Can’t Spot Your Golf Ball in Flight? Here’s What to Do About It

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Are you losing your golf ball in flight, simply because you can’t track it in the air? You’re not alone. Vision changes, weather conditions, and other challenges can make the ball difficult to spot.

This question comes up quite a lot in our Seniors Who Golf Facebook group.

One member recently asked:

“I’m 72 and my eyesight is going south a little bit at a time. Many times I have trouble following the ball flight even when I smack it right down the middle. Any tips our tricks on how to track the ball better? I’ve even lost one in the fairway!”

Many tips on the internet suggest buying different products to resolve the challenge, of course, many of them do help.

We agree that high-visibility balls and polarized sunglasses help, but we have actionable tips to improve your long-distance vision and course awareness.

7 Tips to Find Your Golf Ball in Flight

golf ball in flight with sparks around it

Here are seven tips to boost your razor vision and help you follow the ball through the air and to its final resting place.

1. Sharpen your eye sight

Tracking a golf ball in flight relies heavily on hyperopia—your ability to see at a distance.

If you’ve noticed it’s getting harder to follow your golf shots, an eye exam with an ophthalmologist is a smart first step. Many of our Seniors Who Golf members have found that cataracts or other age-related vision changes were affecting their game.

One way to sharpen your tracking ability is by practicing eye focus on moving objects. A simple at-home exercise involves following a laser pointer with your eyes. Or better yet, practice near-to-far shots on the driving range to enhance your ability to track a golf ball in motion on the course.

I use the laser exercise frequently. I stand on the other side of my room and get a family member to move the laser side to side and up and down.

Start the exercise with both eyes and then train individual eyes on the same exercise. It makes it easier for me to detect my high-visibility golf ball soaring through the sky.

2. Choose high-visibility golf balls

High-visibility golf balls are easier to follow in the air and spot in the cabbage patch, making them popular among veteran golfers. However, they are not a permanent solution to improving your tracer skills.

The yellow matte finish is easier on the eye in my experience, but if you need something bolder think about pink or orange-covered golf balls.

3. Polarized sunglasses can help

Polarized sunglasses aid your ball tracking in the glare, allowing you to look into harsh light and follow your ball in flight.

You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars for a quality pair, because today brands like Tifosi are super affordable.

Oakley recently came out with the Prizm lens technology that enhances the details that helps make the golf ball “pop” with their reddish color lens. When we tried them, they recommended using a white color ball to get the full effect. While effective, they run currently around 185 bucks.

Ernie Els also has his new new line of golf glasses by Jondosport USA. Their current pricing is in the $250 range.

4. Learn to feel the shot

Experienced golfers often “know” where their ball is going without even seeing it. The feeling we experience at impact can tell us a lot about where our ball is going. If we strike the ball cleanly and your clubface is square to the target, the chances are that the ball is going straight or close to the desired target.

When you feel like your clubface has side-swiped the golf ball or you fall back at impact, the chance of the ball slicing is higher. Finally, if you feel that your clubface is closed at impact and your wrists turned over, you can start looking left, because that ball is hooking.

By mastering the feel of different shots, it allows you to look in the correct direction to catch the ball, without constantly lifting your head at impact to avoid losing the ball.

5. Align with purpose

Your aim is a vital clue as to where your ball is heading, allowing you to start looking in this direction after the ball takes flight. If your clubface is square to the middle of the fairway and you strike the ball sweetly, it should be in line with your desired target. The same logic applies if you are aiming to the left or right of the target.

Reducing the area your target leaves less room for you to focus on while the ball is in flight.

6. Look for landmarks

When your golf ball veers off course, it’s important to identify landmarks that give you the best chance of finding your ball. If your ball is heading towards a bush, watch it go in, then identify a distinguished feature where you can start searching.

Let’s say there was a 200-yard marker right next to the bush. Start from the marker, before broadening the search.

7. Ask for help

Don’t be afraid to ask your playing partners for help.

A quick “Can you spot where that went?” can save a lot of frustration. Many golfers are happy to lend a hand, especially when they know how tricky tracking the ball can be.

If you walk the course, I can’t recommend hiring a caddie enough. They are not able to solve your eyesight, but they can reduce your lost ball count. Hiring a ball spotter for the round eradicates one less hassle for your round, allowing you to focus on enjoying your day out while somebody else keeps tabs on your ball.

Final Thoughts

When you can’t see your golf ball in flight it helps to alter your equipment and train your eyes with simple laser exercises.

If you don’t see any results with these exercises and high-visibility golf balls, I suggest hiring a caddie, who will save you a fortune in lost balls.

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AUTHOR

Matt Callcott-Stevens has lived and breathed golf since he was four. As a junior, he played competitively, until he discovered his talents were better suited to writing about the game. Matt holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing through the Johan Cruyff Institute in Barcelona and has provided golf game improvement tips to seniors and the average golfer for seven years.

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