I was playing with a buddy of mine the other day and he bought a brand new box of Srixon Soft Feel balls and by the end of the round, he was down to 3 balls. It was hard for me to watch, let alone him, and that’s why I wanted to talk about how to keep track of your golf ball so you don’t lose it.
There are a number of things you can do to keep more golf balls and some of them are pretty simple. I’m going to mention a few tips you can use to keep your ball in the fairway and then a few more to help you find your ball if it does end up in the rough. Here are a few things you can do to keep track of your golf ball:
- Watch your ball land and find a marker.
- Don’t have tunnel vision looking for your ball.
- Get your partner to watch your ball and confirm the landing spot.
- Wear the right sunglasses.
If you do those 4 things you should have no trouble keeping more golf balls. They sound pretty simple but you’d be surprised by how many people overlook them. Even losing a free ball you found in the bush can be tough so I can only imagine what it’d be like for the people spending 40 bucks per dozen. Continue reading for the full details on how to stop losing so many balls.
Watch Your Ball Land
The first thing you’ll want to do is actually watch your ball land, even if you know it’s in play. I find myself doing this often and almost every time, my ball ends up being donated to the golf gods. It sounds so simple but it really does help.
When your ball lands you’ll want to look for a marker that’s close to it so you can easily get an idea when you walk up to it. It could be a mound, a tree, a bunker, or whatever else you can spot. You’ll especially want to do this in the winter when balls tend to get plugged.
Just get in the habit of watching your ball land. You’re not Tiger Woods and you don’t have his bank account, so don’t twirl the club and walk off the box before your ball lands. Unless you like losing golf balls?
Don’t Have Tunnel Vision
The next thing you can do is not have tunnel vision when you’re looking for your ball. I’m sure you’ve been looking for something specific in the fridge, can’t seem to find it, and someone else takes one look and spots it right away. It’s the exact same on the golf course.
If you’re walking and looking straight down, you’ll have a tough time finding your ball. Relax, calm down, and scan the area as you walk. You should know the general area so slow down, look around, and walk from different angles.
Again, it sounds so simple but you’d be surprised by how effective it is. If you don’t do the first thing it’ll still be tough though. They all work together so get in the habit of really paying attention.
Get Your Partner To Watch
The next thing you can do is get your partner to watch your ball and confirm the spot it landed. Sometimes it’s tough to see your own ball fly so get someone to stand behind you and keep a lookout. It’s simple but it works.
There have been times where I thought my ball landed in a certain spot but my buddy pointed somewhere completely different and that’s where it was. You can also get them to walk the area with you if you can’t spot it. That’s just good golf etiquette.
Wear The Right Sunglasses
The final thing you can do is wear the right sunglasses. I never liked wearing glasses on the course because my driving glasses were too dark and they fell down when I swung. I got a decent pair of golf-specific glasses and it made a huge difference.
They’re designed differently and they have a different lens shape which makes them stay on your face and they don’t limit your range of vision. They also make it so much easier to keep track of your ball in the air and read greens.
There are a number of different colors to pick from but I found something brown works the best. It makes darker colors lighter and lighter colors not so bright. You can also read greens much easier than wearing nothing (not really sure why). You can see my favorite golfing sunglasses here.
Quick Tips To Keep More Balls In Play
If you follow the previous steps you should be able to keep a lot more balls and save some money. If you’re getting frustrated by constantly hitting your ball in the rough then here are a couple of tips that could help you out.
The first thing you should do is to check your alignment. I always thought I was lining up straight but I didn’t really realize the driving range I go to wasn’t aligned properly. I was always lining up my feet too far right and it showed in my shots. Your clubface should be aligned to the target and your feet should be parallel to that (not at the target). Get yourself a Tee Claw to help with your alignment.
The second thing you can do is check your clubface when your club is parallel to the ground. A lot of people over or under rotate their clubface in the backswing and that’s going to push or pull your ball. Take your club back so it’s parallel to the ground and check to make sure your clubface is at the same angle as your spine. Continue your backswing, start your downswing, and stop again when your club is parallel. Check to make sure your angle is the same as your spine.
The final thing you’ll want to do is be smart about your game. You know your game better than anyone else, so you probably already know the best shot in each spot. Always play the odds and what’ll give you the best chance of staying in play. If you’re on a tight hole and you know your driver will slice, don’t hit driver. If you’re in the rough and you know you have trouble making solid contact, don’t use a fairway wood and punch it out instead.
Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Like this article? Feel free to give it a share!
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