Record for Lost Balls

[paininthenuts]

Played a 9 hole course in a charity event today. Played a Texas scramble over 18 holes on a very tight course in the worst condition I have ever seen. The greens were as long as the fairways, and the fairways as long as the rough. Loads of water and unkept rough, as well as loads of water. I lost 8 balls. Can anyone beet that ?

[David in FL]

Hell, I've known guys to lose more than that in 3 or 4 holes...

[paininthenuts]

17 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Hell, I've known guys to lose more than that in 3 or 4 holes...

Maybe I need to try harder then

[Patch]

It's been a decade or two, but I vaguely remember losing that many and more on the original Bandon Dunes course up in Oregon. Really windy, cold,  rainy day, but we were golfing. 

More than a few times, I have  been stubborn and lost a couple of sleeves on one hole trying to carry a water hazard. Plenty room to go around the hazard, which was the smart play., but sometimes being stupid is fun too. 

Flip side is, I have played multiple rounds with the same ball, several times.

Heck, if you don't lose balls, you never have an excuse to buy more. Right?

[b101]

1 hour ago, David in FL said:

Hell, I've known guys to lose more than that in 3 or 4 holes...

Guys I play with now still do. If you have an over the top slice, you lose a lot of balls as there's basically no safe shot.

[Rainmaker]

I'm the self proclaimed "king of the goat tracks", lol . .so I've played some really awful courses.  The instance that comes to mind is at a municipal golf course way up in Northern California.  I played it in the winter.  The guy in the pro-shop warned me, lol.  There were huge areas of standing water and even shots that hit the fairway would plug so deep they were lost sometimes.  I didn't count but I had to have lost at LEAST 8 balls playing the front 9.  

The other time I can think of is when I used to play at a course here in TX that was in huge financial trouble.  They eventually sold and renovated the entire place but that last summer before they did you could play for 10 bucks with a cart . .except they pretty much stopped mowing.  The grass in the fairways was knee high in places.  The bunkers were void of sand.  The greens were actually ok.  I lost a LOT of balls due to tall grass and fear of rattlesnakes. 

[Fairway_CY]

I play a short, 9 hole course that isn't in the best of shape, but... it helps me work on my game because it allows me to hit a number of different shots.  

One day, earlier in the year, I went out for a 9 hole round.  I had 2 of the balls I usually play and another 4 crappy balls in my bag.  By the 6th hole, I had lost all of them.  Luckily, while looking in the woods for the last one I lost, I found 2 others.  I lost one of them on the 9th hole and then ALMOST lost the last on my approach shot... but, ugh.  

I hate rounds like that.  Of the 7 balls I lost, 3 of them hit just off the fairway and kicked hard into the woods.  The other 4, I legitimately played like crap and slammed shots into the woods with horrible slices or pulls.  Still... it's frustrating.

CY

[bones75]

I think pro-shops should refund you the round if you spend more on lost balls than you do on the round.  One fine day I lost over a dozen ProV1's at The Ranch in San Jose. 

[Strandly]

14 minutes ago, bones75 said:

I think pro-shops should refund you the round if you spend more on lost balls than you do on the round.  One fine day I lost over a dozen ProV1's at The Ranch in San Jose. 

Any chance you could swing by my town and play a couple rounds?  And let me know your tee time so I can follow your group. 

[bones75]

4 minutes ago, Strandly said:

Any chance you could swing by my town and play a couple rounds?  And let me know your tee time so I can follow your group. 

haha.  Seriously.  Maybe I should plan better for my retirement and just take up the hobby of money burning.

[graham57]

Playing on a windswept and rainy course in the Scottish Highlands (Craignure Golf Club on the Isle of Mull), my son and I lost together 7 balls on one hole, and we hadn't even got anywhere near the water hazard which runs across the fairway in front of the green! The fairway was lined with thick, prickly gorse bushes, so there was no way you could go looking for your ball(s)! On the upside, we saw a sea eagle and a pod of whales going by from the course, so who cares about the balls?

[Elrey Desol]

my best (worst?) was five balls in nine holes. local track, short(ish), with 3"-4" rough on every hole, and little white flower-y things all through out the rough as well. frustrating as hell to miss the fairway by a yard or three and come up empty after a couple minutes of searching.

[DrvFrShow]

One time I ended up walking to the club house on the 14th hole. My bag was empty. Good thing those were cheap balls then, right? When you get ready to fish the water hazard so you can continue it's time to pack it in.

[sjduffers]

15 hours ago, bones75 said:

I think pro-shops should refund you the round if you spend more on lost balls than you do on the round.  One fine day I lost over a dozen ProV1's at The Ranch in San Jose. 

Ah, I know the feeling. The first time I played there (way before my ability really allowed it), I lost 15 balls there (or maybe it was only 12-13, but it was 15 penalty strokes for sure). However, I knew I was going to lose "a few", so I used some old balls instead of brand new Pro-V1s.

That place is target golf, and if you miss the target, which sometimes is not very big, you are in a hazard and there is hardly hope to even find the ball, as it's deep into a canyon that borders the fairway or in a canyon that you have to carry to get to the next part of the hole, or sometimes in the water too, etc... I only go there once or twice a year, when I feel good about my game and want some punishment or getting some sense knocked back into me! :)

[Hardspoon]

Not site the exact number, but I'm sure it is in double digits. I've played rounds in the late fall at courses that barely tried to clear leaves...those are by far the worst rounds for this.

[ScouseJohnny]

Oh, absolutely. On a caravanning holiday, in Scotland, circa 1985 at Spean Bridge: http://www.speangolf.org.uk/

I lost an entire box of brand new Slazenger Challenge XD balls in one round, purchased from Argos for £6 that very week.

I was 11, and disgruntled by the loss. Also, it rained a lot.

 

[6ixman]

My dad told me a story of how him and 3 buddies played a round at Nags Head Golf Links in NC a few years back. Pretty tough course with a lot of blind shots. Anyways one of his friends ended up losing 34 balls. Paid more for balls than green fees

[jkelley9]

I believe I've lost 8 balls in 9 holes before. Sometime last year. Basically, my body was fatigued and I would torque my body into the swing and my hands were always wayyy behind me, resulting in terrible slices. 

I quit playing after the first 9 holes. Ain't nobody got time for that!