I've noticed over the years how very few players will hit that provisional ball anymore.  The most common reply to a wayward shot: "If I can't find it, I'll just drop a ball down there." It's not in the rulebook!  If a ball is lost, the next shot must be played at or near the spot where the previous shot was played.  It's not so much laziness (I don't want to hit another shot) or being cheap (I don't want to lose another Titleist) as people these days don't know the rule anymore.  I coach high school golf, and a fellow coach told his player to drop a ball near the spot where the ball disappeared.  When I questioned him about the rule, he said something about point of entry.  When I told him that language only applies to hazards, he mumbled something about his past as a semiprofessional golfer and marched off.  1) Do YOU know the rule?  and 2) How often do you follow or enforce it?

When it happens in my casual rounds, I suggest to my playing partner that he hit a provisional, that it may be lost.  Usually, they go ahead and hit one.  Sometimes, they ask why, and I explain the lost ball rule.  Usually they do not know the rule.  I take the time to explain that many golfers who lose their balls don't want to march all the way back to the original spot, so they just "drop a ball" where they think they lost it, but that even though it violates the rules, we play that way in the interest of time and convenience.

I was vague on that rule for a while and did a little research to get it straight.  Local rules usually allow for a "drop" if the ball can't be found to save time.  It takes long enough to get around the course these days to not add marching back to the tee box.  I personally hit a provisional any time I even think my ball could be lost.  The problem comes in when the "dropper" thinks they are hitting 3 when they are actually hitting 4.  Lose a couple balls a round and that can really help your score!