How many BALLS do you lose per round? (and 2024 goals too)

[Rob Person]

I can't count how many balls I lost in 2022 and 2023, seriously ! At one point early on, I think I lost 15 balls in 1 round!!! (Not exaggerating)

Im guessing, but 80% were to the woods trolls, 19% to the water goblins,  and 1% to the rough/fairway edge fairies. ( you know exactly what I'm talking about too! You swore it landed right there, but its just thick enough to conceal the ball)

Here in south Alabama,  you don't really want to risk walking into the mucky soft dirt, through the wirey thickets, thrashing the spikey vines, all while looking out for snakes. 

 Now, I have  probably collected 4 dozen lost and lonely balls over the last year as well. Most of them in playable condition. And I get to try balls I don't normally get.

It's frustrating,  it's tiresome, and in part forced me to want to do better at golfing!  I've lost so many strokes to lost balls, and it hurts...alot!

The past 6 months,  I've averaged 5 lost balls per round. 

My goal for 2024 is to reduce that by at least 75% (not unreasonable) and if I can complete a round with just 1 ball, I'd be ecstatic! But let's be realistic, you haven't seen me drive a ball either!  Ha!

 

[Middler]

A perennial but appropriate topic for those who play golf. I used to lose 2-3 balls per round, my record was 5 in a single round and I almost never had a round without losing at least 1.

Over the past few years I’ve slowed down my swing for accuracy, and now I probably average 1 lost ball per round, worst I can remember is 3, and I finish with the ball I started with about every 3 or 4 rounds. I made it about 60 holes before losing a ball once a few months back. I’ve actually tossed balls because the look worn, never used to do that.

Just now, Middler said:

 

Edited January 31 by Middler

[RangerGrey]

I will lose 2-3 balls in the late fall with all the leaves and early spring when the balls plug. Now when things start getting warmer out I usually don't lose any but when I do it's OB but I made little goals like OK let just finish a round without losing any as I got my wife to try to start playing like this too. I seem to find more ways sneak a double bogy in with either my chipping or from my putting. Golf is the most frustrating game I've ever loved to play

[cnosil]

I would say 0-2 per round.  A lot of that depends on the course and how thick the woods, rough, and beyond the rough is.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Courses I play are tough! Just because of waste area so I'm normally good for 2 per round. 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Depending on the round I’d lose 0-2. It became easier to find balls last year when the golf course cut all their pine trees up 3-4’ off the ground.  After that the only way to lose a ball was hit it OB or lose it in the sun. 

[Owengeorge13]

1-3 per round.  Usually off the tee.  I’m bringing a small notebook with me this year to keep track.  My eyes are horrible, if I play by myself I may lose more …my two best rounds/scores…I didn’t lose a single ball.  I’d love to go through another driver fitting and try one of these new drivers out.

Edited January 31 by Owengeorge13

[DiscipleofPenick]

Maybe 1 per round, it depends on the course. Though I have those few rounds a year where I can't control the driver and 3-5 disappear.

[TJ Hall]

I’m in the 0-3 zone…depending on the course/conditions.  Always looking to get the number down to 0 consistently, mainly because I hate losing a ball!

[cnosil]

23 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Courses I play are tough! Just because of waste area so I'm normally good for 2 per round. 

Wait until you get to Royal New Kent     I am hoping to be their to at least tell you where you should try to hit your ball.    

[Rob Person]

This is another reason I switched to yellow balls! The visibility on my eyes makes it much easier to find it! (But not the glossy plastic looking coated one)

[Wheelieb]

Back in 2020 when I first started playing, I would lose a lot. When I started practicing and working on my game to get better, I saw the amount of balls I lost start to come down. Most of the time I am now down to 2 lost on the front 9 and one lost on the back 9. Goal is to make it 2 or less this year while playing.

[Golf2Much]

One advantage of not hitting the ball very far and hitting pretty straight is that I don't lose too many golf balls.  I will typically get 2-5 rounds per ball before it's damaged and I need to take it out of play or lose it.  What makes that even crazier is that my home course is very tight and has water, OB, condos and/or mangroves on every hole.  

Approximately 1.2 billion golf balls are sold in the United States annually.  One reason is that it's estimated that 300 million are lost every year.  So, we are not alone when we loose balls!

[Preeway]

I probably average around 1 ball lost every other round. I can go several rounds without losing a ball but then I have those days where I will manage to put 2-3 in the water. Some of this comes from playing courses with very little water and I don't tend to hit extreme misses right or left. They happen, but it isn't common. It's a pretty good feeling getting to pull out a new ball on 10 because the one you used on 1-9 is just scuffed up enough to warrant pulling out a new one.

