Golf Ball Hunters

How long do you look in the woods for a golf ball?


I played with two guys on new years day, we started at 1:30pm it gets dark at 5pm, we only completed 14 holes.............why? at least 10mins every time they hit a ball in the woods out of bounds....I was ready to go insane by the time it got dark on the 14th hole.

Then they gave me a hard time because I lost 3 balls. I could have lost 20 and not cared if they would have just hurried up and let me finish 18 holes.

I spend a couple of mins max.....then drop another one and hit again its just a ball after all.

10 minutes is crazy. I spend maybe 2 minutes.

Luckily no one was waiting on us.

I don't know if it is written or just courtesy with people I play with , but the most we look for a ball, any where, woods, rough, weeds is 5 mins max. thats with everyone playing looking. It's just a golf ball is what I tell them , take a drop and let's play on. If they don't like it that way , then I would start looking for different players or partners.

First time and last time I play with my Father-in-law and his Friend.
I've been married almost 5 years and could get out of it this time.

But never again. hopefully?

The official rules give you a max of 5 minutes to look for lost ball (that doesn't include the time it takes to get to location or look or the time to go back to previous spot). If I suspect it may be lost in trees or wherever (except water hazards) I will go ahead and hit a provisional ball. I will look quickly unless it's a spot that just a real mess. I probably spend no more than 2-3 minutes for balls that are lost in trees, etc. My usual thinking about this is that if found, it's not going to be a good spot anyway so I might has well take the punishment. That's why the sell balls by the dozen. If it's OB I won't even bother looking unless I can see it.

The bad thing is when you lose a ball in fairway or rough that should easily be in play but is not findable (for reason such as leaves, thick rough or plugged balls). Those are the lost balls that drive me crazy. I really think all course should have the marshalls out there with the little flags like they do on tour . Funny thing is, I bet that would speed up play.

I think the same way. If I hit a bad enough shot where I can't find the ball, it should be lost. If I find it, that's wonderful, but I probably shouldn't. Lost balls in the rough is nuts. I can't stand it. Those are the ones that I care about more than balls in woods and other crap.

10 minutes is way too long. I may spend 2 or 3 minutes, but then I'll accept defeat. When I look for others' balls, I spend however long they spend. If they are taking too long, I'll just say, "Let me hit my shot and I'll come back" or "The guys behind us are waiting."

I thought the counting officially starts once you start to walk towards the spot where the ball is presumed to be hit. I'm probably wrong, but it just stands out in my mind.

I had played 25 holes in one day and me and a friend decide to go into the woods on the left hand side of the 7th to find some golf balls. We spent 40mins in all and went all the way up to the green of the 7th. I found 30 in all in 40mins including 16 ProV1s and 10 Srixons. My friend found 20 because he didn't have a ball retreiver!

No more than a couple of minutes. If the ball doesn't want to be found, I don't want to play it.......it can just rot in the weeds!

Along similar lines........hit a d@m provisional ball and don't waste time going back to replay the shot if it's a stroke and distance situation. On second thought, never mind.......the "golfers" we're talking about prob have no concept of stroke and distance for a lost ball anyway.

The rules only give 5 minutes. To be honest, if there was nobody in front of me, I'd have just left them behind. I have no patience for that sort of thing. If they can't afford to lose a ball now and then, they are playing the wrong game.

If I'm by myself and not holding anyone up I'll probably look the whole five minutes. If I'm playing with someone and/or there are people behind I'd have hit a provisional and will probably walk through the area it went. Common sense says if I can't find it easily then it'd probably mean a horrible score on the hole and it'd be better to hit the provisional!

Sorry to be daft, but what do you mean by provisional? I assume you hit a second ball from the tee box. Wouldn't it be better to drop a ball near where you lost the ball?

I'm a huge fan of 'ready golf'.

This means many things, but most importantly, it means I'm ready to hit the ball when it's my shot. It also means I will help you look for your ball in the rough/woods.

If I hit a ball in the rough or woods, and if there's a chance it's lost I'll hit a provisional. I will try to walk to the location of the first ball as fast as possible (before my group reaches each of their balls) If I haven't located it by the time my turn rolls around I'll play the provisional.

I will not cause any undue delay looking for a ball, especially in a casual round.

Maybe 2 minutes - less if it means taking a chance on ruining a $50 shirt over a $4 ball.

The only way I would spend more time is if I am still waiting on the people in front of me.

i dont even want to look for a 'lost' ball... id much rather hit a provisional or take a drop... depending on who im playing with an whats at stake... they actually tell me to look for a lil while... cuz if my provisional ball is an incredible shot... an they/i actually find my first ball in the woods... its kind of a bummer... hahaha... but i hate creepy crawlies... snakes... bugs... etc etc... so i dont spend more than a minute...

if a partner loses a ball... i say hey man... im cool with a drop... but you should hit another one just in case

A 'provisional' ball is a second shot played from the spot of previous shot that has to be declared to those you're playing with before you hit it. The rules of golf do not allow you to just drop a ball near where you lost it. If ball is lost or has gone out of bounds, then you are to return to the spot of previous shot and play again from there with a 1 shot penalty (this is referred to as 'stroke and distance' penalty - stroke is the penalty stroke, distance because you had to go back to previous spot). The exception to this is if you hit into water hazard. At that point if you hit a second shot, that shot becomes the ball in play. For water hazard you follow the normal rules for dropping ball (this is a reason why you sometimes have to be careful when you think you 'might' have hit into water, but aren't sure. If you hit a second shot then it's in play, even if the previous shot is not in the water and is playable).

The way to play a provisional is to declare you are taking a 'provisional' ball, hitting from the same spot as you hit the previous shot. You then play that ball until you reach the point to which the first, perhaps lost, ball was hit. If you find the first ball, then you pick up the provisional and play the original ball without penalty. If you do not find the original ball, then you simply continue to play the rest of the hole with your provisional ball, taking a 'stroke and distance' penalty (i.e. if first ball lost, hit provisional, then hit it onto green and knock in putt on one, the score for hole is 5). If you do not hit provisional and lose ball, then after you have realized it's lost you are supposed to return to spot of previous shot. The provisional can save a lot of time. A lot of players will just drop a ball near where they think they lost their previous shot, but this is not within the rules of golf. If you are interested in learning and playing by official rules, this link is for a really nice,easy to understand quick reference book (and it's fairly cheap): http://www.amazon.com/Golf-Rules-Qui.../dp/3909596169 It's important to learn and play by the rules as much as possible, but also always remember that fun is even more important.

You play a provisional ball from the tee before going forward to search for the possibly lost ball. If he doesn't find the original ball, then the provisional ball becomes the ball in play.

By following your suggestion he would be in breach of Rule 27-1a, and if he played a ball dropped there he has also committed a serious breach of Rule 20-7.

5 mins otherwise it is gone to the gods...If you cant find it in that time you need to head to the range to work on your swing and fly the ball down the middle next time!!!