How long do you search for a lost ball ?

Picking up on the competitive gamesmanship post I though I would pose this.

I know the ruling/etiquette on this   but if the course is busy and you/playing partners lose a ball which in all honesty you haven't a scooby (scooby doo/clue) where it is.  How long do you realisticly look for it ?

I give up very quickly, I hate looking for lost balls.

I know you don't John because they are never yours.........I will take  my five mins if I've some idea of where it is but if I havn't seen exactly where not that long.

Yes Matt 5 mins from the time you arrive at the lost ball site.

Dave,

I thought that but was recently watching the Ballentine event on sky & the commentator said "his 5 mins starts as soon as it looks like he's looking for the ball". Does this mean if there not sure where the area is they can discuss it first & then start looking?

Peter, you cannot give free drops surely.

Good question John, I would say common sense would prevail and that you are probably correct. As you know I will check it out.

I did lose a ball today, David. I hit it into some gorse bushes and didn't even bother going to look for it. Played three off the tee, got a par with the second ball, so a 7 instead of a five.

Well you were never going to hit your secound in the bush thats for sure .PM me let me know how you did on the big monster.

It was a very nice course and one that you would like very much. Myself and Darren A. took on Martyn Black and Roger Marsland who arranged the game. No strokes involved and it finished all square on the last, but I will tell you that we were never ever one up, always behind. In fact three down after three, so a pretty good recovery. Martyn is the longest hitter I have ever seen, quite majestic in fact. He hits a four iron off the tee almost as far as Darrens drives and he is no slouch, as you well know. Roger was very steady, you know the kind, every drive on the fairway, safe second shots so we were up against it.

The beauty of the course is that the fairways are very generous but littered with bunkers on either side. I think I went in sand on every hole, but that gave me some well needed bunker practice.

The greens were the most difficult to putt on that I have seeen in a very long time. They had so many undulations any long putt was a nightmare trying to establish a line.

I did not play very well as my hip was giving me gip, but Darren kept the side together as he usually does and it turned into a very good game. The gorse is very thick and has to be avoided if a good score is sought.

Sounds like a grind JP but well done the pair for getting the half.

To my knowledge, you have five minutes from the time you get to where you think your ball is.

Whilst looking you must wave through any group that is behind you and waiting to play their shots.  This is the problem with golf today, people start looking for their ball and keep the group(s) behind them waiting!  Course marshalls should be out there to keep things moving.

If after five minutes you cannot find the ball then you must declare it lost and continue according to the rules of golf.

One of the main things I find is that people don't watch where their ball goes in the first place.  How many times do you see somebody hit a big slice from the tee and turn around moaning about it, when they should moan about it while looking where the ball is going?

Another thing I heard a tour pro say was that there should be no long stuff under trees, the trees are hazard enough without having to get out of the long stuff as well.  Now thinging about this I have to agree.  At my course we have some man made mounds between fairways.  The club have trees on these mounds, but they also let the grass grow about a foot deep.  Imagine getting into that and finding your ball! 

Crookhill Park GC used to have some trees between the fairways but they at least kept the grass short around them.  Then you could find your ball but the trees would penalise you because they would mean you chipping out sideways instead of going for the green.  Helping to keep play moving along.

Russ

Depends on how close the peeps behind are and also whats at stake and whether I can be bothered looking which depends on what kind of ball it is......

I have some visiball glasses to help speed up the find but they make me look like man from mars and a complete pillock if I don't recover the ball in them...

I see Captain Spellcheck is back.  Got your cape on and wearing your undies on the outside again Wayne?

Although he's obviously not accompanied by Grammar Man and Punctuation Boy....

I've heard some unsavoury rumours about those two.........

What's a lost ball?

When I lose a ball it tends to stay lost, don't do many iffy ones.  They're either in the middle of a pond or over the boundary fence and down the road!  Did, however, find mine in the middle of the shrubbery at Conwy on Sunday. with help from Wayne, and several other balls at the same time.  True to form that was my first ball, my provisional was in the caravan park next door.....

Nice debate.

Think I am like Robbie, depends who's behind and in front on the course, what's at stake and whether you have any idea where the ball went.  For me 5 minutes when you arrive at the ball location is too long and should be reduced to 2 or 3 mins.

Tim,

What a good day Conwy was, you played your slice fade really well?

I've got a playing partner who spends ages looking for any ball he loses and if he does not find it he will return to the same spot on the next round and look again.