Picking up the wrong ball..... oops....

[JerryTimes]

So today I was out playing my first round of the year.  I was on a par 4, roughly 350 yards that has a tree that hangs partially over the fairway.  It was a windy day today and I made a solid drive, but I pulled the shot..... needless to say it hit the tree.  I lost sight of the ball, but to the left I saw a ball land.  It was in the middle of the fairway on the hole next to me... no one was on that hole.  It was the same brand ball, and had the number 4 on it.  I picked it up since I was out of bounds and as I start to walk away I realize it wasn't mine.  I had a Top Flite XL Straight, this was an XL distance.  I looked around and I saw someone on the hole on the opposite hole come up in his kart as I replaced it where it was.  He was giving me all kinds of attitude since I picked up his ball, even after I explained what happened.  (Mind you, he wasn't on his fairway either.)  Sometimes people need to relax a little... after all.  You're golfing!

Just thought I'd share that.

[mailman]

It might have been the drive of his life though? :)

Regards

Mailman

[JerryTimes]

Originally Posted by mailman

It might have been the drive of his life though? :)

Regards

Mailman

Maybe, but his buddy hit his 30 yard farther!

[colin007]

Why were you out of bounds?

[Mac62]

That's exactly why I mark my ball.  A lot of people play e6's, but not marked like mine are.  If it's not my ball, I leave it where it is unless I know with 100% certainty that there's nobody playing anywhere near me that it could possibly belong to.  It irritates me to no end when somebody picks up my ball, so I try not to be "that guy".  Several of the guys I golf with don't mark their balls and it's amusing (if not exasperating sometimes) to watch them trying to sort it out.  They're either both playing the same brand ball with no markings, or have no idea what they grabbed out of their mixed grab bag so they really don't know which ball is theirs.  "What ball are you playing?" " *shrug* I dunno - it's either a Pinnacle, a Nike or a Titleist!".

We have "snowbirds" in Arizona all winter (retiree visitors from Canada and the northern states seeking refuge from the winter).  Despite the fact that they own very expensive RVs and/or vacation homes down here, many of them are the biggest tightwads you'll ever run across (common joke from service employees down here: "Q: Know the difference between a canoe and a snowbird?  A: A canoe will tip once in a while!") .  On the golf course, they'll pick up any ball that's not nailed down or doesn't have somebody standing directly over it - whether it's marked or not.  If you hit it anywhere but in the middle of your fairway in plain sight, you'd better start heading that way quick or there's a good chance your ball will be in their pocket...or they'll mistakenly play it as theirs because they don't mark their balls and/or don't check before hitting.

[JerryTimes]

Why were you out of bounds?

Because I'm still learning and hit a tree.

[clearwaterms]

Because I'm still learning and hit a tree.

No what he meant was that you can play from another fairway, if the ball is on play on the course, than you can play from that spot. As for picking up the wrong ball, it happens. Just remember, that he is just as fault as you are, because he didn't mark his ball either.

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

It only takes 2 seconds and a .99 cent Sharpie to mark your ball. You will never pick up or hit the wrong one again.

[ap883]

Originally Posted by MyrtleBeachGolf

It only takes 2 seconds and a .99 cent Sharpie to mark your ball. You will never pick up or hit the wrong one again.

Good advice, takes a bit longer the first time to decide what you want your personal mark to be though. :)

[colin007]

No what he meant was that you can play from another fairway, if the ball is on play on the course, than you can play from that spot.

Yes, this.

[el shanko]

i never pick one up thats in play, now if its swimming or hanging out in the woods thats another issue. just my .02

[NM Golf]

Two Rules:

Rule 1: Clearly mark your golf ball. You are just asking for trouble if you don't do this.

Rule 2: Never pick up a golf ball unless it's yours. If you cannot figure out if its yours see rule #1