How to Stop Losing Golf Balls: Simple Tips to Keep It in Play
Golf balls are expensive. There’s nothing worse than teeing up a shiny new one on the first hole and never seeing it again.
But here’s the thing: losing golf balls isn’t always a swing problem. It’s usually a control problem.
There’s more than enough room on a golf course to keep your ball in play. If you’re losing two, three, or more a round, it’s time to fix the patterns causing that. You don’t need a full swing overhaul; you need better decisions, tighter fundamentals, and a few focused drills.
Here’s how to start keeping more balls in play.
How to Stop Losing Golf Balls (Key Takeaways)
Take this guide with you the next time you head to the driving range. It will help you narrow down what you need to work on and how to fix it accordingly.
- Smarter club selection off the tee can save multiple shots per round.
- A consistent pre-shot routine helps eliminate big misses under pressure.
- Most players are misaligned without realizing it—fixing that is low-hanging fruit.
- Fix your primary miss (usually a slice or hook) before overhauling your swing.
- Wrist control at impact plays a major role in directional misses and poor contact.
- HackMotion helps identify and correct wrist angles that lead to lost balls.
Contents
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Proven Ways to Stop Losing Golf Balls on the Course
Club Down Off the Tee
Distance doesn’t always help when you are trying to keep the ball in play. Hitting the driver gets you closer to the green and allows you to make a birdie.If you are hitting it wild that day, back it down and go with a club that gets you in the fairway.
No swing changes. Just smarter choices.
You don’t need to take the driver out of the bag forever. But if you’re facing a narrow landing zone, or you’ve already lost a ball with it, play a hybrid, mini driver or long iron and aim for the center.
Build a Pre-Shot Routine You’ll Actually Use
Inconsistent swings often start with inconsistent setups. The best players don’t think less, they think consistently.
That’s what a pre-shot routine is for. You need the pre-shot routine to develop structure in your golf game.
Here’s a basic routine to help you build out your pre-shot routine.
- One rehearsal swing focused on a single feel.
- Two calm breaths to reduce tension.
- A clear target in your mind.
- Step in, commit, and swing.
Players who follow this routine under pressure tighten their dispersion. If you are losing too many golf balls, it’s worth a shot.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Fix Your Alignment
Bad alignment is one of the most common causes of lost balls. Players think they’re aiming at the target, but they’re often 10–15 yards off.
That’s enough to turn a solid swing into a lost ball. If you are not practicing your alignment, it’s probably time to start.
All you need is a few alignment sticks and a driving range, but you should be actively practicing your alignment.
Use this drill:
- Lay alignment rods for target and foot line.
- Hit 5 balls.
- Move over and hit 5 more with no sticks.
- Have a coach or friend place the rods based on where you were aimed.
- Compare actual vs. assumed alignment.
Misalignment usually leads to inconsistent wrist positions at setup and impact. With HackMotion, you can track how changes in setup affect your delivery.
Small adjustments in wrist angles often clean up ball flight and tighten dispersion.
Fix Your Big Miss
Most golfers have one shot that causes the majority of their lost balls—and for most players, that’s a slice. The fix isn’t trying to swing harder; it’s controlling the clubface.
Want to eliminate your slice permanently? Our free 7-part video course walks you through every step. Start the free course here.
After studying millions of golf swings, we know that the best players in the game square the clubface as one of their first moves from the top of the swing.
Drill: Motorcycle Drill (Slice Fix)
- Navigate to the HackMotion Motorcycle drill in the app.
- Set up normally, with a slight wrist extension.
- At the top, feel like you’re revving a motorcycle with your lead hand.
- This promotes lead wrist flexion, closing the face sooner.
- Use HackMotion to confirm your lead wrist is moving into flexion during transition.
Always Play Away from Trouble
This one’s obvious, but you’d be surprised how many players aim straight at the hazard. Water right? They aim at the right edge of the fairway. OB left? They try to squeeze one up the left.
The rule is simple: identify the trouble, and aim away from it.
- Water on the right? Aim left-center.
- OB left? Shift your line to the right.
- Hazard in front? Take more club and swing more easily.
It sounds conservative, but it’s smart golf.
Drills to Stop Losing Golf Balls
If you need to work on hitting straighter golf shots, here are a few drills you can use.
Practicing with a HackMotion can bring awareness and data to things that you may not have realized were costing you strokes.
Casting Drill (Fix Early Release and High, Weak Misses)
The Casting Drill is one you can work on in real time using the HackMotion app.
It will help fix issues with high weak misses that often end up to the right of your target. Casting happens when you lose lag on the downswing.
Fix Your Casting with HackMotion
Train to fix casting by generating power with your core and lower body.
HackMotion Casting Drill – Step by Step:
- Wear your HackMotion wrist sensor on your lead wrist, and start the Casting Drill in the app.
- Start with half-speed swings.
- Focus on initiating the downswing with your hips and torso, not your hands.
- Maintain wrist angles in the hitting zone.
- Use HackMotion to confirm lag is maintained, no early wrist extension.
Low Point Control Drill (Improve Contact)
Improving your low point will help to eliminate fat shots, thin shots, and inconsistent strikes.
Essentially, if you make poor contact with the ball from time to time, this is a drill to try.
Low Point Control Drill – Step by Step:
- Spray a line on the turf or place a folded towel a few inches behind the ball.
- Place the ball just ahead of the line or towel.
- Swing and try to bottom out the club after the line.
- Use HackMotion to watch wrist angles—the lead wrist should be more flexed at impact than at setup.
Hook Correction Drill (Too Much Wrist Flexion)
While most golfers struggle with a slice, we can’t forget about those who hit a hook.
If you are known to hit pull hooks, low left shots and have too much face rotation on the club it could be caused by excess wrist flexion. This drill teaches you to neutralize the face.
Hook Correction Drill – Step by Step:
- Check your grip—neutralize if too strong.
- On the takeaway, maintain some extension in the lead wrist and check with HackMotion data.
- Use HackMotion to make sure your wrist isn’t overly flexed at the top. (You can use the Top Drill in the app if desired.)
- Rehearse with a swing station to prevent an inside takeaway and an overly closed face.
Final thoughts
If you’re tired of watching balls disappear into the trees or water, it’s time to fix what’s causing them to go there. It’s not just your swing, it’s your decisions, setup, and how you manage the clubface and your wrists at impact.
HackMotion shows you what’s really happening at impact, especially in your wrists. That’s where most shot shape and contact issues begin.
When you can measure it, you can fix it. To dig deeper into these drills, get your HackMotion and start practicing with real-time feedback that actually improves your swing.
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