When is Your Ball Considered Lost?

Marcela Smith from Girlfriends Guide to Golf explains when a golf ball is defined as lost with a stroke and distance penalty.

Under Rule 18.2a in the Rules of Golf, your ball is defined as lost if not found within 3 minutes of when the player or her caddie begins to search for it. The only option is to go back to the location of your last shot, and take a drop under stroke and distance.

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