You hit your ball into someone's front/back yard... Do you retrieve your golf ball?

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boogielicious

Would you apply Pierson v. Post to this? The homeowner doesn't own the ball. I would argue they do not have the right to claim your property (ball).

You're correct the ball doesn't belong to the home owner but you voluntarily put in on their property and probably owe them rent.  I guess I am not so sure who owns the ball now that I think about.  Isn't possession 9/10 of the law and the golfer did voluntarily send the golf ball into the homeowner's back yard.

But in my case, as stated earlier, I just throw the ball back to the golfer if I happen to be in the yard and if not I put it in a bucket and when full I give to the course for their kids programs.

Seems like this is correct? If they do not get consent to trespass they can't get it as it's not open to the public?

Although, the second part about the golfer volunteering to put it there is not necessarily the case.

[inthehole]

So only trespassing a little bit is OK? To me its a basic courtesy to stay off someone else's property. We have homes lining one fairway on my course also. I watch golfers ignore the 'no trespassing' signs to get their two dollar golf balls, some even try to play the shot.

I always look at it as case by case - if there's a no trespassing sign, obviously, I respect that.    If there's no sign & the ball is in plain view, I'll walk in & remove it (never play from someones yard).   I figure if I was a homeowner, I would like people to remove their golf balls, so it doesn't wreck my lawnmower...

[Dave2512]

I am the other extreme it is just a couple dollar golf ball so I don't worry about it if it's gone. Don't spend much time looking for balls OB or in hazards either. More time in hazards due to being there for a drop but if I've replayed a shot from the original spot and I am certain the first ball is OB I move on.

[Grumpter]

I figure if I was a homeowner, I would like people to remove their golf balls, so it doesn't wreck my lawnmower...

Having spent a lot of time mowing a lawn that might be littered with golf balls I wasn't so worried about the golf ball ruining the riding mower as I was that the blade would catch a ball and fling it at 100mph into someone on the course. It was frightening how fast those things shot out. On more than a few occasions I almost threw myself over the front of the mower (slightly exaggerating) in order to stop quickly and not catch a golf ball. Most home riding mowers are not very nimble so it was either slam on the brakes or run over the ball. Thankfully most of the times I didn't see a ball in time there were no players in the path of the projectile.

[Duff McGee]

The saying "possession is 9/10 of the law" is a myth.

[Dave2512]

I am more worried about my score than retrieving errant balls no longer in play. Ball hunters and the shots that result in it are my number one pace killing peeve. I see people looking for balls like their life depends on finding it. Can't afford to lose a ball play cheaper balls. I lose maybe one every 3 rounds. I hit more scabby used balls on to the range than I lose.

[Slice of Life]

If I can see it, and it's not right up by there house, I'll grab it.

Don't like it? Either put up a fence, a no trespassing sign, or don't buy a house on a golf course.

Now, if you play the ball from there...then you're probably an a-hole...

[RGoosen]

I am more worried about my score than retrieving errant balls no longer in play. Ball hunters and the shots that result in it are my number one pace killing peeve. I see people looking for balls like their life depends on finding it. Can't afford to lose a ball play cheaper balls. I lose maybe one every 3 rounds. I hit more scabby used balls on to the range than I lose.

I agree with you on the pace issue. Nothing more frustrating than waiting behind a slow group that seems to be looking for errant tee shots all day. However, if you do a quick drive by in the cart and see your ball why not get out and grab it real quick? I think the key word is "looking" or "hunting" for lost balls. Quickly retrieving one I can see only takes a few seconds.

[Grumpter]

Now, if you play the ball from there...then you're probably an a-hole...

I walked out my door one day to see a guy thinking about trying to hit over a car parked in our driveway (about 35 yards out of bounds). There was no doubt he was an a-hole.

[pumaAttack]

If you are so concerned with trespassing maybe you shouldn't have boughten property on a golf course...

If the ball is not to far into the lawn I will go get it.  It's my property that I am retrieving.

If you lose your baseball over your neighbors fence, do you just leave that too?

[Dave2512]

I agree with you on the pace issue. Nothing more frustrating than waiting behind a slow group that seems to be looking for errant tee shots all day.

However, if you do a quick drive by in the cart and see your ball why not get out and grab it real quick? I think the key word is "looking" or "hunting" for lost balls. Quickly retrieving one I can see only takes a few seconds.

