FIVE RULES GOLFERS ALWAYS GET WRONG

Have you just piped one into the trees or out of bounds? You'll save a lot of time and effort if you play a provisional.

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1 PROVISIONAL? PLAY IT...AND SAY IT!

After all, no one wants to do the walk of shame back to the tee box. But there is more to it than just plonking another ball down and hitting it. You need to announce to your playing partner that you are playing a “provisional” - make sure you use the word! - under Rule 18.3. (If there is no one around, you can play a provisional but you must let someone know at the earliest opportunity.) If you play a provisional and it turns out your original ball is lost or out of bounds, then you must continue with the provisional ball under the penalty of one stroke. Of course, if you find your original ball within the allotted three-minute search time, you must continue with that ball and stop playing the provisional.

2 LOSING YOUR BALL DOESN'T MEAN LOSING HOPE