How would you handle this?

Playing today and hit my drive off the fairway and watched someone pick up my ball, I watched him as I never had the ball out of my sight!!! When I questioned him about it he said he did not pick up any ball but if he did he would keep it. Now keep in mind I' am a large man and he was much older than I' am...my question is what comes next? I can't make him empty his pockets!!! WITHOUT ME GETTING IN TROUBLE.

what a douche.

I would just tell him that I saw him do it and that I wouldn't call someone out if I wasn't sure of it. Also I would make it clear that it isn't a big deal, there are many lost balls on the course, that one just happened to be yours. If that doesn't work beat him up and take his lunch money.

Did you make an identifying mark on the ball? are you playing a CC where you can call the pro shop to send out an assistant professional to lodge a protest against this individual and request his removal from the course so this ball thief will not take more player's balls. At a daily fee course I would still call the starter and warn that there is a ball thief on the course and there is going to be additional problems with others and this individual should be removed by one of the rangers from the course

I'd just simply call him out, and if he continued to deny it, I said ok, classless act sir, all over a golf ball.

Then I'd proceed to drop one down without any penalty at the point I'd saw him pick it up, and continue on with my round.

It's just a golf ball, if the dude thinks it's that big of a deal to steal it, I'd just let it go to be honest and proceed to play on and not let him ruin my day over such nonsense.

Everything you said, except I'd also get a description of the individual and report him. After all is said and done, he's a thief and should be treated as such.

Ball was marked and it was a public course with no starter. One of the guys in their fouresome looked a little worried, he knew that I saw the whole thing and I think he thought I was not going to let it go. The ball was a taylormade Penta so thats why I don't like lossing them.

What you should have done would be determined by whether the guy was an "agency" or "dung." If he were an "agency" there would be no penalty and the ball must be replaced under Rule 18-1. On the otherhand, if he were "dung" he would be a "loose impediment" which may be removed without penalty under Rule 23-1. He kinda seemed like "dung" to me.

Sh*t happens. I once picked up a pro v1 in the rough of my fairway, as I did see anyone on the next fairway. As i walked up to the green I see, guys on the tee box (not sure how I missed th asem). I ended up going over and say "sorry I guess am and idiot and picked up your ball" turned it was a lost ball an not theirs, but still and honest guy like me does from time to time pick up a ball that could be someones by accident. This guy may a freaked when you asked him about it, and just went with the wrong answer, then he was stuck.

I recall one time hitting a drive on a public course and guy pops out form the woods and walks up to my ball. Well yell at him "my ball" or whatever. He waves, and we figure it all sorted out, then he walks over witha big smile and hands me my ball. He did not speak english, but we could tell he was very proud of himself. Pretty Funny

I would say you should call the clubhouse/proshop and report him right then.

I guess this is a good reason to mark my balls going forward.

effin let him have it
tell him u saw him pick it up and if he doesnt return it, that your 9i will find its way into his a$$
then let him decide

i bet u get ur ball back.........

That's why I never pick up balls that I don't find in the weeds or the woods. Could always be someone's. I don't know why the guy wouldn't just say sorry and give the ball back though. Everyone finds balls. What an ass.

Same thing happened to me last week. I won a sleeve of Nike one tours at men's night and on the weekend, on the third hole I hit into the rough that joins two fairways. I saw the guy hit my ball and I said I think that was mine, he said it wasn't and walked away fast. Did find (what I assume was his) Topflite in a tree well in the same area. And that was that. No point getting in a scrap on the course. No point letting this idiot wreck my game. The only suggestion I can come up with is writing something so stupid, crude or embarrassing on the ball that no one would ever pick it up.

Just write "I LOVE OBAMA!" on it.
I bet you couldn't give it away even if it was a ProV1!

Take out the ole camera phone and snap his pic then post in club house locker room!

HEh! Aint thish a fun plaish to talk 'bout politicks 'n' golf all at ta same time! And a fahn way ta let thother folks know about your intelligensh.

Not that you wanna let the ol' Alabamy stereoptypes kick in.

Let's just say that you did the right thing and didn't get into any altercations over a golf ball... albeit a very expensive golf ball.

Golf is about integrity and you showed yours... this other guy clearly did not. That's all there is to it and you are a better man for it. Bravo.

I had a very "tricky" instance once dealing w/ this very thing.

I was on a public course w/ a golfing buddy and hit my drive into the right rough that also serves as the rough for another hole right beside the hole we were on. The rough is about 10 yards wide and it's got a tree about every 20 yards seperating the two hole's. So, if one were to hit it in the rough, it's not that hard to find.

My partner and I drive up to the area where my ball came down in. It's down a slight hill so we couldn't actually see the ball come down from the tee box. Now, we see three girls (and all strikingly good looking) hitting from the adjourning hole's fairway. They all looked at us like they were expecting us. I proceeded to make a little small talk. I then asked if they saw a golf ball land in the general area of where they were at. "No, no, no".

Now, I'm pretty good w/ people and being able to tell things about them. I knew they picked my ball up and they were now lying to me. Now, I'm thinking I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but now they've put me in the position to where I basically have to call them liars to attempt to get my ball back.

These girls were just out having a good time. I could tell they weren't regular golfers. One was obviously intoxicated and the other two probably weren't too far behind her. So, within 2 minutes of meeting them, I knew that they probably came up to my ball, didn't think someone might have just hit it from the adjourning hole's tee box, saw a pretty, free white golf ball that they could use, picked it up, and that was that.

Realizing that they aren't regular golfers and probably don't know basic etiquette, my goal was to give them another chance to give me my ball back without making a fuss or making them defensive about it. I simply said, "Ladies, I assure you it's not a big deal if you picked my ball up, but I would like it back."

And with that, I get more, "No, really, we never picked anything up."

So, I then accepted that I wasn't going to get my ball back and I knew I had NOTHING to gain by making a big deal out of it. So, w/ some more small talk, I wished them well and both our groups went our seperate ways.

What was I to do? Accusing good looking girls of lying isn't high on the list of things I like to do while out golfing. Sometimes, you're just at the mercy of other folks on the course.