Comments on: “I’m Hitting a Utah!”

By: Gail Rogers

Gail Rogers — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:35:11 +0000

Hi Joe,

First,you have played the provisional ball properly.
Second, when the original ball is now found in the rough, you must proceed with it. You would be hitting your second shot. Strokes made and penalty strokes incurred solely in playing the provisional ball do not count in the player’s score for the hole.

Gail

By: Joe DiNapoli

Joe DiNapoli — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:04:02 +0000

I need a little more clarification for Situation 3 – Hitting a Provisional Ball.

Situation 3: I do not hit my provisional ball very well. When I get to the place where it lies on the fairway, about 50 yards short of where my original ball should be in the rough, I play a second stroke with the provisional ball hitting it well beyond the spot where the original ball is likely to be. May I still play my original ball if I find it?

Answer #3: Yes. The original ball must be played if it is found.

What is the stroke count when the original ball is played. Do the strokes of the provisional ball count?

By: Gail Rogers

Gail Rogers — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:23:03 +0000

Good Rul;ing Art! A player may play his provisional ball until he gets to the point on the course that is equal to or nearer the hole than whee the original ball is likely to be. If he plays the provisional ball from that point forward, it makes his original ball lost.
In this case, the player may make a stroke with the provisional ball becuase he believes the original ball is nearer the hole than the point where he plays his second shot with the provisional. When he finds the original ball, it is the ball in play.

By: Art Honda

Art Honda — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:01:39 +0000

The original ball is in play. The provisional ball was advanced from a position farther from the hole than the original ball, and the original ball was apparently found within 5 minutes since the provisional ball was advanced without an initial search for the original ball.

By: ben cardenas

ben cardenas — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 03:24:32 +0000

I had the following experience: Player hits tee shot hits cart path and we do not see which way it goes. Player declares and hits provisional ball into the fairway. He looks for his original ball while walking up to his provisional and declares he is hitting the provisional because he hasn’t begun his search yet. His logic is that his original ball landed at least where the provisional landed and should have bounded forward at which point he began his search. His provisional ball lands on the green, and as he is walking up to the green he finds his original ball. He then proceeds to play his original ball and birdies the hole and picks up his provisional.

I felt that once he struck his provisional, his original ball was out of play.

Please clarify, thank you.