How many balls do you lose per round

[B_R_A_D_Y 138]

Old golf joke: This course was so tough I lost 3 balls in the ball washers. Only a person who loses lots of balls appreciates that old joke.

When I get home from a round my wife doesn’t ask me how I did. Instead she asks, “how many balls did you lose.” That’s no joke, she does.

I played a tournament when I was a young man with a wicked banana slice, and I lost 6 balls in the third flight of the final round. At the end of that round the guy I was playing against said to me, “The way you dress, I thought you were a much better golfer.”

I hardly hit the banana ball anymore, but what aggravates me more is losing a ball in the rough. I can accept hitting it deep in the woods or in the water, but knowing it’s right there, somewhere in the tall grass, really gets to me. And in the fall, when the sun is low, leaves are on the ground, and the grounds crew has slowed their mowing schedule, I tend to lose more balls per round … but I also find more, too, Last year I tied my old 6 lost balls in a round record, but I found 7 balls as well. Of course, I never find balls as desirable to me as the ones I lose.

So that’s my record: 6 lost / 7 found, in the same round. Although I also had a day last year with 5 lost / 4 found. She was still pissed.

[Pandaman 278]

My record in one round is 11, but I was a beginner and the course I was playing had several water hazards and OB quite close on several holes. 

Typically now I would say between 1 and 2, on average at my home course, but more when fallen leaves are about.

[tony@CIC 22,334]

When I started out - even up to a few years ago, I lost so many during a round that I would only buy Slazengers which were 2 doz for $25. Today, I can play a couple of rounds and not lose any or like yesterday I lost 2 ( both in thick bushes). 

[russtopherb 9,642]

I don't count anymore. If I find more than I lose, I consider it a good round.

[AndySP 51]

Likewise, I can go a few rounds losing none, but typically lose one every other 9- ish. 
 

my first round of the year this year was a disaster on that front though. New to me executive course and I lost 4 balls in 12 holes. 3 drives went missing that were (I assumed) right where I wanted them, only to never figure out where they went. Hate that. Naturally I blamed the kids in front of us. 

[ParFore74x 1,393]

When I first started playing I probably lost 3-6 per round so I was always happy to find others while searching for mine. Today it’s not uncommon for me to lose 1 or 2 each round but, as of late I have been pretty good about keeping all of mine. Probably just jinxed myself for the next round…..

I have to agree with previous statements that losing them in the water or OB is part of the game but, losing one in the rough when you know that it’s right there is frustrating. 

[JerryB 1,169]

Heck, I've lost a few in the fairway before.  Last year as a beginner I lost upwards of a dozen balls on several occasions.  I was also a big fan of the "thrill of the hunt" and would play whatever I could find if I couldn't find mine.

I've lost 8-10 on an early round this season but recently it's been between 1 and 5.

[tony@CIC 22,334]

6 minutes ago, ParFore74x said:

 

I have to agree with previous statements that losing them in the water or OB is part of the game but, losing one in the rough when you know that it’s right there is frustrating. 

And depending on where you play - you may not want to get too close to either to retrieve them. 

[EasyPutter 2,452]

The ball hunt has been motivation for me to get my swing down to knowing I can get the ball going in the general direction I want it to go without a curving flight that usually results in a lost ball, the worst one being a slice into the path of a mower on the parallel fairway that disappeared as the blades went over it.  It was years of working each shot trying to get rid of the slice listening to plenty of "good" advice for marginal improvement, but things changed when the kids became more independent.  About 4 years ago SWMBO said that if my weekends are for the home then my weekdays can be for golf as much as I want (yes this is a real story).  I bought a season pass and have been playing as many as 5 days of 9-hole golf each week from May to October with whatever April and November gives us off the eastern shores of Lake Erie.

In the beginning I was using several bags of balls collected while living at Ft Dix across the street from Fountain Green GC 3rd fairway and distributed them liberally to new hiding places first at Trails West GC at Ft Leavenworth (where I started to golf) and across Western NY learning what not-good was like being motivated to play better.  An average ball lost rate was easily one a hole back then but I also found other balls that were played by likely equally capable golfers and kept using "experienced" balls.  It was that first season pass year I played my first round with the same ball at the end I started with and that set my new standard.

