Taking good balls from range buckets

[dkolo]

I've hit many scuffed up prov1s that I found into the range I go to. There is no course near it. And I find prov1s in my bucket that are nicer that i keep on occassion. Surely the range owner isn't buying prov1s so my guess is other golfers are contributing balls like me. So who are we stealing from?

It doesn't matter whether they're buying the balls they're putting out onto the range. The balls belong to the range owner.

Is it ? The range bought a set amount of balls for the season. These are extra balls contributed by golfers like you said wanting to see how well they hit certain balls. The bigger crime just might be using their range with balls you didn't rent from them.

Once those balls are hit and abandoned by the golfer, they belong to the finder. That person is the range owner, not you, guy-who-bought-a-bucket.

I was going to another range earlier in the season a lot where the owner lives 2 hours away. It's a honor system with a slot where you put your money and grab a bucket sitting on a shelf outside his shack. He comes to town once a week to collect the balls, make new buckets and grab the cash. He was there one day I went. Good guy. Took lessons from him 30 years ago. He was pissed. He said some kids must have had some fun at his place that week. He figured they hit about $85 of balls without paying. Never shorted him once when I went. I did take a few slazengers but replaced them with some balls I found a few weeks later. Hitting buckets without paying? Now that is some stealing there. Damn kids:-)

You stole his Slazengers. I don't understand why you don't seem to comprehend that.

But if the range never actually owned them to begin with then it's just like taking a lost or abandoned ball at the course.

The range owns abandoned balls once it collects them. When it puts them out for use on the range, they are analytically identical to the balls they purchased with respect to the end user. In other words, the found balls of the range belong to the range and you a receiving a license to hit them. You as the range customer have no valid property interest in the reclaimed balls whatsoever. This is an extraordinarily simple concept.

I found two balls today just cross the ob line behind a green I rolled off the back of. Clearly they were abandoned. Picked them up and gave them to my buddy for his shag bag. Stolen from the course? Nah...bringing new life to a lost ball that is just going to rot away unless some other eco conscious person like me comes along and picks up the litter.

You found abandoned balls. They're yours. Imagine now hypothetically that you were a range owner. Now that ball would belong to the range owner. See how that works?

That's my point. The range is using their manpower, equipment, etc. On balls that they did not buy or plan to use. You are doing them a favor by removing these balls.

If they want you to pick out the non-range balls, they will make an affirmative statement to that effect. You have no legal basis for that assumption.

What ranges don't do is sort the balls. I went to one range and they had buckets full of balls they just collected ready to go into machines and buckets. they were marked all the same, all identical. Not one other different kind of ball that I could see in the bunch. You think that range owner wants to see some scuffed prov1 s in his mix of new range balls he just spent his hard earned money on? Think about the range owners in this too my friend.

How the range owner wants to set up his ball mix is his business. Most people like to find a real ball in the bucket to use for calibrating the range balls. Maybe the range owner hates that. Maybe he doesn't. Absent an affirmative indication on the range owner's part, you're stealing his balls and hoping he's cool with it.

Are you an acrobat?

At the very least, there's folks engaging in some spectacular logical gymnastics.

That's why the smart ranges let you take the non range balls. They don't need or want the expense of cutting, drying, and baling those extra bales of hay they didn't plant and budget for. Who wants a plot of beautiful new range balls with scuffed prov1 s mixed in. They are like weeds that need to be removed.

I like finding ProV1s in my bucket. They're lovely to hit with wedges and I can get a realistic spin reaction. Leave my scuffed ProV1s alone.

[legitimatebeef]

Having read every reply in this thread I can only conclude that this is a moral grey area. In such a situation I defer to the old golden rule. (Good old Jesus!) If I was the proprietor of a golf practice range, and people were pocketing the odd Pro-V1 that made its way into circulation, I don't think I could blame them. And I would consider it incumbent upon myself to pick the premiums out and re-sell or repurpose them before they have a chance to tempt any of the customers.

