Provisional ball near a penalty area: when is it allowed?

A provisional ball is only meant to save time. You may play one if your ball might be lost outside a penalty area or out of bounds. What counts is what you know at the time of your stroke.

Case 1: clearly in the pond

Your shot comes up short and you clearly see it land in the pond, a red penalty area. A provisional ball is not allowed now. You don’t have to go back to the tee here, and it is not a second chance. If you play one anyway, that ball is immediately in play, with a penalty stroke. Taking penalty area relief is then no longer possible.

Case 2: long grass behind

The ball ends up on the far bank. It may be in the penalty area or lost in the long grass behind it. To speed up play, you should now play a provisional ball. If you don’t find your ball within three minutes, see searching for a ball, the provisional ball is in play.

Case 3: mown short behind

Everything behind the pond is mown short, but you don’t know the course and the reeds block your view. So you may play a provisional ball. When you reach the pond, there is no ball on the grass. Then it is virtually certain that it is in the penalty area. You must abandon the provisional ball, even if it lies perfectly, and take penalty area relief with one penalty stroke.