How long do you look for a ball before giving up?

[Soup Fan]

There is nothing more frustrating to me in the game of golf than losing a ball in plain sight. That is to say, sometimes you put one in the rough or maybe near a tree and you know you would have a play, but it might require turning up 200 fallen leaves or spending an extra 5 or 10 minutes walking head down through thick cabbage to find it.

Clearly the pace of your group and the groups behind you should dictate how much time you spend on a hole for any reason, let alone how much time you spend searching for a potentially lost ball, but if it's wide open behind you and you have the chance to look, how much time do you spend?

If I feel I have a good read on where a ball landed and it would be otherwise playable, I will look until I get too frustrated and then just take a very begrudging drop.

I hate losing damn balls.

[Norm66]

I don't mind hitting one into water, but to lose a ball just off the fairway (or in the fairway) just pisses me off. That said, I don't think I've ever taken the entire 5 minutes looking for a ball, I just take my penalty and move on.

[iacas]

I don't mind hitting one into water, but to lose a ball just off the fairway (or in the fairway) just pisses me off. That said, I don't think I've ever taken the entire 5 minutes looking for a ball, I just take my penalty and move on.

You are aware that a lost ball penalty is stroke and distance, right? You have to go back to the tee (or wherever you last hit from) and hit again.

I usually don't have to look for my ball very long. If it's in a bad area I hit a provisional and then spend most or all of my five minutes, unless it's obviously gone.

[Puttin4Bird]

I agree that it is frustrating when you know your ball should be in a particular area, thus not feeling the need for a provisional then you get there and can't find it. But the rule of 5 minutes searching for a lost ball does apply so in the spirit of the rules and pace of play that is your answer.

The time spent doing the "lonliest walk in golf" back to your original spot to re-hit vs. the time saved by sticking to the 5 minutes should end up being pretty even.

For me I usually don't lose too many balls, I'll know immediately if it is borderline or not, then I've already got a provisional so I'm typically inclined to look for about 30 seconds then move on in frustration.

[Norm66]

Yea, I know the rules.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

I guess it depends on what kind of round I'm playing, tournament, match, or just screwing around. In general I hate looking for balls. I'll spend anywhere from a minute or two to maybe 5 minutes max looking.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Also... I can't recall the last time, if ever, I lost the ball in the fairway during normal conditions. It seems to happen to everyone else I know though. Obviously I've lost them during or after heavy rain but not really during dry, "normal" conditions.

[Soup Fan]

I've never lost a ball in the fairway, but that is because doing so would require me to hit it on the fairway first. If I am in some thick trees or not sure if I rolled into the water or a backyard or something, I will hit a provisional. The problem arises when, as Puttin4Bird mentioned, you don't hit a provisional because you feel your ball is findable.

[Norm66]

The problem arises when, as Puttin4Bird mentioned, you don't hit a provisional because you feel your ball is findable.

That's what I was talking about. I've lost several balls right in the fairway and not always off the tee. I imagine it's got to do with the quality of courses I'm playing on. If it's an obviously lost ball I'll hit a provisional, but if I can't find it and didn't hit a provisional I'm unlikely to hold up the group behind me by walking back to the tee box.

[CG031]

You are aware that a lost ball penalty is stroke and distance, right? You have to go back to the tee (or wherever you last hit from) and hit again.

I don't think many people play exactly by the rules (if your in a casual round) because if you hit a ball that goes into a fairly open area and you are like "Ok, it's just by those three trees 5 yards off the fairway" most people won't hit a provisional. I do this sometimes too, and obviously if there's a group waiting behind me I'm not gonna go back to the tee. I just take my penalty as if I hit my provisional to where I drop.

[P3R3]

I HATE messing up pace of play. The longest I have looked for a ball is mabe 5 mins, usually I give up after 2 mins.

[skitzo]

Time looking should be at least partially determined by how close the following group is. I am really conscious (my son calls it paranoid) about having people behind me waiting. I don't play that slow anyway but I just hate to loook up and see someone looking like he wants through.

[KingCobra]

about 3 min

[iacas]

I don't think many people play exactly by the rules (if your in a casual round)

Casual rounds should still be posted for handicap purposes. If you're on a golf forum, I'd like to think the odds that you are posting for handicap purposes is quite a bit higher than for the "average" golfer.

I just take my penalty as if I hit my provisional to where I drop.

I wouldn't have a BIG problem with that (except to say "you should hit provisionals more frequently, perhaps) IF you add two strokes for your penalty. At least that'd cover both the stroke and distance parts of that equation.

Since I'm not ever likely to play you, I'm only giving that "advice" for your benefit: it helps to both post your scores AND keep the most honest score as possible. Both will help you assess your game, improvements, etc. It's the old "you're only cheating yourself." Again, since I'll likely never play against you, it's true.

[LBlack14]

Drop after looking, and move on for the sake of time.

[CG031]

Casual rounds should still be posted for handicap purposes. If you're on a golf forum, I'd like to think the odds that you are posting for handicap purposes is quite a bit higher than for the "average" golfer.

I've always wanted to play with you

I guess your right though, if your posting it for your handicap it should be pretty darn honest, but I think there's a lot of people out there (I'm not saying on this forum, just in general) who post scores for their handicap without putting things out or taking penalties for O.B. and Hazards. I was playing with this guy the other day who claimed he was a 5 handicap and he didn't putt anything from 7 feet and in, and all he'd say was "let me get this out of your way." He'd give himself everything, and when he hit a ball lost, he'd just be like "I'll just drop up there for the sake of not losing another ball." I was thinking to myself, "you claim your a 5 handicap?!"

[lamebums]

I hit the ball all over the place, and I'm pretty good at finding my ball. I hit half my shots in a round out of the rough, but I only lose one ball per round, on average. I only take two or three minutes before I give up, and hit another one. I'll just drop another where I think I lost it, and say I'm hitting four, for pace of play. I don't play in many official events, so taking it back to the tee is a non-issue and just a waste of time.

[lhshurdl3r]

i always hit the provisional if i'm a tiny bit weary about my first ball's landing. i'll then hit the provisional's second shot ASAP and look for my other ball (in case i can't find it, then my 2nd shot is already taken and nobody is being held up)