Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2022 - 10

RULES PRIMER
Revisit, Revise and Rejoice
A new Model Local Rule added to lost and OB ball Rules
can benefit wayward swinging Weekend Warriors.
W
hen golf's governing bodies
released changes for modernizing
and simplifying the Rules of Golf
in 2019, they revisited everything in the
book. That included the rules governing
a lost ball or a ball hit out of bounds
(OB). But those Rules were not changed.
Instead, the USGA and R&A added the
option for the adoption of a Local Rule
that will change the way these Rules can
be handled.
The lost ball and OB rules have long
been troublesome for golfers who play
without marshals or fans on the course
to find their wayward strikes, but now
Weekend Warriors out for a casual round
or players in non-championship flights
of local tournaments in which the Local
Ruling is adopted can benefit from this
Local Rule.
But before we examine the local rule,
we should revisit the long-standing rules
governing lost balls or balls hit OB, and
that starts with recognizing that both
" Lost " and " Out of Bounds " are defined
terms in the Rules of Golf. (Please see
sidebar for the complete definitions in
the Rules Book.)
A ball is lost if it is not found within three minutes after the
The boundary edge is defined by the
line between the course-side points of the
stakes at ground level, and the stakes are
out of bounds.
The boundary edge is the course-side
of the line, and the line itself is out
of bounds.
player or his or her caddie (or in Four-Ball or Foursomes, the
player's partner or partner's caddie) begins to search for it. A
ball is out of bounds (OB) when the entire ball lies outside the
boundary edge of the course.
The boundary edge of the course extends both up above
the ground and down below the ground (for a ball caught in
an overhanging tree or underground in an animal hole, for
instance). When OB is defined by stakes or a fence, the boundary
edge is defined by the line between the course-side points
of the stakes or fence posts at ground level, and the stakes or
posts are OB. When defined by a painted line on the ground,
10
the boundary edge is the course-side edge of the line, and the
line itself is OB.
Boundary stakes and lines should be white. You are not allowed
to move a boundary stake or fence (see Rule 8.1a(1)). Once a ball
is at rest OB or even if the ball rolls onto the course by " natural
forces, " such as wind, water, or gravity, it is considered OB.
When it is determined your ball is lost or OB, the only option
you have is to add one penalty stroke and play a ball from where
the previous stroke was played (see Rule 14.6 for correct procedure).
If you believe your ball may be OB or lost outside a
Penalty Area, to save time you may play a " Provisional Ball. " You
must clearly state you are playing a provisional ball.
DIAGRAM 18.2a When Ball is Out of Bounds
A ball is out of bounds only when all of it is outside the boundary edge of the course.
The diagrams provide examples of when a ball is in bounds and out of bounds.
* BY BILL HOMEYER *
MINNESOTAGOLFER Summer 2022
mngolf.org
ILLUSTRATIONS: COURTNEY NIELSEN
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2022

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