Rule 27: Ball Lost or Out of Bounds

• A ball is lost if it is not found within five minutes after you first begin to search or you have put another ball into play.
   
  
• A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies beyond the inside line of objects such as white stakes, or a fence or wall that marks the boundary of the course.
   
  
• If your ball is lost or out of bounds, you must add a penalty stroke to your score and play another ball from where you played your last shot (known as “stroke and distance”).
   
  

• If you think your ball may be lost or out of bounds, you may play a provisional ball from the place where your first ball was played. You must tell your opponent or fellow-competitor that you are playing a provisional ball and play it before you leave the area to look for the first ball. If you cannot find your first ball or if it is out of bounds, you must count all the strokes with the first ball and provisional ball, add a penalty stroke and play out the hole with the provisional ball. If you find your first ball in bounds, you must continue play with it and pick up the provisional ball.

Rule 28: Ball Unplayable

• If your ball is under a bush or in some other bad situation and you decide you cannot play it, add a penalty stroke and do one of the following:
   
  
  • a. Go back to where you played the last shot and play a ball from there;
  • b. Go back on a straight line as far as you wish, keeping where the unplayable ball lay between the hole and where you drop the ball;
  • c. Measure two club-lengths from where the unplayable ball lay, drop a ball and play from there.

Rules 29, 30, 31, 32: Other Forms of Play

• Threesomes, foursomes: Partners play alternately at one ball. If you play out of turn you lose the hole in match play (or incur two penalty strokes in stroke play). Penalties do not alter the order of play.
   
  
• Three-ball, four-ball, better-ball: Each player plays his own ball. A player may play alone if his partner cannot be there. Partners may choose to play in any order.
   
  
• Stableford: A stroke play event using a points-scoring system rather than total strokes. It is not necessary to hole out on every hole.