Thing is most house on courses are nice well kept residences with landscaped yards. My parents live on a private course with lots of homes with no fencing backing to the course. Yards have fountains, huge beds of flowers and all that it's not often a ball is just sitting feet from the course/yard boundary. It's marked white stakes and rarely would my second ball be anywhere near the yard. To get it there the first time was more than wild it's a once in a season bad shot. It's usually not obvious where the ball ended up.

I'll add that more newer courses where housing and the course were developed with the same plan the holes are widest where he typical landing area is, inverse trapezoid shaped with another on top of that as it heads to the green. Even where the native areas are on the homes side of the cart path there is space and holes that have houses dogleg away from them. The only time I ever got close to someone's yard at my former house lined home course was a ball hitting the path and bouncing hard.

It happens so infrequently it's a silly first world golf problem not worth worrying about. Some of these posts have me envisioning the annoying 20 foot ball retriever guy that pulls out 15 water balls trying to find his evidently irreplaceable Pro V1.

[Grumpter]

If you are so concerned with trespassing maybe you shouldn't have boughten property on a golf course...

I hear your point but not everyone bought a home on a golf course. In some cases the house came before there was a course. I have also dealt with some meatheads on the course so I could see why some might just sick of it altogether even if they bought a home after the course was built.

[Dave2512]

I can see how homeowners make decisions to put up no trespassing signs just to avoid the odd bad apple. This is the entitlement age I wouldn't want even one doofus stomping through my yard if everyone else was completely respectful in their approach. I'd be less worried about trampled flowers than some klutz breaking a leg and suing me for slipping on a wet stepping stone or something.

Moot point here every course I play with houses has something posted saying stay out of the yards. Where I live I had to put a friggin' lock on my gate so the kids wouldn't go in my yard to retrieve airborne toys. Last thing I need is my 14 year old blind dog wandering out of the yard because junior left the gate open.

[bubble]

vote 3 cause encounters of a sexual nature with a very nice looking cougar remodeled by doctors kind could be made in my corner. plenty of those around golf courses here.

If not maybe their daughters...

plus I would like to know if damage has been made, we are insured for this and I personally need to be responsible for this and not run away.

Finally if you buy a house near a course you probably know what can happen so no problem.

If Ilived in the US though I would prefer ringing the bell to avoid being shot at for tress passing thing.

[Gator Hazard]

We live on a golf course and when we bought the house we fully anticipated that golfers were going to hit our lawn on occassion.  Fortunately our house and the pool screen enclosure area are set back a ways from the fairway and rough as well as protected by a big oak but we find golf balls on the edge of our property.  The only thing that upset me is I could clearly see where some inconsiderate jerk walked into my lawn, saw the gap between the trees and must have hit his wedge to get to the green from my lawn and left a divot.  If I saw someone setting up to hit off of my lawn I would step out and say something.  If you hit your ball on my lawn, come get it, just don't loiter around.  I have yet to see anyone get upset about people coming into the yard to pick up a ball that can be clearly seen and understood that the obvious intent is to just retrieve the ball.

If the yard has any type of barrier being shrubs, rocks, fence, low fence, well, the ball is theirs unless they are outside and give it back to you, not going to intrude as I see that as a sign of "I don't want you on my property, period".

That being said, if you have a home on a golf course and get upset when someone grabs a ball off the edge of your property, or at least nowhere near where privacy should be a reasonable expectation or respected, then you are the one with the problem.

[Duff McGee]

I walked out my door one day to see a guy thinking about trying to hit over a car parked in our driveway (about 35 yards out of bounds). There was no doubt he was an a-hole.

How did that "conversation" go down?

[Grumpter]

How did that "conversation" go down?

Something like "What the F do you think you are doing? You hit your first F'in shot that far offline and now think you can manage to hit it OVER a F'in Cadillac to get to the green? I know you didn't F'in miss the big F'in O/B signs and foot wide burn mark showing the F'in out of bounds. Take your F'in ball back on the F'in course and then F'in hit the F'in thing. You F'in meathead". Something like that.

[Psyber]

vote 3 cause encounters of a sexual nature with a very nice looking cougar remodeled by doctors kind could be made in my corner. plenty of those around golf courses here.

If not maybe their daughters...

plus I would like to know if damage has been made, we are insured for this and I personally need to be responsible for this and not run away.

Finally if you buy a house near a course you probably know what can happen so no problem.

If Ilived in the US though I would prefer ringing the bell to avoid being shot at for tress passing thing.

No state allows you to just shoot someone for simply being on their property.