Losing balls (to nowhere)

[Brendon]

Most of the time when I loose a ball, it would be in the trees, woods, etc.

[sc13ntific]

Happened to me the other day. Hit it alright, nut into the first cut of rough. I saw exactly where it went, walked down to find it and it was gone. It was early in the morning and I was the only one on the course. I probably spent 15 minutes looking around for it because I was obsessed with finding it at the time. But poof, it was gone.

I figured squirrels must have taken it.

[Brendon]

Happened to me the other day. Hit it alright, nut into the first cut of rough. I saw exactly where it went, walked down to find it and it was gone. It was early in the morning and I was the only one on the course. I probably spent 15 minutes looking around for it because I was obsessed with finding it at the time. But poof, it was gone.

Yeah, I have done that a few times. It kind of sucks, especially when it's a decent fairway shot too.

[6iron]

I bought a dozen of Z-Star Srixon Yellows and played them today for the first time. They really glow in the fairway and when you hit a long iron onto a green you know where your ball is. They spin and stop like other similarly priced balls and are pretty durable too. I like them a lot.
I always watch my ball untill it stops rolling or goes out of sight when I hit one out of bounds. It helps not to turn your head when you know you've hit a bad shot then go to where you think the ball went and try to find it. Keep your eye on it untill you can't see it anymore.
I learned this when I bird hunted in my twenties. I had a good birddog but sometimes he needed a little help finding dead birds that I shot in the thick stuff.

[Brendon]

I bought a dozen of Z-Star Srixon Yellows and played them today for the first time. They really glow in the fairway and when you hit a long iron onto a green you know where your ball is. They spin and stop like other similarly priced balls and are pretty durable too. I like them a lot.

Are the Srixon's any good? Performance wise.

[kpaulhus]

Are the Srixon's any good? Performance wise.

They are almost identical to Titleist.

[walk18]

During the practice rounds, do you guys take a penalty in these cases?

Actually the penalty, if you were playing strictly by USGA rules or in a tournament, would be that of a lost ball, stroke and distance. Meaning you'd have to go back to the tee (assuming it was your tee shot you lost) and you'd be hitting 3. Yeah, it sucks.

However, I realize that 99% of casual round golfers would just drop because it's less hassle and keeps play moving, but that's actually against the rules.

[mdbuschsr]

Today, I watched my partners ball go through a small bush and never took my eye off the line... We never found the ball.

About a month ago I hit a dead straight drive. This particular fairway has a 30-yard-wide x 100-wide-long section of rough cut into the center of the fairway right at the landing zone. I "lost the ball" and accidentally hit the wrong ball to the green before I recognized the miscue. I played the next day, and found my ball by accident, while looking for that days partners' ball from the previous day 5-feet from where I was looking. Clear as mud huh?

Hitting into the rough on my course is an issue even when you know "exactly" where it is!

[B-Con]

I once hit a decent 5-iron and watched it land maybe 150+ yards and then roll. I watched the ball hit the fairway to the left of the fairway and take a low bounce. It couldn't have rolled more than another 20 feet. I got up there, and myself and my playing partner couldn't find it after 3 full minutes of looking. I would've sworn I knew the location of the ball to 10 feet, and there was hardly anything off the fairway to loose the ball in, but it was not to be found.

That's just the most frustrating time it's happened. I've had it happen to me many, many times. Usually the cause is that ball sliced worse than I thought or didn't carry as far as I thought it did.

[Radford Wooly]

Happens to me a lot!!

[FenderStrat62]

This happens to me on occasion. I play with a pretty consistent group of friends, though, and we'll usually watch each others shots and help each other look for balls, so we minimize the loss of balls that we're not slicing into the woods.

[tsdnorton]

I hear little critters steal them and trade them for food to that kid on the side of the course selling golf balls everyday.

[NCSU_MSE]

Today, I watched my partners ball go through a small bush and never took my eye off the line... We never found the ball.

Were you playing at Lonnie Poole?

[The Road Dog]

I was playing with my 14 yr old Grandson yesterday and he hit a 9i perfect from the left rough trying to get back in the FW and advance the ball. It went straight into the top of a tall palm tree and stuck . The point being nowhere is really somewhere, you just can't see it.

[mdbuschsr]

Were you playing at Lonnie Poole?

I wish... I was playing at my favorite little 9-holer Meadowbrook GC in Garner.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

I was playing with my 14 yr old Grandson yesterday and he hit a 9i perfect from the left rough trying to get back in the FW and advance the ball. It went straight into the top of a tall palm tree and stuck

I was channel surfing last night and stopped by the Golf Channel. It was something about rules and balls stuck in trees. It looked like Faldo was climbing a tree to either hit the ball out or decide on a penalty. Another one had a ball nestled in a palm type tree but it looked like quite a climb.

.... and I thought I had some bad shots to hit from.

[Shripe]

I was channel surfing last night and stopped by the Golf Channel. It was something about rules and balls stuck in trees. It looked like Faldo was climbing a tree to either hit the ball out or decide on a penalty. Another one had a ball nestled in a palm type tree but it looked like quite a climb.

If I remember correctly, he was disqualified under 20-7 (ultimately playing from the wrong place after taking a drop at the tree). After looking this up, I guessed right, and Pavin (his partner) told him he should just take a drop as he was going to take the correct route, heading back to replay the shot. He followed the wrong advice and got DQ'd.