Provisional or not a provisional?

You need to check if the club have implemented a local rule to cover this situation.

In specific cases the club can allow a provisional ball to be played if it is not KVC to ball cleared it (model LP B3}. This is mainly a pace of play provision to stop people having to come back to play if it is found in the penalty area,

Model Local Rule B-3
“If a player does not know whether his or her ball is in the penalty area [identify location], the player may play a provisional ball under Rule 18.3, which is modified in this way:
In playing the provisional ball, the player may use the stroke-and-distance relief option (see Rule 17.1d(1), the back-on-the-line relief option (see Rule 17.1d(2)) or, if it is a red penalty area, the lateral relief option (see Rule 17.1d(3)). If a dropping zone (see Model Local Rule E-1) is available for this penalty area, the player may also use that relief option.
Once the player has played a provisional ball under this Rule, he or she may not use any further options under Rule 17.1 in relation to the original ball.
In deciding when that provisional ball becomes the player’s ball in play or if it must or may be abandoned, Rule 18.3c(2) and 18.3c(3) apply except that:

• When Original Ball Is Found in Penalty Area Within Three-Minute Search Time. The player may choose either to:
  • Continue to play the original ball as it lies in the penalty area, in which case the provisional ball must not be played. All strokes with that provisional ball before it was abandoned (including strokes made and any penalty strokes solely from playing that ball) do not count, or
  • Continue to play the provisional ball in which case the original ball must not be played.
• When Original Ball Is Not Found Within Three-Minute Search Time or Is Known or Virtually Certain to Be in Penalty Area. The provisional ball becomes the player’s ball in play.

Penalty for Breach of Local Rule: General Penalty.”