Felony Ball Thievery

[TheGolfingDetective]

I was curious if this was a problem anywhere else besides public muni's in the greater NYC area. Last week, my friend and I get paired with two asian women, who proceed to pick up either his or my ball, not once, not twice, but THREE times in the same round. THEY WERE PLAYING WITH US. Now today I was able to get a 3 hybrid about 190, leaving it about 20 yards short and left of the green. The group on the green walks towards their carts, also on the left, and I see one guy, about 50 or so, walk to his left, bend down and then continue onto his cart. When I get to where my ball should be, nothing. I scour the area to find only grass. I confront him on the next hole, and he says, "Nope, I didn't see a ball." These are just two examples that don't included the danger of flirting with an adjoining fairway with your tee shot and having another group get to your shot before you can. Trust me, I could go on.

Is this a question of golf etiquette? Of poor golfers who can't afford to buy balls? Or a question of selfish a**holes who believe that any ball on the course that doesn't have a golfer addressing it is fair game?

Is this a problem where you play?

If so, vent away.

[chingali]

I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and put it down to being an honest mistake. It has very rarely ever happened to me but it has happened.

Personally I'll only ever pick up a ball (99% of balls I found go in the shag bag anyway) if there is no chance it could belong to someone. You know what I mean, deep in the trees and it's under a bush or if I'm the only one playing the hole and there is nobody playing an adjoining hole.

[Fourputt]

I was curious if this was a problem anywhere else besides public muni's in the greater NYC area. Last week, my friend and I get paired with two asian women, who proceed to pick up either his or my ball, not once, not twice, but THREE times in the same round. THEY WERE PLAYING WITH US. Now today I was able to get a 3 hybrid about 190, leaving it about 20 yards short and left of the green. The group on the green walks towards their carts, also on the left, and I see one guy, about 50 or so, walk to his left, bend down and then continue onto his cart. When I get to where my ball should be, nothing. I scour the area to find only grass. I confront him on the next hole, and he says, "Nope, I didn't see a ball." These are just two examples that don't included the danger of flirting with an adjoining fairway with your tee shot and having another group get to your shot before you can. Trust me, I could go on.

I don't see the problem around here (Denver metro area), but then I don't hit into the group ahead either. If he was able to pick your ball up just walking off the green, then you probably shouldn't have hit. He wasn't right, but you may have pressed it a bit too.

[Shindig]

Is this a question of golf etiquette? Of poor golfers who can't afford to buy balls? Or a question of selfish a**holes who believe that any ball on the course that doesn't have a golfer addressing it is fair game?

Start giving your balls a unique marking. When you see someone pick it up, watch where they put the ball - confront them ASAP and show that they have the same ball you're using with the same markings. Double fun if it's something they'd be embarrassed to have written on their ball.

[TheGolfingDetective]

Admittedly, that hybrid went much farther than I anticipated, however he still had to walk about 20 yards back in the general direction of the fairway. That was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back, though. I've seen this far too often on the public courses I play. I've been hit into, from groups behind as well as by errant tee shots from adjoining fairways. I've never considered picking up a ball that wasn't mine because it was merely in my field of vision.

[bruce]

I give everyone the benefit of the doubt and put it down to being an honest mistake. It has very rarely ever happened to me but it has happened.

Same as this chap i agree totally,i would never pick up a ball on a fairway or fairway rough because were all guilty of spraying the odd drive.

[CPHoya]

This actually is a problem on some public courses. In particular, any time you put a drive within 10 yards of another fairway you're wise to get over there, on the double, to make sure your ball is left alone.

I'm with the OP, I've seen some brazen ball thievery on public courses. It's my biggest pet peeve, and it sends me completely over the edge. Losing a ball I didn't even come close to really losing sends my round directly down the tubes.

[GaijinGolfer]

The only time I'll pick up a ball that I find on the course is either if Im playing early in the morning and no one else is on the course or if I find a ball and there is absolutely no one else around.
This morning when I played my round I found 4 balls and since I was the only one on the course at the time, I thought nothing of claiming them.
Id be pretty upset if I saw someone pick my ball up off the ground, but unless you have some special marking on your ball, there is no real way of proving that its your's. I guess thats just one of the things you gotta deal with when you play on a public course.

[MunkeyGolfer]

I would be upset. But most courses that I have played on require you to be half the hole away from the group in front of you. Unless it is a really short par 4 or a par 3. I won't pick up a ball unless it is mine. Period.

[Harold]

Golf balls are not Easter eggs.
A) Don't touch, pickup, caress, fondle, rollover, footwedge or attempt to acquire any golf ball that has any remote chance of being someone elses, especially if it is mine. Even looking longingly at my golf ball is bound to get a yell. I have had other golfers try and hit or pick up my golf ball that's been piped down the middle of _my_ fairway.
B) We are here to play golf. If you are more interested in wacking the bushes or fishing the waters for golf balls do me and everyone else who _plays_ golf a favor: find another sport. I hear fishing or hunting is pretty cool.
Remember, golf balls are not Easter eggs.....

[MellowYellow]

I LOVE FINDING GOLF BALLS!!!

I mean it! Nothing makes me happier after just getting a 7 on the last par 4 than going around the corner and finding an ALMOST new REALLY SHINY Nike Juice, or maybe a really cool Noodle with a neat logo. I get SUPER HAPPY.

