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

[Rick Martin]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Those of you who argue in favor of picking them up - are you so destitute that you have to risk taking someone's ball?

Have you priced Pro V1s lately?

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

Have you priced Pro V1s lately?

Maybe you missed the title of this thread, "What do you do with golf balls that you find that you would have no intention of gaming?"

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by NM Golf

Easy to say until you lose the club championship by a stroke because some "Inspector Clouseau" idiot picked up your ball. Yes, that happened to me. We saw the guy reach down and pick up a ball in the area where my ball went. He refused to admit he had done so and would not show us the ball he picked up and without definitive proof you must go back and re-tee. I have some jackass pick up my ball at least 3-4 times a year. Heck I've had it happen twice already this year. I hit the ball a long way and people always say, "I didn't see anyone." So I won't give you or anyone else credit. If it's not my ball I leave it alone, always, no exceptions.

It happens enough that I even had my ProV1's personalized with "this is not your ball" on them. Didn't help. lol

That is just plain low class by that guy.  If you are a tournament, never ever pick up a ball that is not yours.

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Those of you who argue in favor of picking them up - are you so destitute that you have to risk taking someone's ball?  Especially when they are just going in a shag bag or to waste on the range where they already have plenty of balls?  I'm a long way from being anything like rich, but I can afford to buy my own balls, and to pay for them on the range when I go there.

Same here.  But when you go into the woods to find your own ball and come across 3 or 4 other balls that are obviously not in play, you pick them up.  If my playing partners don't want them, I will just leave them on the next tee.  Some other folks are on a real tight budget.

I did play one course early last year, Unicorn in Stoneham, MA.  On the first fairway, there were 3 or 4 balls just lying there in plane sight.  We just left them but were curious why no one on the other parallel hole came to get them.

[MS256]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Those of you who argue in favor of picking them up - are you so destitute that you have to risk taking someone's ball?  Especially when they are just going in a shag bag or to waste on the range where they already have plenty of balls?  I'm a long way from being anything like rich, but I can afford to buy my own balls, and to pay for them on the range when I go there.

It has nothing to do with being "destitute". What sense does it make to leave all of those golf balls in the woods to get covered up by leaves and lost forever?

If we show up to play and somebody is on the front side we go to the back or vice versa. We all know each other anyway and if we did find a ball in the fairway we would put it in the cart and ask them when we saw them if it was their ball. Many times I wish somebody would show up to play but I've got the course to myself.

It's not like we are "taking someone's ball". If we know who it belongs to we give it back to them. If not we keep it, either to play or practice with. There isn't a driving range anywhere around here so most of us need all of the practice balls we can get to hit down across the hayfield or pasture where we don't find all of the ones we hit. I've probably got hundreds, maybe thousands, of them plugged just beneath the grass in my pasture.

[Rick Martin]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

Have you priced Pro V1s lately?

Maybe you missed the title of this thread, "What do you do with golf balls that you find that you would have no intention of gaming?"

what if I use Pro V1s in my shag bag?

[NuclearMike]

Leave them where they are.

[meenman]

I write nasty things about the known ball hunters at my club and put them back. It always makes me wonder if they sell those on ebay too.

[indyvai]

I write nasty things about the known ball hunters at my club and put them back. It always makes me wonder if they sell those on ebay too.

That's a funny idea, at least to tag em somehow to see if they resurface...

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

what if I use Pro V1s in my shag bag?

Then you can afford to buy them?

I never pick up a ball because I think it pisses off the golf gods and I am very protective of my golf karma.

[dak4n6]

Ha ha, I am not Clouseau, but I'm pretty sure I have never picked up someone else's ball that was in play. If I'm not going to game it I toss it I toss it out to a conspicuous place so someone else can find it

[MyrtleBeachGolf]

I don't pick up balls that I find on the course, as I'm not going to put them in play anyway. My bag is usually full of 2 dozen balls I game, I don't need to carry extra crap balls I see on the course.

