3 Tips For Finding Golf Balls In The Rough

Smacking a tee shot or a fairway iron into the rough is a relatively common occurrence for most recreational golfers. Landing a ball a few yards off of the fairway typically isn't a big deal unless you are unable to find it, which can lead to dreaded penalty strokes and a need to fork over cash for new spheres. Losing balls on the course can be embarrassing, expensive and time-consuming and can easily ruin whatever rhythm or focus you were carrying throughout your round. Fortunately, a few tips and methods can be utilized on the course to minimize your chances of having to cast a ball to the wind while reaching into your bag for another. Here are three things that can be done to help locate and save a wayward golf ball.

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Keep Your Eyes on the Ball

The overwhelming majority of professional and recreation golfers react to bad tee shots in a way that is intended to show the nearby witnesses that they are very displeased, disappointed or even surprised by what happened. Professionals can get away with post-contact antics in light of the fact that course employees are paid to stand on the edges of the rough and locate balls that land within.

Given that amateurs naturally emulate the professionals they someday hope to become, badly hit shots at municipal golf courses are often followed with the banging or tossing of a club and a few colorful adjectives and verbs. These reactions are extremely detrimental to locating a ball headed for the rough, as it pulls your attention off of the flight path of the ball, which is the most valuable piece of information you will need to locate a golf ball. The next time you make poor contact, hold off on the charades and sulking until you have seen the ball come back down to Earth, making sure to take a visual and mental note of the nearest landmark that it appeared to come to rest by.

Leave the Cart out of the Search

A very common approach to finding a golf ball in the rough is to mash a cart through the tall grass in a frustrated attempt at finding your bad shot and putting it behind you as quickly as possible. While this method is tempting, it is one that lacks effectiveness and can actually bury your ball to unattainable depths if any of the tires on the cart happen to run over it. By parking the cart on the edge of the rough and conducting your search on foot, you will slow down your pace and greatly increase your chance of being reunited with your pearl. If you're riding in a cart with a friend or fellow player who has landed their ball in the fairway, you may want to ask if they would be willing to lend a pair of eyes for a few minutes. If no groups are waiting to play behind you, the search can go on for as long as necessary.

Crop Circle Method

Once you have immersed yourself in the area where your shot landed, it's time to go about finding the elusive little thing. By mentally sectioning off areas the size of a typical bedroom, you can go about your search in an effective and systematic way while avoiding the annoying human tendency to look in the same place several times. Kneeling while slowly rotating in a 360-degree circle will allow you to scan the area in short time. Doing this 10 or 12 times will allow you to cover over 100 square feet.