What is the penalty in golf for a ball that is lost or out of bounds?

The penalty for a lost or out-of-bounds ball is stroke and distance. Under Rule 18, the player adds one penalty stroke and plays again from the spot of the previous stroke.

This procedure restores the sequence of play because a lost ball has no known location and an out-of-bounds ball is outside the course. For example, if a tee shot goes out of bounds, the player normally plays the next shot from the tee and is playing three: the original stroke, one penalty stroke, and the replacement shot.

A player may hit a provisional ball when the original might be lost outside a penalty area or might be out of bounds. The provisional must be announced before the stroke. If the original ball is lost or out of bounds, the provisional becomes the ball in play and saves the player from walking back.

A common source of confusion is the optional local rule that allows a two-stroke alternative in many casual settings. That option is not the standard penalty and is not automatically available in every competition.