhere on the course (Rule 18.3a).

How do I announce a provisional ball?

Before the stroke you tell someone that you are playing a provisional ball and use the word "provisional". "I am playing another one" is not enough. Without an announcement the second ball is your ball in play, with one penalty stroke (Rule 18.3b).

What does a provisional ball cost, and how do I count?

Nothing if you find the first ball within three minutes: then the strokes with the provisional ball do not count. Otherwise you add one penalty stroke. From the tee the tee shot, the penalty stroke and the provisional stroke make three, and the next one is the fourth.

When does the provisional ball become the ball in play?

When the first ball is lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds, or when you play the provisional ball from a spot nearer the hole than the estimated position of the first ball. Then the first ball must not be played any more (Rule 18.3c).

Is there a provisional ball if my ball might be in a penalty area?

Yes, if it might also be somewhere else on the course or out of bounds. If it is known or virtually certain to be in the penalty area, you abandon the provisional and play the ball as it lies or take relief under Rule 17.1d for one penalty stroke.

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