[tmf9]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Those of you who argue in favor of picking them up - are you so destitute that you have to risk taking someone's ball?  Especially when they are just going in a shag bag or to waste on the range where they already have plenty of balls?  I'm a long way from being anything like rich, but I can afford to buy my own balls, and to pay for them on the range when I go there.

I guess I took the question differently.  The only time I pick up a golf ball is if I find some in the woods, looking for my own golf ball.  (there are trees EVERYWHERE on my home course)

[BuckeyeNut]

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

Quite simple......I leave them lay.

People who suggest they pick up the junk balls they don't want as if they intend to seek a new/worthy home for them crack me up.   Whatta' load of BS............   LOL

[Chas]

Well sometimes you can't be absolutely sure someone hasn't just played the ball you find in the rough on the hole you're playing. Rather than wait 5-10 mins to be sure no one comes along, I'll just leave it there - I did this very thing today. Otherwise I grab 'em and use 'em, unless beaten up of course in which case it stays - why pick it up? I put 3 black dots on it and it's MINE - I'm not proud that way :>)

[MS256]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNut

Quite simple......I leave them lay.

People who suggest they pick up the junk balls they don't want as if they intend to seek a new/worthy home for them crack me up.   Whatta' load of BS............   LOL

Ha ha! The BS is somehow acting like it's a noble cause to leave golf balls laying in the woods, and acting like there's some sort of possibility that somebody might be playing it, and like we don't have enough sense to know if we there is another human being within 1,000 yards of us.

I certainly wish there were more noble people around here so I could find more when I'm alone at the course.

[Rick Martin]

Originally Posted by MS256

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNut

Quite simple......I leave them lay.

People who suggest they pick up the junk balls they don't want as if they intend to seek a new/worthy home for them crack me up.   Whatta' load of BS............   LOL

Ha ha! The BS is somehow acting like it's a noble cause to leave golf balls laying in the woods, and acting like there's some sort of possibility that somebody might be playing it, and like we don't have enough sense to know if we there is another human being within 1,000 yards of us.

I certainly wish there were more noble people around here so I could find more when I'm alone at the course.

LOL-
I thought golf was played by people a little higher on the food chain.....

[MS256]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

LOL-

I thought golf was played by people a little higher on the food chain.....

Not too many people around here that would consider themselves "higher on the food chain". We are just a bunch of country boys that get together on Saturdays and play golf. I suppose a couple of them could consider themselves farther up the food chain (because they certainly have the money) but they choose not to. They just like playing with us bottom feeders for some reason.

Any other rounds during the week are usually on an empty course except in Summer when there's probably an average of 8 to 12 people on the course at any given time.

Used to be more people that played there but the course owner decided he didn't need the money and pretty much barred all idiots that don't know how to take care of a golf course from playing there so it's sort of a pubic course but by invitation only.

[bkuehn1952]

I submit that leaving abandoned golf balls on the course is wrong.  One expects trash to be picked up and an abandoned nicked up Top Flite laying in the woods is just one more piece of trash.  Pick the darn thing up and toss it in the garbage bucket at the next tee or toss it into your shag bag.

Leaving abandoned golf balls laying all over the course slows down play.  I am not talking about balls in the middle of a fairway or the rough between two holes.  There are, however, always areas on a course where it is inconceivable that a ball is in play when you find it.  If everyone leaves these orphan balls lie, one must wander around checking each one: "nope, nope, nope, yep."  Worse, you find a Titleist 2 in a thick lie near the green, right where you hit your ball.  Yes, the perfect golfer announces he is going to mark and lift the ball to identify it (and probably get a slightly better lie).  The rest of us hit it only to find out it is an abandoned ball that no one bothered to pickup.

An exception for tournament play is appropriate.  When a competition is being held every ball should be left undisturbed.  Otherwise, pick the darn things up so the course isn't littered with garbage balls.