TomTuckerGolf.com
Golf Tips Newsletter
Issue 524 - Wed. September 19th, 2018
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Tom's Featured Tip: Provisional Ball - Gone in 2019?
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Tom's Featured Tip: Provisional Ball - Gone in 2019?

For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.

Last Sunday, while playing an early morning round of golf a buddy and I were discussing the 2019 rule change for an out of bounds or lost ball scenario. He mentioned a couple of options in the event of either of those situations, and I had been under the impression that there was only one option. It caught me off guard, and I don't like being caught off guard - so I decided to check out the new rule a little more thoroughly. It also affects the use of a provisional ball or not, and it's pretty interesting.

I'll be doing a newsletter after the first of the year with the more relevant rules changes, but here's a heads up on this one, enjoy.

In 2019, it will be possible for golf clubs to apply two new local rules, which in essence give you the option - instead of going all the way back to the tee (or instead of playing a provisional ball) - to drop a ball with a two-stroke penalty in the vicinity of where your ball is lost or where your ball crossed the out of bounds margin. However, these two options are only available if you have not played a provisional ball.

First of all, be aware that this local rule is meant only for non-elite-players. Thus, it will not apply for professionals, and it is not intended for elite amateurs.

Secondly, it is important to understand the reason for these new options: The governing bodies want to increase pace of play.

This is the scenario with the rules as they stand today:
  1. You play a ball, and it goes towards out of bounds or towards some rough.
  2. You decide to play a provisional ball, and maybe you don’t have it in your pocket, so you have to go to your bag and get it.
  3. You declare to your fellow player that you play a provisional ball.
  4. You play the provisional ball.
  5. You now have to search for two balls, both the first and the provisional, so you might have to search twice.
  6. By the way: If the provisional ball is also near out of bounds or e.g. rough, you should in fact play another provisional ball for the provisional ball.
  7. If you did not play a provisional ball, and did not find your first ball, you had to go all the way back to play a new ball.
All this takes way too long, which is why they have introduced this new option. Here's how to proceed under the new rules if your decides to proceed under the new local.

Here are the short versions and a longer versions. Both versions are about a situation where you have played your ball towards out of bounds or towards an area (not in a penalty area), where you might not find it.

Short versions

Ball hit out of bounds
  1. Estimate the crossing point where the ball went out of bounds.
  2. Find the nearest fairway edge, equidistant from the hole.
  3. Drop on the fairway within two club lengths of this spot, not nearer the hole.
  4. A two stroke penalty also applies.
Lost ball
  1. Estimate the spot where the ball lies.
  2. Find the nearest fairway edge, equidistant from the hole.
  3. Drop on the fairway within two club lengths of this spot, not nearer the hole.
  4. A two stroke penalty also applies.
If you proceed under that short versions, you will comply with the rules. But to understand your options fully, you need to read the long versions.

Long versions

Although the short version is correct, it does not cover all your options. Here's the exact text from the local rule, where it is explained in more detail.

a. For two penalty strokes, the player may take relief by dropping the original ball or a substituted ball in this relief area (see Rule 14.3): Two Estimated Reference Points: a. Ball Reference Point: The point where the original ball: " Is estimated to have come to rest on the course", or " Last crossed the edge of the course boundary to go out of bounds".

b. Fairway Reference Point: The point of fairway of the hole being played that is nearest to the ball reference point, but is not nearer the hole than the ball reference point. For purposes of this Local Rule, "fairway" means any area of grass in the general area that is cut to fairway height or less.

Size of Relief Area Based on Reference Points: Anywhere between
  • A line from the hole through the ball reference point (or within two club-lengths to the outside of that line), and
  • A line from the hole through the fairway reference point (or within two club-lengths to the outside of that line).
But here’s the point, as also stated above: These options are only available, if you have NOT played a provisional ball! In other words: If you chose to play a provisional ball, you also chose not to apply these local rules! Therefore, you have to do the math below.
  1. If I play a provisional ball (and it becomes in play) then it will cost me one stroke and one penalty, in all two strokes.
  2. If instead I don’t play a provisional ball and rather invoke the new local rule, then it will likewise cost me two penalty strokes.
  3. The big question then is: Do I think, that by playing a provisional ball I can be in a better position, than if I dropped according to the local rule?
  4. This could lead to the conclusion that you would maybe play a provisional ball if your stroke was very bad (e.g. only 40 yards into some rough). You then would think that you could do much better with a provisional ball) and that you would NOT play a provisional ball if you made a very long stroke (e.g. 250 yards), since there would be a good chance that the provisional ball would end up much shorter than if your applied the local rule and dropped in accordance.
The hope from R&A and USGA is probably that people will stop playing provisional balls simply because it takes too long. But the dream for R&A and USGA would probably be this scenario in 2019:
  1. Your ball seems to go towards out of bounds or seems to go towards some rough (outside a penalty area) where you maybe cannot find it.
  2. You immediately walk to the place where you think it is (without playing a provisional).
  3. If you don’t find it within the three minutes search time, you apply the local rule and drop/play another ball in accordance with that.
This will increase pace of play significantly. But the question is: What will players do? What would you do? From a player’s point of view it might look a bit more different, as stated above.

Some players would maybe do the math above, and sometimes play a provisional and sometimes not. Other players would think that it is a wonderful new opportunity and use it all the time. Other players again will find it hard to understand exactly where to drop under the local rule and thus would either do it wrong or not apply the new local rule at all.

So what is the conclusion then?

Well, maybe there will not be any more provisional balls played in 2019. Or maybe there will be, and there won’t really be any notable difference from today.

But no matter what, please remember, that these are only local rules, so in 2019 you must find out whether or not your club has such a local rule.

This should turn out to be a time saver, but you may need to read it a few times for it to sink in.

Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com

Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,

Tom




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Tom Tucker
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WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
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Cell: (716) 474-3005
Email: ttucker@rochester.rr.com
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