But... not so happy that I've EVER taken anyone elses ball that was playing it/looking for it...

The closest I ever got was once when I was still VERY new to playing, I think it was my 3rd round ever? My dad was just walking the course with me for exercise, it was getting pretty late, to where we'd be lucky to get in 9, not many golfers were out on the course and he saw a ball somewhat in a bush, we looked around didnt see anyone, and it was wide open, didnt seem like there was anywhere for anyone to hide, he grabbed it up, I finished the hole and we were teeing off the next when we saw two guys looking ALL OVER for it, they had just come off the first tee, we could see the 1st tee box but all we could figure was they were looking for the other guys' ball in the trees on the other side of the fairway cause we definitely didnt see them. We felt really bad but not bad enough to give it back... i mean man... They had two bags full of clubs, you never know when someone is just outright CRAZY!

So anyway, ever since that I've been SUPER paranoid about grabbing a ball, I look ALL OVER, ask people if it's theirs even when they almost couldnt have hit it over there etc.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is, I promise I wont steal your ball, but MAN I LOVE FINDING THEM!

[TigerCurtis333]

There have been times where people have picked up balls from opposite fairways, if only to see if it's their ball (for instance I mark my ball with 3 red dots above the Titleist, and sometimes it may be facing downward. Another group from a different fairway hits an errant shot, and if he has a marking in the same spot there have been times, we'll just pick it up to see whose it is. I try to stop that now that I'm golfing more often, but it happens).

But taking golf balls you know aren't yours? The only time that's even thinkable is if the group behind you either hits you with a ball or nearly hits you several times. Even then, it's still wrong and I wouldn't do it.

By the way - anyone else think it's kidna funny that "thegolfdetective" is asking questions regarding a report of stolen golf balls? It fits too perfectly.

[rogerhuang]

It's been my experience that this happens most on public courses where most hackers simply have NO CLASS. I have never lost a ball at the private country clubs that I've played at. In fact, the opposite has occurred, where I've had groups ahead of me wait until I arrived to point out where my ball was located in the rough.

At the public courses, the ball thieves were usually old (50+ yrs) or young (under 21 yrs). Those 2 age groups shared the same common denominator: they simply do not care what people think. Both age groups walk around with the attitude that society owes them and that they aim to collect. Those age groups have no qualms about picking up other people's golf balls and then lying about it when confronted.

Don't believe me? There's a reason why both those age groups get charged higher car insurance rates than the 22 - 49 age group. Again, both those age groups drive around like society owes them the road and right of way.

On a final note, I once had a group of 50+ yr old men (yes, at a public course) hit several times into my group. We were not slow and always waiting on the group ahead of us. We finally confronted the group, only to hear them say "Is anyone dead? Did we kill anyone in your group?" Called the pro shop, who sent a ranger out to investigate. The old guys didn't even deny it and repeated the statement to the ranger, who promptly threw them off the golf course.

[DDBowdoin]

if I see somewhere near my ball and they go for the old pick up, bang... I'm yelling down the fairway

either that or just smoke a ball into their feet on the next hole if he lies and says he didnt pick up the ball

this has happened to me in the middle of the fairway!

[Cody]

At the public courses, the ball thieves were usually old (50+ yrs) or young (under 21 yrs). Those 2 age groups shared the same common denominator: they simply do not care what people think. Both age groups walk around with the attitude that society owes them and that they aim to collect. Those age groups have no qualms about picking up other people's golf balls and then lying about it when confronted.

Alright now this is just plain sterotypical. I play commonly with my dad and uncle who are both in their 30's. They are the ones who take balls and lie about things and are just plain ignorant on the course(granted this isn't very often as we all like to have a good time and know the staff very well). I am 17 and I'm the most courteous out of the bunch.

Now the car insurance thing is just bologna. Teenagers get higher rates becuase they are new drivers...DUH. I'm sure both of these age groups may have wronged you and you blamed all of us. It's just wrong. I agree some people give the whole group a bad rap, but it's not always true.

[MrSandman]

I've seen this happen on the NYC courses that are either public or daily greens fees.

One time I was on a hole, a guy was hitting a ball that I thought was mine (his hole ran adjacent to mine), I cruised up, asked if he was sure if it was his ball. He said yes, definitely was his ball, he saw it the whole way from the tee. I asked if I could look at it, he got pissed, but I sort of insisted. I had my ball marked with a green and black dot, and also had two others marked the same way in the cart. When I saw it had a green and black dot, I asked if he was sure it was his ball, he said yes. Then I showed him and his partners two other balls, the same brand, same number, same markings. He mumbled a bit, but his partner said, "come on, let's go" and they left the ball alone.

I think he lied to his partners saying he found his ball, and then was embarrassed to admit it when I called him out on it.

It definitely happens at the NYC public courses. Not always to me, sometimes to guys in my group, but it definitely happens.

[rogerhuang]

Alright now this is just plain sterotypical. I play commonly with my dad and uncle who are both in their 30's. They are the ones who take balls and lie about things and are just plain ignorant on the course(granted this isn't very often as we all like to have a good time and know the staff very well).

I rest my case....

[Cody]

I rest my case....

Care to elaborate?