One of the main principles of the Rules of Golf is that a hole is played as a progression of strokes from the teeing area to the putting green and into the hole. But what happens if you can’t continue that progression because the ball is gone or did not come to rest on the course?

When a Ball is Lost

Lost is a status that the ball only gets once it has not been found within the three-minute search time. You can’t declare the ball lost and other actions do not make the ball lost.

The search time begins when you, your caddie, your partner or your partner’s caddie begin to look for the ball. Other players, opponents, spectators or referees do not start the search time when they look for a ball.