What is a provisional golf shot?

A provisional golf shot is a type of shot taken when a player believes their previous shot may be lost or out of bounds. The player must declare their intention to play a provisional ball before making the shot. The provisional ball is played from the same spot as the original shot and must be played before the player goes to search for the original ball.

If the original ball is found and playable, the player must continue play with it and the provisional ball is disregarded. However, if the original ball is not found or deemed unplayable, the player can continue play with the provisional ball under penalty of one stroke.

Provisional shots are commonly used to avoid slowing down play by allowing players to continue the game without needing to return to the previous shot location to play another ball.