08/13/2026
Pace of Play and Important Rules
Because we are a packed field, pace of play will be very important. Rules officials will be on the course monitoring play and there to help you if you have a rules question. Unmarked areas are not lateral hazards. If your ball is lost in these areas, you must play stroke‑and‑distance — return to the tee. No lateral drop allowed. To speed up play, please read the following:
️♂️ When you should hit a provisional ball
You announce “provisional ball” before you hit it. You do this when:
You think your ball might be lost in the general area (trees, rough, etc.)
You think your ball might be out of bounds (near white stakes, roads)
You want to save time instead of walking forward, searching, then walking back to re‑tee
Important: You cannot hit a provisional if you think your ball is lost in a penalty area (yellow/red stakes). In that case, you must take penalty relief instead.
🟢 What happens if you find your original ball?
If you find your original ball within 3 minutes and it’s in bounds and playable, then:
The original ball remains in play
The provisional ball is discarded (you don’t count the strokes with it)
You continue with your original ball as if the provisional never happened
🔴 What happens if you don’t find your original ball?
If the original ball is:
Not found within 3 minutes, or
Found out of bounds,
then the provisional ball becomes your ball in play, with stroke and distance penalty already applied.
🟡 Special case: You find your original ball but it’s unplayable
If you find your original ball but it’s in a terrible spot (e.g., under a tree root), you may:
Take unplayable relief (1‑stroke penalty), or Declare the original ball unplayable and go back to where you hit your last shot—which is effectively the same spot you hit the provisional from. But you cannot choose to play the provisional ball once the original is found.