Taking good balls from range buckets

[Cupcakus]

My local ranges are on course with no nets or fences, and thus collect slices and hooks from the adjoining holes.  (And yes the adjoining holes are littered with range balls making it difficult to find your ball if you hit it close) The range balls themselves have a yellow stripe painted on them, lately every bucket I buy has at least 3 decent balls in there, without the yellow stripe.  Yesterday I found two ProV1's,a B330 and an E7.  I used to just hit them back down the range, but I decided to start just taking them if they are in good shape, pays for the bucket and then some.

The pro shop does also find these balls and then sells them in a bucket loose for $3 a piece, so maybe I shouldn't take them after all... it's sort of a moral ambiguity.  I'm curious if there are any opinions on this.

I suppose the ethical thing to do is pull them out of the bucket and turn them in to the pro shop when I leave.

[Mr. Desmond]

It's not ambiguous.

The club found the balls on their course and sell you a bucket of balls to use on their range. Just because the typical range ball has a stripe does not mean the other balls are not owned by the club.

Hit them and leave them on the range.

I save those balls for my shots with the driver.

[colin007]

Eh....I disagree with Des..I have lost balls to the range, so I view it as the Golf Gods restoring karma. Giveth and taketh blah blah.... At what point does the course "own" a ball that was bought and brought by a paying golfer?

[mcanadiens]

$3 bucks a piece for balls they pulled off the course or range? That's crazy. Real proper would be to just treat them like any other range ball. Whack em out into the range. Then again, a $3 price tag on those makes the the pro shop a lot less sympathetic.

[Dave2512]

It's not ambiguous.

The club found the balls on their course and sell you a bucket of balls to use on their range. Just because the typical range ball has a stripe does not mean the other balls are not owned by the club.

Hit them and leave them on the range.

I save those balls for my shots with the driver.

Same I pick them out as I work through the bucket. I never ever hit those scabby range balls with my driver, or my wedges.

[rkim291968]

Life is too short to worry about these little things.  Keep the balls if you like.  Eventually, they are likely to make their way back to the ranges for others to ponder the question.   Hit them back to the range if you wish.   They are not the golf shop's ball either.   They "found" them and should have put them in lost & found box for golfers to claim them .   All you are doing is claiming what is rightfully yours or someone else's.

BTW, I routinely hit "found" balls in range hoping others can/will use them, either in the same range or in field.   Our range balls are so worn out that about 1/2 of them are not worth hitting - knuckle balls, falls short, crazy spins, ...  They are ripping their customer off by circulating very poor balls.

[Dave2512]

I don't worry about it but super picky about golf balls. I don't pick up many I find on the course. If it's not a PV1 PV1x B330-s or Kick X I wouldn't use it anyway.

[Mr. Desmond]

Eh....I disagree with Des..I have lost balls to the range, so I view it as the Golf Gods restoring karma. Giveth and taketh blah blah....

At what point does the course "own" a ball that was bought and brought by a paying golfer?

At the time the golfer abandons the ball, the golf course operator uses its resources to find it, takes ownership, and then uses it on the range.

[No Mulligans]

If I find a ball on the course, I keep it as is the custom.

Taking balls from a range bucket, isn't that stealing?  I don't do that.

Maybe some see this as hypocritical.  I don't think it is.

[rkim291968]

How about take the good one and replace them with lousy ones you found?

[Mr. Desmond]

How about take the good one and replace them with lousy ones you found?

At least that would be somewhat equitable.

[bm85]

Some random guy hit them, range didn't pay for them. I'd take them if they're in good shape.

[BuckeyeNut]

I haven't hit a bucket of balls since 1995, but I want to comment anyway!!

If you find a non-range ball  (IE...brand new tour caliber ball or whatever)  in your range bucket that is in new condition..........TAKE IT!!  You are stupid if you don't!!   As a longtime golfer,  I've had the opportunity to get to know several course employees over the years that will tell you the same!!!    The HS/College kids driving the ball pickers........... I promise you they keep the good balls they find and they don't need to do it secretively.  (one of the perks of the job)   If it's not a range ball, it's a lost ball and free game!!  I talked to one kid that only saves ProV1's.....he said he had 67 dozen in brand new condition at home...LOL    I even bought a few dozen off him for practically nothing.

When I was a member at Stone Canyon, I dug through the huge storage bin and "cherry picked" some balls while talking with course employees on more than 1 occasion!  I even found one of my "shit balls" this way!!  hahahaha

[isukgolf]

Well call me a sinner if you will, but there was a time if I found a pro V1 I kept it ... there was a time I have played on good courses that were really tough, and I have taken some of their good ranges balls to hit on "hard holes" with forced carry etc ... Happy to say those times are behind me ... I would not even consider keeping a range ball today; in fact, I take my old balls that are laying around the garage to the range now. Call it Karma

[jsgolfer]

The found balls by the range were paid for by someone else, so if you want to take them go for it.  The course isn't losing any money.  It's not a range ball just because the picker grabber it.

[Patch]

If you take balls from the range bucket, for your own use, it's no less than stealing. You purchased X amount of balls to hit back into the driving range. If you don't return  ALL the balls to the driving range, or let some one else have the left overs, you are a thief. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

[Mr. Desmond]

The found balls by the range were paid for by someone else, so if you want to take them go for it.  The course isn't losing any money.  It's not a range ball just because the picker grabber it.

A great legal mind speaks...

not.

[jsgolfer]

A great legal mind speaks...

not.

Please, go pound sand.  Yeah taking balls from a range that aren't range balls is stealing.