[russtopherb]

Over the course of 18 holes I'll usually lose a sleeve. That's about my average, and they're almost always off the tee. 

[OdinSnipes414]

Depends on how I want to play! If I wanna try and kill the ball I end up loosing 2-7 many to woods and the rough! But if I leave the driver in the bag  just swing light then I lose just one ball! 

[CrazyGolfNut]

This is a good question.  I can go 4 or 5 rounds and not lose a ball but on a bad day lose 3 or 4.  I think that is something I might keep track of this year. So far, I have not lost one ball this year. Of course I have not played yet. 

Edited January 31 by CrazyGolfNut

[Rob Person]

18 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

 they're almost always off the tee. 

Me tooooooo

Edited January 31 by Rob Person

[GaryF]

I often go 50-60 holes before losing a ball so the average probably works out to 0.25/round.  The last few years, even while increasing my club head/carry distance, I’ve averaged 82-85% FIRs which helps tremendously.  

[taylorjonasher]

Depends on where I play and how I'm playing that day. There are days when I can go the entire round with the same ball, then there are days where I take one swimming and decide that it's lonely in there and it needs a buddy or four. I have hit three in a row into the hazard on the #1 handicap hole at my home course - #13 at Hunter's Ridge in Marion, IA. There is water / marsh to the left and right, and everything slopes toward it. Overall, I average 1-2 balls donated to the wildlife habitat fund per round.

[jbern]

I would say my average is around 2 per 18 holes. I played about 50 rounds last year and went through 2.5 boxes of new balls, but also played several rounds with found balls that were in great shape. There was one round last fall where I lost 9 balls. Only one went into a water hazard and the rest were lost due to leaves or getting plugged. It was also the first time I played the course so I didn’t have a feel for how far the balls should be going. 
 

When I golf with my uncle he keeps score by how many balls he looses vs finds. The last round I remember he lost 4 and found 8. When people asked him in the club house how his round went he would tell them he was 4 over.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I am a true boom or bust type of player when it comes to losing golf balls lol. I can go a round without losing a single ball, then turn around and be absolutely awful off the tee and lose 6. 

I do believe I've had those rounds where nothing goes right and I lose like 9 golf balls. 

Thankfully towards the end of last season, my loss rate was much lower. Case in point when I played at my uncle's club late October on a course I had never played, I lost one ball on a blind tee shot. I only lost it because I couldn't see where it landed as there was no OB around the hole. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Depends on the course. But I usually buy the Titleist buy 3 get 1 free deal and those 4 dozen last about 2 years and that's about 60-70 rounds. 

I definitely lose the most in the fall when you just cannot find a ball in the leaves if you are off the fairway (or even sometimes on the fairway).

[GolfSpy_KFT]

3 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Depends on the course. But I usually buy the Titleist buy 3 get 1 free deal and those 4 dozen last about 2 years and that's about 60-70 rounds. 

I definitely lose the most in the fall when you just cannot find a ball in the leaves if you are off the fairway (or even sometimes on the fairway).

The day 4 dozen balls lasts me two years is the day I make my debut on the Tour 

[CFreddie]

I typically lose a sleeve a round, and almost always off the tee - my new miss is a sky high slice when I’m being lazy with grip so it’s something I have to be cognizant of. 

[Preeway]

25 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Depends on the course. But I usually buy the Titleist buy 3 get 1 free deal and those 4 dozen last about 2 years and that's about 60-70 rounds. 

I definitely lose the most in the fall when you just cannot find a ball in the leaves if you are off the fairway (or even sometimes on the fairway).

I forgot about the fall leaves in the fairway hazard. Had a round last October where our 4-some lost about 10 balls in the middle of the fairway that day. It was maddening.

[skraeling]

Maybe 1 a round just from sometimes not even being able to find it when it goes dead middle of the fairway usually an early spring / fall problem with the ground being so soft.

Sometimes 0.

Sometimes 2-4 if its a really bad round, bad luck whatever.

Dont have a crowd of spectators watching my ball so eh screw it.  Balls gonna ball.

[Hacker60521]

Early in the season a lot - like 3-6. Part of why I lose so many balls is I’m playing as if I’m in mid-season form so that’s my own course management. Second, my home course is pretty narrow and has some really well placed hazards. As the season goes on I’ll maybe lose a ball a round. I hate taking the penalty stroke 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

2 hours ago, Preeway said:

I forgot about the fall leaves in the fairway hazard. Had a round last October where our 4-some lost about 10 balls in the middle of the fairway that day. It was maddening.

I lost a Left Dash V1x to leaves last fall. Was a good shot, too. True pain was known that day.

[Rob Person]

2 hours ago, CFreddie said:

 and almost always off the tee - my new miss is a sky high

Meeeee tooooo!