Locating your ball on a good shot?

[elcash]

ive lost balls in the middle of fw's with 3 other sets of eyes following the ball... like magic... poof... gone

For me, if I can pick out the ball somewhere in the air I'll at least have an idea for after it lands. What I hate is when I'm plowing through the deep rough after a second swing (I guess I assume that's where I'll be) and hear somebody yell,

"Dude, what are you doing? You're over here on the fairway/green."

[enduro]

My best advice is to always tee off last if you can. I always try and tee last so as soon as I hit and watch the ball the entire way, we're on our way.

I don't lose many balls. Only on terribly errant shots that go into water/deep woods/prairie zones. I've never lost a ball in the fairway.

[elcash]

So after some research and a few more disappearing balls, I went ahead and bought a pair of Oakley sunglasses with the G30 lenses. I couldn't find the G30 lenses in any stores I went to around here, so I customized a pair online...

I'm pretty confident I made the right decision. People kept recommending Maui Jim's (I had a pair some years ago and really liked them) but I couldn't find any that were tinted light rose or amber. Plus, all Maui Jim's appear to be polarized, and I was really trying to avoid that. I'll post a note if they work as well as I hope...

[whetstone]

This thread makes me very thankful for my good vision.

[Dub]

I went crazy last weekend on a crowded course and a sunny day. I lost literally a dozen golf balls. If I don't have a proper spotter or he isn't paying attention, I'm lucky if I pick up my ball 1 out of 5 shots. I can't pick up others' tee shots with any consistency, so I'm going to have to look for a good pair of sunglasses.

I bought a pair of Oakleys in June to wear while golfing. They are coated/manf. with something that helps them shed water immediately. They are frameless below the lens so sweat runs out quickly.

I can honestly say that these shades are an aid to the game....I felt more relaxed. Sounds insane, I know....but the sun has a way of wearing you out durning a round....my eyes don't feel strained afterwards now. The lens I bought really brings out subtle aspects of the greens...I see grain and diffent shades on the green like never before. I can pick up the ball flight easily, too. I started off my last round with them, but took 'em off before leaving the practice green....last Monday...27 holes.....101 degrees. Sweat was pouring down on the lenses every time I tried to putt. I'm still "babying" the lenses and only using the soft case to clean them so it became too aggravating. I put 'em up and just wore my visor and squinted. Flush shots were a good bit more easy to find earlier this year than now. The rough is really a factor at my home course. Shorter drives that find the fairway are a much better option than drives belted through doglegs and into the rough.

[flopdarock]

played a course last week where ever landing area was pretty much blind... really sucked trying to locate balls especially if you were just off the fw and into the rough... more than a few times we had to double back to find our shots

[Fat Slice]

FYI - Oakley's on sale here: http://www.6pm.com/oakleyjuly09

[flopdarock]

with all this rain and the rough growing the way it is... its really getting hard to find a ball not on the fw... i lost 2 balls yesterday thinking i was on the fw but it must have rolled/bounced into the first cut and nobody could see it

[schapman]

Nothing drives me nuts more than hitting a shot that I know is in play and still losing the ball.

How do others deal with this? I usually take a penalty stroke and drop from the general area to keep up pace but it's so angering.

[lumpuckeroo]

Nothing drives me nuts more than hitting a shot that I know is in play and still losing the ball.

I know this is not following the rules of golf, but in my group we do what you do. The courses are always crowded, if you went back to hit from your previous spot, I have no doubt something bad would happen.

[jefftommy06]

If this happens....and I'm absolutely sure the ball did not go OB or hazard I will drop in a general area with no penalty. Let's face it, given enough time I could probably find it.......but that's usually not a 'good shot' which is what the topic is about.

I consider a good shot to be fairway or first cut.....if you lose your ball then, 1 of 4 things is going on, they need to cut the grass, you need to get glasses, follow the ball when you hit it.....don't turn your back because you know it's a good shot, or CLEAN YOUR BALL!! :)

[kpaulhus]

This happened to a buddy and I. He crushed his drive but it was screaming left. It was one of those moments when you get quiet just to hear it smack the roof of a house. So then he hit another, and it was dead center fairway. anyways when we drove up to his second shot there was another ball on the green....apparaently when it hit the house, god made it bounce perfectly onto the green. Made me pretty mad that I lost my ball and he was putting for eagle lol

[is2linda]

Ugh... I have lost couple of balls where i thought i hit it well on the fairway, and miraculously disappears. I sometimes find newbie golfers picking up balls in the rough, or buried in a ridiculous rough patch. it happens, thats why you buy a dozen ball.

[bogeyhitter25]

I used to. But that's when I'd do the cool Tiger thing and as soon as I thought it was going to be a good ball I'd twirl my club, kick my leg and pick my tee up. Now I wait until it has landed. Who cares if I don't look like a pro?

[Hyper X Crusher]

Guessing the distance rarely an easy thing. If I hit the ball well I will start looking around the normal distance my drives go.

A tip I received from a PGA instructor on where your ball goes was that your right knee will point to where the ball was hit. If you did not follow through on your swing and your knee is pointed right, that is most likely the direction your ball went and if you over-rotated it will be to your left. I have found this to help in general, but not in every instance. Hopefully it will help someone find there ball when you totally lost it off the drive.

[Fat Slice]

This happened to a buddy and I. He crushed his drive but it was screaming left. It was one of those moments when you get quiet just to hear it smack the roof of a house. So then he hit another, and it was dead center fairway. anyways when we drove up to his second shot there was another ball on the green....apparaently when it hit the house, god made it bounce perfectly onto the green. Made me pretty mad that I lost my ball and he was putting for eagle lol

Did he announce his was hitting a provisional before he hit his second drive? If not, he should have played the second ball - just sayin'...

[quantim0]

I'm lucky that I caddied for years when I was younger. I can almost always find my ball. I played 18 Friday solo and hit a few errant shots. Found every one and never looked for more then a minute or two. I just got good at following a ball in mid-air and understanding where it drops.

The only time I lose a ball is when it's OB, in a hazard, or takes a really odd bounce into something real thick. It just takes practice and sunglasses.