Can You Search for Your Ball Beyond Three Minutes If the Group Ahead Is Slow?

The Rules of Golf can be complex, but our resident expert is here to help clarify them. If you have a question, send it to the Rules Guy.

While playing behind a slow group, I hit my ball into an area where I cannot find it within the allotted three minutes. Since the slow group is already delaying my pace of play, can I continue to search for my ball without penalty? – Barry Nygard, via email

It is a logical assumption, Barry, but under the Rules of Golf, reasonableness is not the standard. The three-minute search period is an absolute limit. Whether or not a slow group ahead of you is holding up play does not change this rule. Once you, your caddie, or your partner start searching, if the ball is not found within three minutes, it is officially lost. Under Rule 18.2b, you must then proceed with stroke and distance.

That said, from a practical perspective, after you have gone back and replayed your previous shot, if the group ahead is still slow and you have some extra time, you are free to look for that ball. Just be mindful not to hold up the group playing behind you.

When a ball is hit high into a palm tree, it often gets stuck and does not come down. Is the ball considered lost or unplayable? – Beth Gemmill, Sarasota, FL

It depends on whether you can actually find it, Beth. If you cannot locate the ball within the prescribed three-minute search time, it is classified as lost under the Definition of Lost.

If you are able to locate the ball in the tree and identify it as yours—using binoculars or other visual aids if necessary, and assuming you do not need to climb the tree—you have the option to declare it unplayable under Rule 19.2. From there, with a one-stroke penalty, you can take stroke-and-distance relief, back-on-the-line relief, or lateral relief.

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