Stuff Golfers Should Know Hide & Seek

Five ways to stop losing your golf balls— other than by just playing better

- Josh Sens

IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED that the average golfer loses three to four balls a round, accounting for more than 400 million lost balls globally each year. We can do better, people! One way to minimize those mini-heartaches is to keep more drives and approaches in the short grass. But since bad shots are inevitable, here are five other ways to prevent balls from going MIA, regardless of your handicap.

1. Play the right tees

Architects want their courses to present a challenge. They also want them to be fair. They put much thought into the positioning of tees in relation to ponds, creeks and other ball-swallowing hazards. We owe it to them—and ourselves—to put thought (see sidebar) into playing the boxes that suit our game.

2. Find a reference point