Rule 27. Ball Lost or Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball

Definitions

A ball is lost if:

a) It is not found or identified as his by the player within five minutes after the player´s side or his or their caddies have begun to search for it; or

b) The player has put another ball into play under the Rules, even though he may not have searched for the original ball; or

c) The player has played any stroke with a provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, whereupon the provisional ball becomes the ball in play.
Time spent in playing a wrong ball is not counted in the five-minute period allowed for search.
Out of bounds is beyond the boundaries of the course or any part of the course so marked by the Committee.

When out of bounds is defined by reference to stakes or a fence, or as being beyond stakes or a fence, the out of bounds line is determined by the nearest inside points of the stakes or fence posts at ground level excluding angled supports.

Objects defining out of bounds such as walls, fences, stakes and railings, are not obstructions and are deemed to be fixed.
When out of bounds is defined by a line on the ground, the line itself is out of bounds.

The out of bounds line extends vertically upwards and downwards.

A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies out of bounds.

A player may stand out of bounds to play a ball lying within bounds.

A provisional ball is a ball played under Rule 27-2 for a ball which may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds.

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