According to the rules of golf, a golfer has three minutes to locate a lost golf ball. The United States Golf Association recently updated this rule from the old rule of five minutes. The number one problem with recreational golf is slow play and the length of time required to play a round of eighteen holes. One of the underlying principles of golf is to play promptly and continuously, without long pauses in play. Most golfers will agree that slow play is detrimental to their enjoyment of the sport. The correct procedure while playing is if your shot may be lost, play a provisional ball. If you cannot find your original ball within three minutes, play the second ball after adding a stroke and distance penalty. So if you drive a potential unfindable ball on your first shot off the tee, play a provisional. If the ball is indeed lost, play your fourth shot from the provisional ball.