Does A Provisional Ball Count As A Stroke
Rule 18 covers taking relief under penalty of stroke and distance. When your ball is lost outside a penalty area or comes to rest out of bounds, the required progression of playing from the teeing area to the hole is broken; You must resume that progression by playing again from where the previous stroke was made. If you fail to make it clear that you intend to play a provisional ball and play another ball, that ball is not a provisional ball; Instead it becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (rule 18. 3b).
In the image below, if the player finds the original ball in bounds in the trees, he only lies one stroke and must proceed with the original ball. Yes, a provisional ball counts as a stroke in golf. If you need to use a provisional ball because you believe your original ball might be lost or out of bounds, add one stroke to your score for hitting the provisional ball. If you end up playing the provisional ball because your original ball is lost or out of bounds, you continue with it and. A provisional ball, played when the original ball is lost or out of bounds, counts as one extra stroke if the original ball is found. If the original ball is not found, the provisional ball counts as the stroke played. If you make a stroke at the provisional ball past the point where the original ball is deemed to be, the original ball is lost at penalty of stroke and distance. This makes the provisional ball then the ball in play.
