What would you do if you found the Thief?

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

Did my post get deleted because I quoted the "douche's" post? That makes sense, as it was pretty repugnant, but allow me to reiterate, the guy is a douche.

He's banned now, at least. P57 wasn't stupid enough to use offensive slurs and glorify the holocaust, he was a skilled troll in that sense. He only got banned because everyone was fed up with him. I'm still surprised Al made it to over 50 posts though. Mods must have been napping/having a life.

On the original topic, I've turned in a couple wedges, gotten headcovers back myself. It's the proper thing to do. Balls in the woods are one thing, but a club could be a problem for someone.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by Alan Conroy

I agree, finders keepers. I have acquired at least 10 clubs this way, mainly wedges and the odd putter. I always go home to my wife and tell her that I found a great new club today. If you lose it and I find it, my gain your loss. Fairs fair.

Yup!  Last summer I lost a lob wedge that way.  I set it down on the fringe while I was putting and totally forgot about it until I got home.  Seeing as how the course I played was a 4-hour drive from where I was living at the time, I said, "oh well" and moved on.

It was an older Mizuno MP-T wedge and for what it would have cost to drive to the course and back, I could have just bought a new wedge, so thats what I did. LOL

[camper6]

If you engrave a serial number or some other identification on the club there's a chance you could claim it's yours.

If you don' t then you can't really say it's yours.  At least that's what a policeman told me. It would never stand up in court.

And he also stated that's why people know they can steal stuff and get away with it.

There are some people that are constantly on the watch everywhere for someone to drop something or leave it behind and they nail it as their own.

How to protect yourself.  Buy an engraver and identify your clubs.  Even then make sure you hide the engraving somewhere so it can't be ground off.

Thousands of bicycles are stolen every day and hundreds of golf clubs are left lying on the green.   When the flag is pulled and on the green put your club on top of it.

[zipazoid]

Golf is known as an honorable game, but that doesn't mean dishonorable people don't play it.

So again. If you inadvertently left a club on a green or wherever & it's now gone, it's your fault.

If you leave your car unlocked & it's stolen as a result, yes, you can bemoan the thief & vow justice if you find him...

But you left the car unlocked.

[rustyredcab]

1. If someone wants to steel your club, or keep it when they find it, they most likely can get away with it.

2. If someone wants to return it, there are things you can do to help. I have labels on all my clubs with email and cell phone number to make it easier for someone to get it back to me if they find one of mine. Sure, a thief can peal off the label and claim it was never there. But I have faith that most people are not thieves.

The OP describes someone who is stealing. Finders keepers is not an acceptable ethic.

BTW, I use those labels for laptops, cell phones, and other electronics that could be lost, left in a cab, on a plane...

[Spyder]

A buddy of mine engraves his initials in to his wedges due to having a habit of taking both his putter and wedge to/near the green and consistently leaving  the wedge behind and remembering it when he is halfway back to the cart. It obviously will not help in the case where someone simply finds it and walks off with it from a public course, because the odds of seeing them again are probably not so high. It also won't help if someone simply keeps their mouth shut when they find it and they don't even tell their group or friends.

It would help in the case where you play a private course though, or if they have routine blind drawn scrambles or some other type of events where the same crowd gathers.

It's unfortunate that someone would not attempt to return something to the owner, regardless of the owner's mind-lapse. That's similar to dropping your wallet and having the guy behind you slide it his way with his foot.

At any rate, that sucks I would just recommend buying a new wedge. Odds are, you will not get yours back.

[Ballsndrama]

Any club I find goes straight to the clubhouse when i finish my round unless the person who lost it comes looking for it. It aint mine and im not going to search for the individual.  Ive forgotten clubs in the past and ask the clubhouse if they have it. Sometimes they do sometimes they dont. If its gone its gone, no need to cry over spilled milk.

[wolfsburg2]

I found a nice Callaway wedge on the fringe this past sunday. I walked up to the the next tee box where a group was waiting and jokingly said, "anyone want to buy a callaway wedge?".

The owner was surprised that he lost it and happy to get it back. Why in the world would anyone try and steal the club there? Some people are scumbags.

[Mr3Wiggle]

A buddy of mine lost one of his Jan Craig headcovers one time.  Later in the round the group behind us was backed up with us on a par 3 and one of the guys had the thing all stretched out on his oversized driver.  My buddy was like WTF?  The guy gave it back but it was pretty much ruined.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

A buddy of mine lost one of his Jan Craig headcovers one time.  Later in the round the group behind us was backed up with us on a par 3 and one of the guys had the thing all stretched out on his oversized driver.  My buddy was like WTF?  The guy gave it back but it was pretty much ruined.

I think this would have been a better hypothetical scenario for this thread than the actual original.  As many have said regarding the original story, you would have no idea if its actually your club, how that guy acquired it and if he even knew it was stolen, etc.

But in this case, its 100% that he's got the lost (I would contend stolen because he has already made an effort to claim it as his own knowing full well it was left behind accidentally) headcover.  Obviously the guy gave it back, but based on some earlier responses, it sounds like there are some people out there that would either lie to your face and say it was always theirs, or just flat out refuse to give it back.  I am non-confrontational whenever possible and a pacifist, but I think in that situation I would probably have to get physical.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

The OP describes someone who is stealing. Finders keepers is not an acceptable ethic.

Not really. Here's what the OP posted -

I lost my $120 wedge on the course, just curious what u would do if u saw a guy playing with it (knowing that its yours).

Lost. Not stolen.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Not really. Here's what the OP posted -

Lost. Not stolen.

But the thread title by the OP declares the person (that "found" the lost club) a "thief".

[Paradox]

if you find a club on the course...of course someone else lost it..and if you take it, you're stealing it.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

But the thread title by the OP declares the person (that "found" the lost club) a "thief".

Then he's contradicting himself.

Did he lose the club or was it stolen?

[phillyk]

The worst situation I saw in this was when I was working as a starter/marshal, and a group came up to me on a weekday saying they lost their club on 16th green.  I go and find it.  It was broken in half!  I bring it back to the guy, and he's furious!  There were 2 possible groups that could've done it, but both denied even seeing the club.  Some of them tried even saying that I must've broke it.  in the end, no one claimed responsibility.  I don't know whether maybe the owner broke it purposefully bc he got pissed, or someone found it and broke it to be a jerk.  Either way, the situation would suck.

Personally, i always check to make sure I have my clubs after every shot.  Most of the time, I'm losing gloves, hats, or towels, which I still run back for once I realize I lost it on the hole previously.  I never had a situation where i was sure somebody had stolen something of mine, except an errant hit tee shot or something which is something I don't get too angry over.  Not sure what i would do if I know someone stole one of my clubs.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Then he's contradicting himself.

Did he lose the club or was it stolen?

I agree.  He is contradicting himself.  He is clearly saying both.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

I agree.  He is contradicting himself.  He is clearly saying both.

Perhaps he saying that a person who does not turn in a lost club is a thief.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Perhaps he saying that a person who does not turn in a lost club is a thief.

I think he is.  Some disagree with that. Especially given the lack of further information and explanation by the OP.