taking lost golf balls found in the woods, ethical or not?

[mtsalmela80]

What is everyone's opinion on taking balls from the woods when playing? Do you consider it stealing from the course? Or finders keepers?

Bear in mind almost all courses typically have the 2 for 1 used ball bucket that undoubtedly is from their own staff finding balls around the course?

For example, I rip a drive hard right into the woods, take a minute or two (if there is no group right behind) to find the ball and come across a couple pristine ProV1s. What is the right thing to do?

[Infamous 273]

It's like the 'take a penny, leave a penny' next to a cash register. I've left more pennies than I can remember.

[boogielicious]

It's like the 'take a penny, leave a penny' next to a cash register. I've left more pennies than I can remember.

This is the perfect answer!

[14ledo81]

It's like the 'take a penny, leave a penny' next to a cash register. I've left more pennies than I can remember.

Agreed.

[bkuehn1952]

My rule of thumb is never pick up a stray ball until it has stopped rolling.

[inthehole]

My rule of thumb is never pick up a stray ball until it has stopped rolling.

LOL - nicely done

[mtsalmela80]

Ok so so far its not that frowned upon to pick em up.

I play pretty much exclusively with found balls. Some kind of superstition. I was given a box of NXT Tour Ss, and proceeded to lose a sleeve a round until they were gone.

Past couple weeks I have been playing with the same ball I found for 3 rounds.

[mcanadiens]

Some people just need to be a bit mindful when they think about picking up balls. I've had a couple different occasions when some guy literally picked up my atrocious slice as I was walking to it. The last time it happened, I was in plain sight and started yelling at him. Dude must of had a hearing issue cause off he went. Other than that, no issues with grabbing them up.

[Abu3baid]

I have never asked my self the question, but always thought there was nothing wrong with it..

No one I have ever played with has ever had an issue with it.

Unless someone explains why it is wrong to do so, I'm probably going to continue doing it.

Heck, I could be picking up my own ball that I left there the day before :)

[Sante TwoGloves]

Do the right thing and bring the balls to the clubhouse after your round so they can put them in the lost and found box.

[saevel25]

What is everyone's opinion on taking balls from the woods when playing? Do you consider it stealing from the course?

Nope

[mtsalmela80]

Some people just need to be a bit mindful when they think about picking up balls. I've had a couple different occasions when some guy literally picked up my atrocious slice as I was walking to it. The last time it happened, I was in plain sight and started yelling at him. Dude must of had a hearing issue cause off he went.

Other than that, no issues with grabbing them up.

Well I never no matter what pick up balls when holes are going back and forth, next to each other, because of just that. If I'm on a secluded hole with no neighboring fairways, then I feel they can be picked up safely.

[inthehole]

Do the right thing and bring the balls to the clubhouse after your round so they can put them in the lost and found box.

I will always do this for found clubs, not balls.

[David in FL]

It's like the 'take a penny, leave a penny' next to a cash register. I've left more pennies than I can remember.

Agree. Great analogy. Take a quick minute to check your surroundings though and be sure that you're absolutely certain you're looking at a ball in play from a neighboring hole. Remember too, that finding a stray ball during the normal course of play is all well and good. Taking time and slowing pace of play to specifically search for stray balls is not.,,,

[MacGruber]

i don't consider it stealing, but i have a bag full of balls from the course so i guess i'm bias.  I try to do this with some common sense though.  If I'm the only one in sight i'll pick up every ball i find.  If it's a busy saturday and there's the possibility of people spraying it all over the place, I'll usually leave em.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtsalmela80

What is everyone's opinion on taking balls from the woods when playing? Do you consider it stealing from the course?

Nope

Finders keepers, losers weepers.

[Hellstorm]

I've got two 5 gallon buckets full of lost and found balls in my garage.  I have been blessed with some vague immunity to poison ivy and one of my regular courses has two dog legs that everybody tries to cut and most never make it.  Unfortunately for them, when the ball hits the tree and falls into the woods, there is a giant patch of poison ivy so nobody even really goes in to look for them.  I can go in there and get 20 balls without even really trying.

On a side note, I have lost a ball in the woods on a course, went there again and found my ball in a different set of woods.  Somebody else found it and lost it.  That ball has 9 lives for sure.

[RussUK]

It one of the great things about golf, searching through knee high rough for your crappy Topflite/Dunlop or whatever and finding a new Pro V1. I dont generally play Pro V's but the ones i do use wre all found on the course or even the edges of the practice short course.