What do you do with golf balls that you find that you would have no intention of gaming?

[Mac62]

Originally Posted by Chas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

LOL-

I thought golf was played by people a little higher on the food chain.....

lol

Some of the people I play with would grab your sandwich out of the cart while you're off looking for that stray ball ......

................................ not really.  Actually it's the brazen ducks that grab your sandwiches around here, pesky blighters.

Now that I'm more aware of the many rattlesnakes that lurk on the courses here in sunny San Diego, including a very large one spotted in light rough at a certain local track recently (I saw definitve photographic evidence), I'll be a tad more reluctant to scamper into the undergrowth to pick up a ball I see in there.

We saw a 4' Coontail (Western Diamondback) curled up in the rough about 20' off the first green last week on my home course (in AZ).  One of the marshals got rattled at near the 18th tee box, but the snake was gone by the time he turned back around to check it out.  That's warning enough for me to stay out of the brush.

[Rick Martin]

Alligators here - always on the lookout for them near ponds/lakes. Left a ball right next to one last season. Wish I had my camera to take a picture of it.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Chas

Some of the people I play with would grab your sandwich out of the cart while you're off looking for that stray ball ......

................................ not really.  Actually it's the brazen ducks that grab your sandwiches around here, pesky blighters.

On my home course in Colorado, it's magpies which are the thieves.  They are even smart enough to know that it's most profitable to hang out around the green on #10.  Players stop at the snack bar when they make the turn to grab a hot dog or an energy bar or bag of chips.  If they leave it in the cubby hole or such in the cart, or in an open pocket in their bags, it won't be there after they putt.  Instead there will be 2 or 3 magpies squabbling over it in a tree or out in the grass.

Even when there is nothing to steal they will still check out every cart that parks there.  I've had one land on the steering wheel and take a dump on the scorecard I was keeping for my fellow competitor - really disgusting.  It was during a men's club tournament and we were required to return the official scorecard.  I pulled a spare out of my bag and kept score on that for the rest of the round, then we presented the predicament to the committee and they authorized him to return the alternate card for that round.

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by phan52

Not necessarily a good idea, as it will make it much easier for somebody to hit a wrong ball. Better to keep them out of play, where they belong.

That is why I drop them on the next tee.  Plus, the mowers don't shred them there.

[dbuck]

Some of my playing buddies have kids that are learning and I will usually give/save for them. If my buddies aren't with me and it is very long before I see them, they become "woods balls" that I hit out of my yard into the woods.

[rehmwa]

Originally Posted by dbuck

Some of my playing buddies have kids that are learning and I will usually give/save for them. If my buddies aren't with me and it is very long before I see them, they become "woods balls" that I hit out of my yard into the woods.

I ended up playing with a guy and his son one day.  The kid was on the junior high team or something.  Halfway through I found a few balls and we started talking about that.  Guy noted the kid and his friends look for a few specific brands.  So tee box on 18, I went through my shag pocket and sorted out about a half dozen of that brand and gave them over to the kid.  that's a good cause any day.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by rehmwa

I ended up playing with a guy and his son one day.  The kid was on the junior high team or something.  Halfway through I found a few balls and we started talking about that.  Guy noted the kid and his friends look for a few specific brands.  So tee box on 18, I went through my shag pocket and sorted out about a half dozen of that brand and gave them over to the kid.  that's a good cause any day.

There is a guy at my home course who does this. He literally has 5 gallon buckets full in his basement which are sorted by not only brand, but by model (NXT bucket, NXT Tour bucket, NXT Tour S bucket, etc.). It's insane... but he's very generous as well lol.

[phan52]

Originally Posted by dbuck

Some of my playing buddies have kids that are learning and I will usually give/save for them. If my buddies aren't with me and it is very long before I see them, they become "woods balls" that I hit out of my yard into the woods.

About 15 years ago, I got a new golf bag and gave my old one to the Junior program. The kid who got it still sends me and my family a Christmas card every year.

And he is still an avid golfer.

[Rouleur]

Rehmwa and phan52, well played!

Those are the feel good stories I love hearing about!

[AGolfingCigar]

Originally Posted by Mac62

I won't go anywhere near a ball that I even remotely think might possibly be in play by another golfer.  I've had my ball in play picked up by greedy ball-hawkers too many times, know the feeling and won't be "that guy".

I actually played in a meetup.com group gathering last week and watched a guy from the group who was a part of the 2nd foursome trailing mine pickup my ball from a shared rough area and hit it. I stared at him the whole time and asked him if he picked up a ProV1x with my initials on it and he declined. I considered walking to the ball to pick it up and call him on it, but decided I was there to make nice and find new golf buddies so I thought better of it. Won't be playing in front of him again.

[SCfanatic35]

I save them for rounds that I am playing bad, because I don't want to lose my good balls.  I will also give them to my son or daughter to use when they are playing hole 2 at my course. It is a 90 yard par 3 with nothing but a pond in front.  My kids don't like skipping holes, so I let them hit those into the drink so they can still play it.  My son actually can reach the green now, which makes him so excited.

[Chas]

I save them for rounds that I am playing bad, because I don't want to lose my good balls.

Not a bad idea - I even have the very bag for storing them (small sleeve). Also, certain holes where there's a high known risk of a total loss, e.g. long carry over water on the approach shot. One such hole springs readily to mind .....

[Mac62]

Originally Posted by SCfanatic35

I save them for rounds that I am playing bad, because I don't want to lose my good balls....

I used to do that, but refuse to do it anymore.  Mentally it feels like I've already surrendered/resigned myself to having a bad round.  I refuse to even pull out a crap ball on a water hole - I figure if I don't want to lose my good balls, I should learn to hit better shots. :)

[Chas]

I used to do that, but refuse to do it anymore.  Mentally it feels like I've already surrendered/resigned myself to having a bad round.  I refuse to even pull out a crap ball on a water hole - I figure if I don't want to lose my good balls, I should learn to hit better shots. :)

I see your point and would agree, except that I'm not talking crap balls here - I only pick up and retain balls of roughly equal quality to those I buy. I'm picky and I'm too cheap to buy ProV1's. :>)