Protocol when finding clubs on course.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

What if the club isn't forged? Do we still have to pick it up?

Originally Posted by Shorty

The question doesn't arise, because if the marshalls are doing their job, and the assistant pros have done their pre round bag inspections (known in the trade as a "pre-bag"), those players are weeded out and removed anyway.

You guys rock.  Writing LOL is easy, but it's so common now that it has it's own meaning.  But these two comments did actually make me laugh out loud.

[dbwood]

Found a 7i on a par 3 tee box last week.  I caught the 2some at the turn and asked if anybody had lost an iron.  They checked and one guy said 7i.  They offered to buy me a drink and asked me to play through.

3 weeks ago I found a 5i 10 yd off the fairway in the deep rough.  Never had anyone backtrack and ask about it, turned it in at the clubhouse.

I always pick them up.

[ghalfaire]

If no one comes looking for it I turn it in at the club house.

Originally Posted by KingG

What do you do you do when you find a club?

[TomK82]

Originally Posted by Shorty

It's not a "problem" and those people are scumbags.

It would ruin your day, wouldn't it, if you put a club in your bag and handed it in at the proshop?

Of course you aren't there to make sure everyone remembers their clubs, but part of being a decent human being is to spend 15 seconds doing something to help a fellow golfer.

Originally Posted by ejimsmith

and he can't spell "their" either...

I never was very good in the spelling b ...i never claimed to be a nice guy ...I just really don't want to move a club if someone left it they will figure out where they left it.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by TomK82

..I just really don't want to move a club if someone left it they will figure out where they left it.

Someon comes up to yoir group and says "You didn't see a wedge lying next to the 14th green, did you?"

You're going to say "Oh yeah - I left it there."

Really? You'd get a very odd look, in my experience.

[ThominOH]

I always put the club "IN" the cart.. Never in a bag, as so I don't forget it's there.. Then drop the club off at the clubhouse at the soonest moment..

[stevejason]

Last year I found a driver on a tee box, don't know how you can leave a driver. A few days ago, I was walking up to the green on a par three and saw TWO clubs in the fringe. A couple of kids were teeing off on the next hole, yelled at them and they came back to get the clubs.

[cart7]

Originally Posted by Chris Stewart

I find wedges around the greens constantly. I always put it in my cart, not my bag, and turn it into the pro shop afterwards. I don't put it in my bag simply so I don't forget to turn it in.

Yep, I'll stick in the basket behind the seats.  Usually the person will wind up back tracking and claim his/her club.  Otherwise I turn it into the marshal if ones comes by or the clubhouse after the round ends.

[DirtCheap]

I never touch anything I find on the course.If it doesn't belong to me, I have no business putting my hands on it.
I can't control what the people behind me do, but I can do what I would hope people would do for me, and that is leave my club where I left it so I can come back and find it instead of having to try and chase it down in someone's cart or hope it arrives in the clubhouse.

They also make really cool labels that you can wrap around your clubs with your contact info on them. As the value of my clubs continues to rise each year with upgrades, I'm considering using these.

[hitnrun]

Well, since the group is likely playing ahead of you, I would call the Pro shop and tell them I found the club and will hold it until I finish the round...unless they want to come and get it from me. You will never catch the guy in front of you, but this way, if you tell the pro shop right away, they can post a note or let him know should he inquire when he finishes and you are still on 16 or whatever. Other than that, if it's a club I needed, I might just keep it too. Kidding folks...

[DirtCheap]

This thread got me to thinking about losing clubs.
I got on ebay and looked at club/ shaft labels that have your contact info printed on them. They are less than $8 for a set of 20 labels. I can't speak to their durability, but I'm planning to buy a set for my clubs A.S.A.P.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by DirtCheap

This thread got me to thinking about losing clubs.

I got on ebay and looked at club/ shaft labels that have your contact info printed on them. They are less than $8 for a set of 20 labels. I can't speak to their durability, but I'm planning to buy a set for my clubs A.S.A.P.

Good show - whenever I see a club with a shaft label from now on, I'll just leave it there in case you come back for it.

[jaredgib]

I've found everything from putters to woods and one rangefinder. All of it turned in at the clubhouse. I like to think that if I left something on the course ( other than balls ) then someone would do the same for me.

[Jimdangles]

Originally Posted by jaredgib

I've found everything from putters to woods and one rangefinder. All of it turned in at the clubhouse. I like to think that if I left something on the course ( other than balls ) then someone would do the same for me.

A range finder. Thats impressive. I would expect me to do the same thing but if anything tempted me that would be it. Its just so out of my price range. Good for you sir.

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by Double Bogey

I leave it on the green closest to the exiting spot.  That way it is easily seen by everyone including the person who lost it.  The only issue is the folks coming up behind me could possible hit it, but the chance of such are nil.

I virtually never leave clubs behind, but if I did...and I asked the group behind if they picked it up and they said they left it laying 2-holes and 1/2 mile away...........I'd be pissed.  just sayin'.   If you are a walker, I'll give you a pass for not picking it up even though I'd still pick it up.

If you are in a cart, pick the damn thing up! .... and do not put it in your bag unless you plan to keep/steal it.  Place it in the cart basket. That will be a reminder that you have somebody's equipment.  More often than not, somebody will double back for it and you will have it handy for them......if not, you'll remember to turn it in after the round.

Maybe it's jjust me, but it would be impossible for me to leave the course with an extra club in the bag without noticing it or remembering I picked it up.

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by inthehole

Good idea ... I'll do this in future.

please dont..........

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by Shorty

Someon comes up to yoir group and says "You didn't see a wedge lying next to the 14th green, did you?"

You're going to say "Oh yeah - I left it there."

Really? You'd get a very odd look, in my experience.

Yea...for sure!!

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Precisely because of what you said in paragraph one, I disagree with paragraph two.

I agree that there are plenty of unsavories out there who would pick up the club, hang onto it willing to give it back to the owner when he came back looking for it, but then if he didn't, claim it as their own.  And because of that, I will do what most do (I think), and what the OP intended to do (why don't you believe him?) and pick it up and turn it into the pro shop at the end of the round if its not claimed by the owner during the round.

Because if it happened to me, that is exactly what I would hope somebody else would do.

This.  I've found clubs many times over the years (and not always next to the green), and this is always how I handle it.  If the opportunity presents, I will even jump ahead to ask the group immediately in front of us if it belongs to one of them, and about 75% of the time it does.  If I find it on the front 9 and can't return it to its owner before the turn, I'll leave it at the clubhouse then, otherwise I'll leave it there when I finish.  If the course has roving ranger working, I"ll give it to him, and he can work his way forward through the groups to find the owner.

I've never left the course with one, although back when I was a diehard walker, I sometimes got out to my car before I found the extra club still in my bag.  Now that I always ride, I don't put the club in my bag, but rather wedge it behind, so that when I take my bag off the cart the club is pretty obvious.

I would never just leave the club.   After working for 5 years as a starter, and both receiving lost clubs (the lost and found was right next to my desk) and fielding quests from players looking for the ones they lost, I know how often they don't get turned in (and surprisingly, how often lost clubs never get reclaimed ).  I'm not leaving it to fate that the guy who eventually picks it up is an honest man who doesn't happen to need that particular wedge.