[dkolo]

Having read every reply in this thread I can only conclude that this is a moral grey area. In such a situation I defer to the old golden rule. (Good old Jesus!) If I was the proprietor of a golf practice range, and people were pocketing the odd Pro-V1 that made its way into circulation, I don't think I could blame them. And I would consider it incumbent upon myself to pick the premiums out and re-sell or repurpose them before they have a chance to tempt any of the customers.

What if you want those ProV1s available for your customers? Are you forced to resign yourself to people taking them because they will convince themselves you don't own them?

[Sante TwoGloves]

We obviously see it differently dkolo. I didn't steal the slazengers, I replaced them and then some. Now I am rethinking that. I'm one of the people who have clogged up his system with unwanted hay bales. There is my mistake thinking he wanted more balls cluttering up his stock like weeds diluting his product. Agree to disagree I guess but I'm sure going to rethink giving ranges free balls from now on.

[dkolo]

We obviously see it differently dkolo. I didn't steal the slazengers, I replaced them and then some. Now I am rethinking that. I'm one of the people who have clogged up his system with unwanted hay bales. There is my mistake thinking he wanted more balls cluttering up his stock like weeds diluting his product. Agree to disagree I guess but I'm sure going to rethink giving ranges free balls from now on.

I rented an Audi A6 on my last vacation. I decided to keep it and return three Ford Pintos and a unicycle. Apparently the rental place is displeased.

[Jeremie Boop]

This whole discussion has made me curious. I have a pretty good relationship with the owner of one of the ranges in town, next time I'm there I'll ask him how he feels about the idea of someone taking a non range ball with them if they find it in the bucket they got. On a side note, I was there yesterday due needing to have a quote written up by him for the replacement of all my golf equipment. In a clear case of theft, someone popped my trunk and took my stuff sometime Friday night. While I was there he told me that from his house he watches people go out on the range after hours and pick up lots of the range balls. He knows one person by name who happens to have quite a bit of money who, when he asks if he wants a bucket will tell him "no, I saved some from last time".... Something tells me he's much more concerned about those people and will most likely say "I don't care about the non range balls, they weren't mine anyway". I'm sure that sentiment wouldn't necessarily be shared by others though.

[Sante TwoGloves]

This whole discussion has made me curious. I have a pretty good relationship with the owner of one of the ranges in town, next time I'm there I'll ask him how he feels about the idea of someone taking a non range ball with them if they find it in the bucket they got. On a side note, I was there yesterday due needing to have a quote written up by him for the replacement of all my golf equipment. In a clear case of theft, someone popped my trunk and took my stuff sometime Friday night. While I was there he told me that from his house he watches people go out on the range after hours and pick up lots of the range balls. He knows one person by name who happens to have quite a bit of money who, when he asks if he wants a bucket will tell him "no, I saved some from last time".... Something tells me he's much more concerned about those people and will most likely say "I don't care about the non range balls, they weren't mine anyway". I'm sure that sentiment wouldn't necessarily be shared by others though.

I was thinking of doing the same thing with the owner of the range I've been going to lately. I think you are right about them saying i dont care about the non range balls,they weren't mine anyway. depends on the range I guess. Not as cut and dry as people like to think.

[turtleback]

Having read every reply in this thread I can only conclude that this is a moral grey area. In such a situation I defer to the old golden rule. (Good old Jesus!) If I was the proprietor of a golf practice range, and people were pocketing the odd Pro-V1 that made its way into circulation, I don't think I could blame them. And I would consider it incumbent upon myself to pick the premiums out and re-sell or repurpose them before they have a chance to tempt any of the customers.

How incredibly . . . . self-serving.

If I owned a bank I wouldn't care if people came and took as much money as they want, so therefore it is OK for me to rob a bank?

There is no moral grey area at all, just a lot of rationalizing.  It is really very simple:

1) Is it yours?

2) If so take it,  If not, do not take it.

What could be simpler or cleaner?

It is the classic difference between mine and thine.

