What do you do with golf balls that you find that you would have no intention of gaming?

[clearwaterms]

Today while trolling the edge of the woods for my ball, I found 3 balls that had clearly been abandoned by the previous owner. Two of them were older titleist balls that look like they probably spent the entire winter outside, the other however was a brand new Nike. I typically have picked up these balls and throw them in a spare pouch in my bag, today I finally took them all out, cleaned up them, and decided that 3/4 of them, I wouldn't game for one reason or another, but none of them are throw aways. What should I do with them? Bang them away the next time I am at the range? I know some courses have a practice ball donation bucket that I believe ends up going to kids or to the high school, but my normal courses don't appear to have anything like that. Suggestions?

[tmf9]

The family business my granddad started has about a 110 yard field I hit those kind of balls and work my wedge game, and once I collect a lot I usually just blast drivers and long irons into the woods.  A family friend hunts on the land and said he stumbled across one ball in the woods, and since appearently it was a slow day hunting wise, he said he just started searching the woods for golf balls, he must have brought me back 75 balls lol.

[flintcreek6412]

I leave them lay in an easy to find place.  That way when some tightwad goes searching 10 minutes for a ball he won't be able to identify when he finds anyway he comes across this one in 30 seconds and plays it assuming its his.  I have no interest or use in lugging extra balls that I don't play.

[Fourputt]

If they appear to have any usefulness left in them, I'll wedge them out where someone else can find them.  I don't keep found balls unless by some miracle they happen to be what I use (Srixon Z-Star Tour Yellow).

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by clearwaterms

Today while trolling the edge of the woods for my ball, I found 3 balls that had clearly been abandoned by the previous owner. Two of them were older titleist balls that look like they probably spent the entire winter outside, the other however was a brand new Nike.

I typically have picked up these balls and throw them in a spare pouch in my bag, today I finally took them all out, cleaned up them, and decided that 3/4 of them, I wouldn't game for one reason or another, but none of them are throw aways. What should I do with them? Bang them away the next time I am at the range?

I know some courses have a practice ball donation bucket that I believe ends up going to kids or to the high school, but my normal courses don't appear to have anything like that.

Suggestions?

I don't pick them up in the first place.

[dfreuter415]

Originally Posted by clearwaterms

Today while trolling the edge of the woods for my ball, I found 3 balls that had clearly been abandoned by the previous owner.  I typically have picked up these balls and throw them in a spare pouch in my bag, today I finally took them all out, cleaned up them, and decided that 3/4 of them, I wouldn't game for one reason or another, but none of them are throw aways. What should I do with them?  Suggestions?

If I find balls that I wouldn't use, I put them in a golf cart at the pro shop. Either that or I give them to my friend, John.

[MS256]

I pick them up and throw them in with my practice balls.

Unfortunately for me there aren't any people around here that would leave them laying in the woods and I know a few non-golfers that walk the woods every day gathering them up to sell them, so I don't find nearly as many as I used to find.

I actually had to buy 100 practice balls a couple of months ago from one of them. First time I ever ran out.

Anytime I am the only one on the course (which is fairly often) I play a couple of rounds and then go around again hitting all kinds of practice shots and stopping to look in all of the likely places for golf balls.

[David in FL]

I leave them where they are.

[smellysell]

Throw them in an extra pocket on my bag to later be put in my shag bag to hit into the back 40.

[Unkynd]

I game them on  my home course.  It has OB on 6 of 9 holes, and water hazards on 5 holes.  The fairways are narrow and if you don't hit the fairway you are OB or in a hazard.  I don't like losing 3-4 quality golf balls every round, so I use crappy ones on that course and save my good ones for rounds elsewhere.

[Rouleur]

Read about one guy who would collect them up in a bucket, then give them to kids in the family at christmas. I know if I got 100 golf balls when I was a kid I would have flipped out even if they were crappy, thought it was pretty cool thing to 'share the love'..

[Mac62]

I either give them to somebody who's just learning to golf and still losing a lot of balls, or take them home and throw them in the practice bag.  We also have a big bucket of "throwdown balls" in the back of the pro shop at our course, I always donate a few to that cause also.  If they happen to be an e6 and have some life left in them, I'll toss 'em in my golf bag.

[NM Golf]

I don't have anything to do with any golf balls but my own. I wish more people did the same. At least they could wait for my ball to quit rolling before they pick it up.

[CallawayGolf25]

I leave them, or give them to one of my friends that is a higher handicapper... I try to at least give them semi-decent balls though, that at least have some short-game value. I wouldn't wish a Top-Flite on anyone... ;)

[clubchamp]

If the are playable I will use them for winter golf and if I find extra I typically put them in them in the bin for the short game area. I went 7 rounds this winter with a Slazenger feel that I found and I was impressed it didn't take damage.

[Mac62]

Originally Posted by NM Golf

I don't have anything to do with any golf balls but my own. I wish more people did the same. At least they could wait for my ball to quit rolling before they pick it up.

I won't go anywhere near a ball that I even remotely think might possibly be in play by another golfer.  I've had my ball in play picked up by greedy ball-hawkers too many times, know the feeling and won't be "that guy".

[Rick Martin]

Leave 'em near the ball washer of the next tee box for someone who can use them

or

Shag bag

or

Goodwill/Thrift store donation

[newtogolf]

I leave them where they are.

One of the guys at my club joined me for a round, he'd get excited every time he found a ball and picked up every one he came across.  He'd offer them to me which I politely declined.  At each hole he became more insistent that I snatch a few for myself.   I tried to be polite and just told him to keep them for himself.  By mid-round he was getting insulted that I wasn't joining in on all the free balls he was grabbing and felt the need to tell me he didn't "need" to pick them up, he just couldn't see leaving them there to rot.