Just ask Sergio Garcia (below). Sergio Garcia looks for his ball up a palm tree on the 12th hole during the second round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2013.

Cameron believes the Top Flite ball became lodged in the tree about 20 years ago, based on the growth rings he counted around it. "It was right in the middle of this tree," said Cameron.

Earlier this week, a lost golf ball was recovered at a venerable Virginia course, but not within a legal timeframe. The rules of the game allow a three-minute search. This ball had been missing ...

The icing on the cake is a smattering of red-painted, glitter-topped golf balls that give the whole a quintessential Christmas tree look. Top the cone with a star twisted up from gold pipe cleaners.

If you can ID your ball in the allotted search time, you can proceed under Rule 19.2 and declare it unplayable. When you do so, you have three options from there—and they all come with a one ...