Note, the actual owner doesn't need to be known, the size of the item doesn't matter, whether or not the ball is marked as a range ball doesn't matter.  The simple rule works perfectly no matter what.

[Sante TwoGloves]

I agree with the whole religious analogy. The range owners should make a point to remove these unwanted prov1 s to as not to tempt us. Kind of like how women in certain religions conceal their bodies. yeah, you can debate the legality of the matter all you want but from a spiritual point of view it's more Jesus like to help the range owners and remove the unwanted for them.

[Pete F]

I've read this whole thread.

Hard to believe people will expend so much energy on something of so little value.

If you want something ask the owner.

I surmise that most range operators will gladly give a good customer the ball of their dreams.

The customer is far more valuable to the owner than the ball.

The answer likely would be quite different if the request was for a golf bag.

[Dave2512]

I don't get the allure of taking a ball of unknown condition. Why the temptation? It's just a ball you probably have dozen in your bag as it is. I really don't look at them that close. It's just stripers, nonstripers and discolored junk. More concerned about why I am there.

[RGoosen]

I just thought of something that was not brought up... For those that would take a golf ball for themselves, would you do it in front of the owner or in front of the head pro without hiding what you are doing or without being discrete? If you would do it in front of them without hiding it then you truly believe it is okay. If you would hide what you are doing or try to be discrete then you are simply trying to justify something you know deep down inside that you think is wrong. I work in an orthopaedic office. Sometimes a patient will ask me if they can take a magazine home with them or tear an article out of one of the magazines. I have never told one of my patients no, but I appreciate them asking b/c it is the right thing to do. On the few occasions when I witnessed someone doing it without asking I thought they were being rude but I didn't run them down to retrieve the used magazine back. In this scenario and on the range it is probably fine if you ask. If you told the pro you found and brand new Pro V1 on the range and replaced it with a unscathed Noodle, I doubt he would run you off the course or say you can't do that. He would probably appreciate your honesty, you would get your Pro V1, the range would not lose a ball, and you wouldn't feel guilty in the end.

[elratador]

I like to simulate the pressure of a real shot once or twice a bucket by pulling out a gamer ball from my bag and hitting it, so I give way more than I take. Try it out. Nothing like striping twenty janky range balls in a row, then trying the same shot with a "live round" in the chamber to check your distance and flubbing the crap out of it. Pretty rarely I'll take a nice one to keep but my ratio is firmly on the giver side of same-quality balls. I go to the same place all the time and like getting to re-hit and old friend with my mark on it. But if someone bagged it, I want them to get birdies with it.

[dkolo]

I agree with the whole religious analogy. The range owners should make a point to remove these unwanted prov1 s to as not to tempt us. Kind of like how women in certain religions conceal their bodies. yeah, you can debate the legality of the matter all you want but from a spiritual point of view it's more Jesus like to help the range owners and remove the unwanted for them.

What a bizarre exercise in victim blaming and rationalization. The balls belong to the range owner. Absent affirmative permission to take them, you may only use them for practice on the range. Where they came from is wholly immaterial to the analysis.

[legitimatebeef]

If I owned a bank I wouldn't care if people came and took as much money as they want...

I would like to point out that that is a preposterous scenario and clearly misrepresents my opinion. I am not an idiot, if that's what you are implying. If I "owned a bank" I certainly would not approve of the scenario you are describing. Good day, sir.

[boogielicious]

Everyone please take it down a notch. You are all getting very worked up in your responses. We don't want to restrict people but many of you are pushing the limits of forum posting rules with insults. It will not be tolerated and you will be restricted.

[JonMA1]

Man, who would have thought this would turn into such a hot topic? Maybe we should create a poll...

_ OK to take the good balls

_ Not OK to take any ball

_ Ask permission

[Kenny Lee]

I asked the pro at my club-

Q- "If I discovered a brand new Pro V among the range balls, and took it, what would you say about that?"

A- "Of course you should take it. It's not a range ball."

Yep. Makes sense to me.