Relief from Lost Ball or Ball Out of Bounds
If you hit your ball out of bounds or lose it (you have three minutes to search for your ball before it becomes lost), your only option is to go back to the spot of your previous stroke to play under stroke and distance. The only exceptions to this are if your ball is lost in a penalty area (when you can use any of the penalty area relief options) or lost in an abnormal ground condition or in an obstruction.
A final exception is when a new Local Rule which provides an alternative to stroke and distance relief is in effect. For two penalty strokes, you can estimate the spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds and then find the nearest fairway edge that is not nearer the hole than the estimated spot. You can drop a ball in the fairway within two club-lengths of that fairway edge point, or anywhere between there and the estimated spot where your ball is lost or went out of bounds. To see this visually and learn more about how this optional Local Rule works, click here.
- Stroke and distance: At the cost of 1 penalty stroke you may drop the ball as close to the point where you took the original shot. If you were on the tee box, you may tee it up again.
- A new addition to the rules is you are now able to take relief anywhere from the point at which your ball entered the hazard or as close to the spot that you believe you ball was lost to 2 club links in from the edge of the nearest fairway edge... no closer to the hole.
* Alternately, If you think that your ball might be out bounds or that you might not find it, you can play a provisional ball to save time. You must announce that you are playing a provisional ball before doing so. If you are then unable to find your original ball, or you find it out of bounds, your provisional ball is your ball in play under stroke and distance, and you don’t have to take the time to walk all the way back to the spot of your previous stroke.