Playing golf in the fall brings an added element that can oftentimes complicate your ball search efforts: leaves. Under the Rules of Golf, losing a ball to an accumulation of leaves is the same as a lost ball, which requires a stroke and distance penalty unless your course enacts Local Rule F-14 Accumulations of Loose Impediments.
Under this local rule, if your ball is known or virtually certain to have gone into an accumulation of loose impediments, whether you find it or not, you can play the leafy area as ground under repair meaning you can play it as it lies or take free relief.