In 5 rounds so far for 2022 I have lost 3 balls.  I am now more concerned with the condition of the ball jacket for cuts and abrasions than losing a ball.  It is a much different feel to retire a ball for that damage than for one that is irretrievable.  I still carry a bag of spares originally for crossing over water but now more are given away than used. 

It is the swing that is responsible for playing the short grass and shortest distance tee to cup combined with the focus on landing place regardless of hazards between that keeps the same ball in play.  It has been a journey from my game of ball losing to my game of ball scuffing and an obsession, can't wait for my next tee time!

[Middler 3,588]

I used to lose 2-3 per round on average, with a worst of 5 balls a few times. I have backed off my swing, am hitting more fairways, and losing about 1 on average. I've played a few 18 hole rounds lately without losing a ball at all (that was unheard of for me a year ago), even went 38 holes before losing one last week. I may never run out of golf balls at my current lost ball pace. 

Teeing up a brand new ball and blasting it off into the woods/weeds never to be found on the first shot is one of life's notable irritations... 

[Kenny B 33,409]

I lose an average of 0.33 balls per round.  I will play a ball for 3 rounds before I lose it or take it out of play.  OB is not in play for me at my course (never done it), and we have no woods that collect balls.  Very rarely is a ball lost in the rough (sometimes when leaves start falling); losses are mostly from a poor shots over water.  I minimize the cost by playing a ball that I have used for at least one round on holes with water; for me that's #3 (two opportunities to hit the water), #9, #12 (really bad shot to hit water but I've done it), #14 (if I shank it), and #15 (if I chunk it).  Haven't lost a ball on #14 and 15 this year (now I probably will this weekend).

[Tyler86 417]

 I loose 1.4 per round. The course usually plays the biggest factor. Slope of 125 or less, probably not gonna loose one. Slope closer to 145, especially water heavy, odds are im gonna loose a couple 2-5. My group of guys live on opposite corners of town so we bounce around a lot.

[B_R_A_D_Y 138]

We had a Dr who used to spend way too much time looking for balls at every creek & pond on the course. His buddies got him back during their yearly golf trip to Myrtle Beach. They saved cut surlyn golf balls all year, then the front group at Myrtle seeded every waterway with cut balls. Thrilled to find a ball then pissed to discover it was cut, they said he cussed his head off the entire trip. No one ever told him.

[tony@CIC 22,334]

3 hours ago, B_R_A_D_Y said:

We had a Dr who used to spend way too much time looking for balls at every creek & pond on the course. His buddies got him back during their yearly golf trip to Myrtle Beach. They saved cut surlyn golf balls all year, then the front group at Myrtle seeded every waterway with cut balls. Thrilled to find a ball then pissed to discover it was cut, they said he cussed his head off the entire trip. No one ever told him.

One of my golfing friends is a ball hawker. Whenever he gets close to a pond he immediate takes out his extended (16'?) ball retriever and pulls out every ball he can find  - no matter how bad it is. . I keep yelling at him - "we need to move along" since there's generally a 4some behind us. Then he'll use one of those ratty, water logged balls to hit over the water and of course it goes in - keep telling him it's a 'self-fulling prophecy' . FYI he can afford new golf balls. 

[CarlH 8,306]

I discard more balls than I lose.  I occasionally lose one every few rounds, but typically the ball will get scuffed or worn out and I'll take it out of play.  

 

[dlow206 10,737]

i've lost a ball in the middle of the fairway 

[CarlH 8,306]

2 minutes ago, dlow206 said:

i've lost a ball in the middle of the fairway 

I've done that before too.  I remember playing a course in Summerville SC and it was in less than desirable shape.  I striped a ball right down the middle of the fairway and the fairway was so bad that I couldn't locate the ball!  Never played that course again, either!  LOL

[Kenny B 33,409]

35 minutes ago, dlow206 said:

i've lost a ball in the middle of the fairway 

I have too!!! ... Port Ludlow GC

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW 4,669]

I’m about 1.5 a round. Goal is to make it through a combined 18 w one

[dlow206 10,737]

1 hour ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

I’m about 1.5 a round. Goal is to make it through a combined 18 w one

I made it today with only 1 pro v1. Technically, it did roll into the water by one foot on a hole, but i picked it out of the water.