I thought it was christmas!

[TaylorMadeTaylor]

Guys, it's a single golf ball. He didn't steal a car.

[sean_miller]

Guys, it's a single golf ball. He didn't steal a car.

It's a slippery slope. It's like cheating on your golf score - how much cheating do you have to do before it matters?

Personally, I'd throw my worst ball in the bucket as compensation and to avoid some bad juju while using the Penta. What other people choose to do is up to them - I'll just make a point not to play them for money.

[xxsoultonesxx]

The bottom line here is that driving ranges have thousands of golf balls. Quality balls do not belong in range buckets, and should be used in a proper setting. Removing the odd decent ball from a range bucket is completely harmless. Anyone who thinks otherwise was raised by catholic nuns and should simply let it go. Now if a range has nice balls to begin with, and you take those, that is a different story.

[alo1984]

It's a slippery slope. It's like cheating on your golf score - how much cheating do you have to do before it matters?

I would have no problem sticking that Penta in my bag. In fact, I wouldn't have a problem telling the owner/operator of the range that I had done so. It's not the range's property anymore than the unbroken tees lying around are range property. That ball could have been accidentally hit, or a stray ball from the course. It's a little too high and mighty to call that theft in my opinion. If it's not a range ball then it's not the range's ball. Do you consider picking up a lost ball on a course stealing from the course?

[Fat Slice]

Gee, I hope nobody ever hits an extra shot as practice while out on the course - that's cheating the course out of green fees!

[SandSpanker]

all the signs I've ever read say Range balls
Not reg balls that some has to hit another one.
Let alone a Penta!!!!!!!!

[walfice]

I thought the original comment about 'which ball did you replace the penta with' was posted in jest. It sounds like it was serious. Do the range guys give you a partial refund for when a percentage of your range balls do not fly properly due to cuts in the cover, excessive wear or the dimples wearing down?
If it will please your golfing gods and ensure good golfing karma for all, I will sacrifice one of my balls next time I go to the range.

[newtogolf]

More rationalization...yet we're appalled when someone bags the club you left behind and didn't notice for 4 or 5 holes. While the crime is greater, the rationalization process is the same. No one came back for it, and it doesn't belong to the course....must be mine.

[Fat Slice]

The range guys don't pay me when I pick up range balls all over the course and then return them at the end of the round, nope.

[jetsknicks1]

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.

I'm not here to say whether grabbing what is clearly not a range ball from a bucket, is actually theft. But going by your rationalization, grabbing any found ball on the course is questionable because it doesn't belong to you.

[alo1984]

More rationalization...yet we're appalled when someone bags the club you left behind and didn't notice for 4 or 5 holes. While the crime is greater, the rationalization process is the same. No one came back for it, and it doesn't belong to the course....must be mine.

I'm really having a hard time believing that you see the theft of a golf club the same way you see the op picking up a penta that is clearly not a range ball. Have you ever picked up a lost ball on a course? Using your rationalization that would be an equally egregious act. Have you ever played more holes than the 18 you actually paid for? Using the type of legalistic rationalization you have implied is more of a slippery slope than anything the op did.

[iacas]

The driving range at Whispering Woods is on the right side of a really long par four.

We joke that it was a brilliant place to put the range because everyone swings hard and slices their ball onto the range, where they "replace" balls people slice off the range and even add to the totals. After about a year, around 10% of a typical "range bucket" has balls that came from the golf course. I don't know if they have more or less balls for use on the range - some get cut, some bury, some get hit into the trees, etc.

We've also seen people bring their own bags of super beat up old balls to hit at the range so they don't have to pay for balls.

Is the Penta a "range ball"? If you think it is, hit it and don't take it. If you don't think it is, keep it. I wouldn't have any qualms about keeping a brand new Pro V1x or Penta from our range bucket. Nobody's given an equivalent yet - stealing someone else's club or hitting extra shots on the course don't compare.

Frankly, I have a bigger problem with the guy I saw a few months ago. He was your typical slicer - he either hit the ball 10 feet in the air and dead left or he started the ball pretty straight and sliced the bejeezus out of the ball 40 yards right... right over the netting that separates the right side of the range from some trees and wetlands from which ball recovery is near impossible.

Yet this dumbass proceeded to continue to beat his driver and for every shot he'd pull 30 yards left and keep on the range, he'd slice four or five over the tall netting. That guy did a heck of a lot more to "steal" from the range than a guy picking up a ball that someone sliced off the 10th tee.

Range balls are range balls, guys.

[sean_miller]

I'm really having a hard time believing that you see the theft of a golf club the same way you see the op picking up a penta that is clearly not a range ball. Have you ever picked up a lost ball on a course? Using your rationalization that would be an equally egregious act. Have you ever played more holes than the 18 you actually paid for? Using the type of legalistic rationalization you have implied is more of a slippery slope than anything the op did.

Yeah, that's a bit extreme. I was comparing it to boosting a handfull of ketchup packets. The bad karma I was referring to while using that Penta is something like a 3-putt par from 12 feet or maybe a tee shot that trickles across the fence - OB - when you need a par to break 80.

[bmartin461]

Yeah, that's a bit extreme. I was comparing it to boosting a handfull of ketchup packets. The bad karma I was referring to while using that Penta is something like a 3-putt par from 12 feet or maybe a tee shot that trickles across the fence - OB - when you need a par to break 80.

For a true ketchup comparison, it would be like if you went to McDonalds and in their ketchup bin was a packet from Burger King. If you took that one, how does that affect McDonalds?

BTW - I can't believe how much activity this thread has, pretty funny stuff.

[sean_miller]

For a true ketchup comparison, it would be like if you went to McDonalds and in their ketchup bin was a packet from Burger King. If you took that one, how does that affect McDonalds?

The analogy would work even better if you planned on eating the TM Penta. BTW - if you use a ketchup that isn't even from the same "restaurant" you're risking your life.

[chilly]

Gee, I hope nobody ever hits an extra shot as practice while out on the course - that's cheating the course out of green fees!

Hah, exactly!! I always wonder about the folks claiming to be so morally upright, they're the ones you have to watch out for.

[Fat Slice]

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.

I'll ask again - what if the ball I got in the range bucket was one of mine that I had sliced off the tee into the range some earlier day. I play a rare ball and have a unique mark and color and would be 100% sure it was one that I had hit.

At that point, if I take it, is it theft? Your answer will be illuminating.

[tristanhilton85]

If it's clearly not a range ball than it's clearly not theft. One of the ranges I go to uses yellow balls, anything that isn't yellow isn't theirs. It doesn't mean I take any white ball I see, but if I come across something I play, then I will. The other 2 ranges I go to use white balls with thick black stripes on them, so it's pretty obvious what's a range ball and what isn't. I really don't see the big deal about taking a single good ball. I figure if anything I'm just getting paid back as at the end of a range session there have been times I wanted to hit a few more shots and hit a few of my own balls.

On a side note, I played with a guy about a year and a half ago or so that apparently uses a range where they had Callaway Tour i Practice balls... He would just stick 10 or so in his bag every time he went and used those as his game balls. This is obviously over the line as they were obviously range balls.