Find a Ball on the Course? LEAVE IT THERE!

Ok, so I nearly got in a fight yesterday at the golf course. It takes a lot for my blood temp to get up but damnit, if you find a golf ball on the course, don't pick it up!

I hit my tee shot a little to the right on the par 5 that borders another hole. I'm walking up to where I think my ball is and I see a guy picking up a ball. Thinking it's mine, I hurry my way over because Pro V1x balls are expensive! I walk up and I look at the ball that he was looking at, it's a Slazenger. I ask him if he picked up a ball and he said yea, I asked to see it. It was mine, had my mark on it and everything. What made me really mad was that he put a different ball down. What the hell was he thinking? Did he think I would just play a Slazenger and not realize it wasn't my ball? I almost caved his skull in I was so mad.

So please people, you don't just pick up other balls on the course. Unless you're the ONLY person on the course or you're standing in a pond fishing for balls, just leave them be. They are obviously someone else's balls (hee hee).

I stopped picking up balls a year ago. I don't want to worry about something like happening and I also like hitting the ball I'm used to (e6+).

Good thread!

Yep, that's why I joined the country club, too many jackasses on public courses. When I play a public course now it's for a tournament or places with at least a $275 dollar+ greens fee, this eliminates the idiots and I can enjoy my day

good thing, cause in some states homosexual acts are frowned upon.

So by this quote your saying that people with money or in a finacial position to play a private course/country club would never steal a ball or have a lack of course etiquette ?? Sorry, but That's a pretty ignorant statement .

I haven't picked a ball up in several years, even if its a ProV1. Not worth the hassle if someone is playing it.

Don't be sorry, but the stealing of balls and lack of course etiquette is down by a good 98% at my country club as opposed to the public courses I have played at, and I've played them all around here

98%. Sounds like you did some serious research on the subject. You must fit right in at the country club.

if you could afford playing at $200+ courses, you can afford buying another box when the time is needed. Im not gonna lie, I use to take the ball that I find, but most of the time. the ones I find no one else is around to claim. Now, I just leave it be because I have enough in my bag that I can get through 18 holes without losing all of them. Pete is right, it was a pretty ignorant statement and calling us regular folks idiots reminds me of how much I hate people who take this game too damn serious and think there playing in the PGA Tour. You lose a ball, grab another.

I hate that too......i can get wild when i try to get an extra 10 yrds.............but on the other hand ill pick up a prov1 if i don't see anybody.........if i think theres a possibility of it being someones ill go hit my ball then drive back and get it if no one shows........

For me, I actually got calmer and more relaxed after playing this game. I dont get as hot about losing a ball or having a bad day. It reminds me that I will never become pro, but I can always get better.

Just my own observations over the years, I have an outstanding relationship with my club, thanks for your concern

another reason to join a club

doesn't take class to have class...point proven ;) as far as picking balls up...i pick up those in the woods for shag bag replacements...or to give to my buddy who just picked up the game and needs as many as i can find...as for on the course? the place has to be desolate for me to pick one up in the rough and never in the fairway (prolly there for a reason)

Just a note to Mr. T PV-1. The other day we were waiting on the 3rd tee for the fairway to clear, so I took a semi-retired Pro V1 (a little used and dirty but not scuffed or damaged) from my bag and teed it up and knocked out across a couple of holes on the back 9. One of my buddies did the same. (There was nobody on either of those holes yet that morning, so no danger of hitting anyone). 2½ hours later when we got to the 14th, there on the edge of the fairway was the ball I'd hit from the 3rd tee, and my buddy's ball was about 10 yards away in the rough. There had been at least 10 groups through that hole by that time and no one had touched either ball. Contrary to your "observations", there are far more respectful golfers on public courses than you want to admit.

You are so typical of the type of person who sees such an incident occasionally and you just assume that it's happening everywhere else on the course simultaneously. All of a sudden, instead of an incident, it's an epidemic, but the disease is only in your own mind. You can go ahead and play your club and live your fantasy... I actually like living out in the free air with the real golfers who make up more than 75% of the players in the world. I prefer golf without pretense.

By the way... That statistic of 75% popped right out of my head, just like your 98% did .

if the course costs me $45 bucks a round and i lose a $4 dollar golf ball...i still save over $200 bucks NOT playing a course with you...hmm...choices...

Did you ask him why he did what he did?

I pick up plenty of balls on the course but only if I'm 100% sure someone won't come looking for it. I have people play my balls by mistake or picking them up a lot. I'm long and at times very wide off the tee and I get the old "I couldn't imagine anyone hitting the ball there" excuse a lot, but usually people are honest about making a mistake and are being humble about it, so it doesn't bother me too much