This time of year it's not uncommon to get onto a course that has pretty tall grass. With all the rain we're having here in Maryland, it's tough to get the mowers out on the course without messing things up, so the grass just pops up and keeps on going.
The grass is happy, but the golfers are not! I was at the course today and boy was it furry! I heard rumors of people storming off the course saying that they lost the ball in the fairway, and so I thought I would go out and see what all the commotion was about.
I teed off on the first hole and watched my ball sail out into the open air headed toward the left rough. I thought to myself "if it's as bad as everyone is saying, I better hit another one just in case I can't find the first." I made a note of where the ball went and headed off to find it.
The grass was very tall and I thought it might be possible to lose a small child in rough that deep but as I walked in the direction of my ball I knew I'd find it because I watched it carefully.
I played 8 holes without even a worry about finding my ball. On the 9th hole I hit a great drive down the right side and I saw it bound to the left and then I took my eyes off f it. I took for granted that I would just walk up and find the ball that was struck perfectly and was heading in the direction I wanted it to go.
The ball was gone, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked on the left and right side of the fairway, in the middle of the fairway, but couldn't find it.
It dawned on me that for 8 straight holes I paid very close attention to the shot and where it went. I made mental notes of where it landed and possible landmarks along the way. I didn't even play that great all the way through, but I found about 6 balls and didn't lose one until the 9th. It was probably the best drive of the day and I took my eyes off of it, thinking that it was so good I couldn't possibly lose it...until I did.
Finding your ball is a learned skill. Like anything else, you have to practice. Here are a couple of guidelines for always keeping track of your ball.
The grass is happy, but the golfers are not! I was at the course today and boy was it furry! I heard rumors of people storming off the course saying that they lost the ball in the fairway, and so I thought I would go out and see what all the commotion was about.
I teed off on the first hole and watched my ball sail out into the open air headed toward the left rough. I thought to myself "if it's as bad as everyone is saying, I better hit another one just in case I can't find the first." I made a note of where the ball went and headed off to find it.
The grass was very tall and I thought it might be possible to lose a small child in rough that deep but as I walked in the direction of my ball I knew I'd find it because I watched it carefully.
I played 8 holes without even a worry about finding my ball. On the 9th hole I hit a great drive down the right side and I saw it bound to the left and then I took my eyes off f it. I took for granted that I would just walk up and find the ball that was struck perfectly and was heading in the direction I wanted it to go.
The ball was gone, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked on the left and right side of the fairway, in the middle of the fairway, but couldn't find it.
It dawned on me that for 8 straight holes I paid very close attention to the shot and where it went. I made mental notes of where it landed and possible landmarks along the way. I didn't even play that great all the way through, but I found about 6 balls and didn't lose one until the 9th. It was probably the best drive of the day and I took my eyes off of it, thinking that it was so good I couldn't possibly lose it...until I did.
Finding your ball is a learned skill. Like anything else, you have to practice. Here are a couple of guidelines for always keeping track of your ball.
- ALWAYS watch it until it finishes moving (if possible)
- Draw a mental line from you to the ball and beyond and make note of landmarks that are beyond your ball so that when you are nearing your ball's location you can use it to guide you.
- Try your best to make a mental note of a landmark that is left or right of your ball. This can help you figure out if you need to go farther down the hole in your search
- The most neglected of all guidelines but one of the most important for finding your ball...know how far, on average, you hit each club. Use this average to help your search.
No comments:
Post a Comment