Anyone ever lost a ball in a fairway bunker?

**Bourbon and Coke** · August 27, 2008

The hole was a dogleg left and I was trying to cut the corner and ended up hitting the lip of the bunker. I watched the ball hit, it bounced up in the air and landed, my partner teed off, and we left the tee box.

When we got there, the ball was nowhere to be found. There's a good 30 yards of rough before any OB, and it was cut pretty low so I can't imagine it was lost in the rough or anything. We found the impact mark in the bunker and then the ball was gone. I tried digging around the mark with a wedge, and couldn't find the ball. We walked around looking for it like idiots for a couple minutes and decided to just move on with the round. I dropped into the bunker and hit to the green.

First question: was I correct in dropping in the bunker and taking a stroke penalty?

Second question: has this ever happened to anyone? Did you find the ball? It's just the damnedest thing... I saw it land! I thought it might have bounced up over the lip but apparently it bounced out of existence.

**RemyM** · August 27, 2008

First question: was I correct in dropping in the bunker and taking a stroke penalty?

No you should have gone back and played under the lost ball rule.

**Bourbon and Coke** · August 27, 2008

Even though there was a clear mark as to where the ball landed?

**Smallville** · August 27, 2008

It's my understanding that if you are playing by the book, if you cannot identify your ball it is lost. If it's not there to identify, it must be lost. Of course in my opinion, that's only if the scores matter for something. If not, then sure, you did ok, imo.

**firstcut** · August 27, 2008

No you should have gone back and played under the lost ball rule.

I agree, good ruling.

That said, I think anyone that plays socially and follows those rules is bordering on insanity. It (among others) is a socially tiered rule that gives the advantage to rich players and pros. If I can't find a ball and I *know* it didn't go OB, I'll drop and hit. Why waste 5 minutes looking and then walk back 240 yards because we don't have caddys, fans or spotters? It's waste of time and backs up the average course. If everyone played like that the average round would be 6 hours.

In short, IMO, the OP did the socially responsible thing even though it was technically illegal. To answer the second question, I had something VERY similar happen to me when was plying alone once. I was about 100 yards out and hit a sky ball onto the fringe. It was a wet day and I could see the water and mud splash up as it hit. I spent 10 minutes looking fro that damn ball (no one behind me) before I droped and hit. I STILL wionder what happened to that darn thing.

Enjoy the game!

**Dub** · August 27, 2008

Perhaps it went into one of the mole holes that Sergio "encountered" last Sunday. Just kidding.....that really bites.

I don't recall ever losing one in a bunker.....but I've had some disappear from landing areas that I felt confident they'd be in. This happened to me on Monday.....playing the straightaway par 5 10th at Midland Valley. Hit what I thought was a great drive carrying the fairway bunker on the left. Spent ten minutes looking for the ball in the rough....sure it was there....probably walked right on top it....never found it.

**GaijinGolfer** · August 27, 2008

I agree, if you are playing by the book, you should have went back to the tee and hit your tee shot over again, but thats not always an option because it slows down play too much.
Ive lost golfballs in a similar fashion many times. Ive had instances where I saw it land and come to a stop and when I get there, its like it vanished into thin air. Thats why I buy inexpensive golf balls. If I lose a Laddie-X ($20 for 2 dozen), no biggie. If I were to lose a Pro V1 ($45 a dozen), it would really tick me off.

**FortAsel** · August 27, 2008

It depens on something: DID YOU SEE THE BALL LAND IN THE BUNKER?

1) If you saw the ball land in the bunker it is considered that an external factor (an animal for example) moved the ball, even if you don't find it. Then you can drop the ball where you think it has come to rest before it was "abuducted" - No penalty

2) If you didn't saw the ball land, and it is nowhere near to be found, then you have to apply the lost ball rule and play again from your previous spot.

And yes, I've lost balls like that (unfortunatly)

**meenman** · August 27, 2008

I lost one in a bunker once but it was full of water.

A couple of weekends ago I lost 2 in the same round imbedded into the side of hills.

First one - I cleared the pond but it was a line drive and the ground was wet and ended up inside the hill across the pond.

Second one - a ton of bushes you have to hit over to reach the green - also imbedded in the side of the hill - found it - but it would have cost less strokes to take the stroke and distance penalty instead of whacking the hell out of the hill with my wedge just to dig it out.

**tjy355** · August 28, 2008

It depens on something: DID YOU SEE THE BALL LAND IN THE BUNKER?

Right...

Where do you guys come up with this stuff?

**Brady0626** · August 28, 2008

Maybe a squirrel/fox/bird got it? There once was a squirrel who stole so many balls, and the next spring inside a tree one of the grounds crew found 2 trees filled up with around 60 or 70 balls...
And I've lost a few balls in the rough since our rough is disgusting now, just awful.

**JohnTwing** · August 28, 2008

Could it have completely buried in the bunker?

**Fourputt** · August 28, 2008

It depens on something: DID YOU SEE THE BALL LAND IN THE BUNKER?

It's a question of FACT whether or not the ball was taken by an outside agency. If you have no proof, no such assumption can be made. In this case it's a lost ball and Rule 27 gives no options. You must hit another ball from the previous spot and add a penalty stroke as well. If you choose not to do that, then you aren't playing by the rules anyway, so I'm just wasting bandwidth.

In a casual round it is common to just drop one and play it to avoid damage to one's ego by returning and reloading from the original spot. However, to more closely apply the proper penalty, you should at least charge yourself 2 strokes in lieu of the rules mandated stroke and distance penalty. It still isn't right, but at least it's closer.

**erniebanks** · August 28, 2008

I was playing with a friend who embedded his ball in the lip of a bunker. When he blasted it out, not one, but two balls landed on the green! Apparently someone else had lost a ball in that bunker. Stuff happens.

hrspear · August 28, 2008

Had something simmilar happen twice Monday, but the second time I found the ball...

Was playing 9 after work, teeing off on the par 3 10th (playing the back 9 obviously). I caught my 7i thin and saw the ball hit the back of the green at the fringe and roll off. No problem, I'll chip on. I get to the green and no ball there were mud puddles and I searched around a but but with no luck. Took a drop (the next group was waiting at the tee for us to clear) and a penalty and played on.

Then on the par 5 18th, a dog leg right, I hit a fade off the tee. Watched it bend around the trees and was feeling pretty good. Note, the fade was not intentional, but it looked like a nice long (for me) shot that would work out really well. I could not find the ball, and it was starting to get dark. So I took a drop around where I figured the ball would have gone to and had a nice second shot. As I was walking to my next shot I found my first ball sitting atop a fairway bunker (not in the bunker, but just over). I happily played it outfor a nice finish and picked up my other ball. The ball had gone further than I thought...I'm still getting used to my new driver, and the distance is very inconsistent (drove the fringe of a 290 yd par 3 on one hole, then on others was only going 220-240).

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Anyone ever lost a ball in a fairway bunker?

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