Provisional ball + lateral hazards

Our community golf course is very small. All Out of Bounds are consider Lateral Hazards. I played with a guy yesterday who is new to golf. He hit a ball off the tee OB (LH remember), not sure if he could find it (ready didn't want to play it), he hit a provisional ball from the tee that landed feet from the green.

If the first ball can be found out of bounds (in lateral hazard) what should happen?

If the first ball was clearly in the hazard, it was completely his option to hit from as close to the original spot as possible, while taking a 1 stroke penalty.

If you found it, you should probably give the ball back.

Declaring OOB a lateral (presumably water) hazard is pretty generous.

Ben is right, for lateral water hazards one of the options (r26) is to drop back where you started at the cost of a stroke. However assuming you know the ball is in the hazard then the one option that is not available is to take a provisional (r27-2)

9 times out of 10 rather than taking stroke and distance I'd walk down to the hazard in order to take advantage of taking a drop there - especially if there is a chance as in your situation of the ball being dry and playable anyway.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

There is only one water hole on this course. The lateral hazards are the streets, people's yards or vacant lots. The course is so narrow (less than 50 yards) the Board of Directors had to do something, so all of the OOBs have been delared lateral hazards.

If I understand what you're saying, if I hit the ball 10 yds down the course off the tee, it goes into the street (the lateral hazard), then I can tee up a provisional ball smack it to the green and my score would be 3? Or I can retrive the ball from the street, drop it at the point where it went out, hit, and my score will be 3? Right? Have I got it?

It sounds like you've got it. You'd be lying 3, hitting 4 in your scenarios.

However, in a hazard of any type, you can play your ball, penalty free, as long as you don't ground your club. Enjoy playing off your neighbours' lawn!

Almost, except that with a water hazard (which needn't have any water) the 2nd ball from the tee is not allowed to be provisional*; i.e. if you know the first ball is in the hazard you can't play another and then look for the first, you play it and thats your third.

Generally there would be no point anyhow - the drop rules being more advantageous than taking a stroke and distance - if only because most times there is less chance of hitting into the hazard again if you are some distance (assuming the average hackers slice or hook) down the fairway. If you have only gone 10 yards then sure tee it up and have another go.

Presumably this is why your guys have re-designated the OOB because with OOB you have to hit from the same spot with potentially the same result - and some angry neighbours -


Definitions:

A "provisional ball" is a ball played under Rule 27-2 for a ball that may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds.

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I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.

I would hate to live on that course. The out of bounds should be inacted again to discourage people from hitting drivers and putting peoples houses at risk. If it's out of bounds everywhere, you would probably be hitting irons to keep it in play and thus reducing the risk to people and houses. I'm just talking about playing the course as it was designed. I play a course here in Texas that is very generous in landing areas, but away from that there is gunch. During amature tournaments, they make a local rule making all that gunch a lateral hazard to help the pace of play. The first year they did not do that and it took over 6 1/2 hours to play.

There is only one exception to the provisional to a hazard. I know because I have had to look it up. Say you have to hit over a hazard, but it's down hill and a little wooded. If you hit the ball and don't know if it's over, but can't really tell, you either have drop and assume it's in the hazard, or walk down, look, then walk back up if it's in. To help speed up play, the rules do allow a local rule permitting a provisioinal over a hazard... with these stipulations. 1) if the origional ball is found in the hazard, you either play it as it is, or take the provisional. You don't have any other options.

It took me a long time to find it, but it is in the rules (decisions book). I even had the pro confirm it.

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