I thought it was christmas!

[walfice]

I went to the range today and got a small basket of balls (nike range balls). To my surprise out came a taylor made ball, I had a closer look and it was a penta, looked to have been used for maybe 9 holes. Hit about 10 balls and out comes a spalding tour edition. That was my favourite ball back in its day, felt like hitting a rock now compared to more modern balls. I think Ill use the penta when I play on thursday.

[TaylorMadeTaylor]

Me an my friend were "ball hunting" in a water hazard and I came across a Penta TP. I used it the next day, and it lasted 2 holes before I hooked it into a row of houses, never to be seen again.

Be careful with it.

[sean_miller]

I went to the range today and got a small basket of balls (nike range balls). To my surprise out came a taylor made ball, I had a closer look and it was a penta, looked to have been used for maybe 9 holes. Hit about 10 balls and out comes a spalding tour edition. That was my favourite ball back in its day, felt like hitting a rock now compared to more modern balls. I think Ill use the penta when I play on thursday.

What kind of ball did you slip into the bucket to take its place?

[billysandy]

The range at my course runs along side the 10th, literally about 10ft from the OB on the 10th. Anyone who pushes or slices their drive off the 1st is too scared is walk onto the range to find their ball among the hundreds of other range balls. Subsequently, top class golf balls find their way into range buckets. I can usually take 3/4 balls from a typical 40 ball bucket because they are too good for the range.

[Wet Doggg]

What kind of ball did you slip into the bucket to take its place?

I agree...what did you leave in its place?

[walfice]

I didn't replace it, I just pocketed the penta.

[sean_miller]

At worst, it's theft (as indicated by signage all over the place at most ranges) and at best you're tempting karma which means you're either gonna miss an important putt with that Penta or spray it back onto the range.

[Fat Slice]

At worst, it's theft (as indicated by signage all over the place at most ranges) and at best you're tempting karma which means you're either gonna miss an important putt with that Penta or spray it back onto the range.

Meh, if I take one I always replace it and I call it a Karma even-steven.

The other day a landscaper was clearing a hillside and when we got to a layup area there were 50 balls laying out there. This was annoying as I had to find my ball in there, but not so bad when I walked off with 8 ProV1/x balls. That felt more like easter than xmas. It gets better. The guy had been clearing hills in front of us and we found a few more on the way in. Anyway, with my slice I donate 10x more balls to a course than I retrieve. I am way up on Karma.

[jamo]

Anyway, with my slice I donate 10x more balls to a course than I retrieve. I am way up on Karma.

Where can I cash in all of my currently unused karma?

[Joeyvee]

I take good balls from range buckets. The range didnt pay for them. They were lost by golfers who hit it into the range field. I guess the range now "owns" them after that but.. i dunno. Dont scare me with the karma thing. I dont need any bad golf karma at all. My games bad enough

[sean_miller]

Meh, if I take one I always replace it and I call it a Karma even-steven.

There's a difference between finding balls out on the course and pocketing balls out of a bucket of range balls that you rented. It's more along the lines of grabbing a handful of ketchup packets from McDonalds, when all you ordered was a Coke, than stealing the radio out of a rental car, but why tempt fate?

[user9800]

When I get those "good" balls in my bucket, I just save them till the end and hit them with my driver. Gives you a much better feel at the end of your range session.

[Fat Slice]

There's a difference between finding balls out on the course and pocketing balls out of a bucket of range balls that you rented. It's more along the lines of grabbing a handful of ketchup packets from McDonalds, when all you ordered was a Coke, than stealing the radio out of a rental car, but why tempt fate?

I'll admit there is a shade of difference, but it's just that - I don't think heaven or hell hang in the balance. Some guy (usually me) slices a ball into the driving range. From there, the tractor picks it up, it gets washed and dumped into a machine and then distributed. Every sign I have seen talks about not removing "range balls" which are clearly marked as such. Replacing a ProV1 out of a bucket with a Top Flite I picked up on the course is OK by me, but some may live by a stricter moral code.

What happens if I ID the ball in the bucket as one of my own (by my markings)?

[iPutt]

I see it like this, I donate wayyyy more than my fair amount of balls to the course. The course/range pays me back, if not in full, at least with something.

[billysandy]

There's a difference between finding balls out on the course and pocketing balls out of a bucket of range balls that you rented. It's more along the lines of grabbing a handful of ketchup packets from McDonalds, when all you ordered was a Coke, than stealing the radio out of a rental car, but why tempt fate?

I would only take golf balls that i know clearly don't belong in a range bucket, ie a clean pro v1 that has obviously not been purchased by the golf club for range use. They get hit there from the 10th hole, so it's virtually the same as scanning long grass to look for lost balls.

[golfro]

best day I had with balls... went to a BBQ at at a house on a TPC course on the day they were having a Champions Tour Tournament. Backyard had a bunch of ProV1's Callaway iz's, Pentas, every tour ball imaginable. Must've picked up liek 20 that day. My guess is the balls are from the pro-am, amateurs hooking the ball right into the yard.

[B-Con]

At worst, it's theft (as indicated by signage all over the place at most ranges) and at best you're tempting karma which means you're either gonna miss an important putt with that Penta or spray it back onto the range.

Depends on your perspective. If it has range markings, then it's claimed by the driving range, no questions asked. If there are no markings, it's a lost ball that happened to slice/hook onto the range by accident. Most people view it as a lost ball that accidentally got mixed in with the real range balls.

[newtogolf]

I love rationalization of questionable behavior. If the ball was found in a rented bucket of balls at a range, then one thing is certain, it wasn't yours to take.