Do you pick up a club someone has left behind?

[CCC]

I played a round in Oak Island NC a couple of weeks ago.

At some point I looked for my 58 wedge for a shot to the green and it was not in my bag. My brand new Titleist Vokey SM6.

I tell my playing partner we have to go back and look for it. We're in a cart. There is a single playing the hole right behind us. He's playing an approach shot from just off the green. I wait for him to hit and then I start to walk around the green looking for my wedge. I tell him that I left a wedge behind behind.

He says, 'Oh yes, I saw it on the last hole. On the green.' Because he did not bother to pick it up, we now have to drive back yet another hole to find my wedge. And there it was. For all to see.

One time on the second hole I found a wedge just off the green. Couldn't miss it. I picked it up. After I hit my shot to the green, I got in my cart and rushed up to the next hole where the father and son had just teed off. I said I found your son's wedge. His son said that it was not his club. So, they saw the club on the green and did not pick it up. I turned the club in at the Pro Shop after I finished the front 9.

Back to the topic.

When I find a club on the course, I always pick it up. Usually, someone always comes back down the cart path looking for their missing club. I'm always glad to say, Yes, I have it for you. Otherwise, at the end of my round I'll turn it into the Pro Shop so the owner can find it there.

It just gets to me that golfers will just leave the club lying there. Ignore it, step around it. I think it helps to pick it up and carry it forward so you can return it to it's owner - when we finally discover it's missing from our bag.

[Patch]

I have turned lost clubs into course offices before. Seemed like the right thing to do to help reunite the club with the correct owner. 

[David in FL]

If I find a club, I pick it up.  At least half the time I eventually run into the owner working his way back to look for it.  Failing that, I turn it into the clubhouse.

[Hacker James]

I once left a Hogan Edge 7 iron with Avon Chamois Grip, graphite shaft at Palm Springs Muni. I went back to pro shop, never turned up. Several years later, I saw a similar club on Ebay. It may or may not have been the same. I eventually replaced it with a similar one except the one I bought had a different flex shaft.

[Gunther]

Always.

[alleztom]

32 minutes ago, David in FL said:

If I find a club, I pick it up.  At least half the time I eventually run into the owner working his way back to look for it.  Failing that, I turn it into the clubhouse.

+1, this, always.

[CarlSpackler]

Yep. Usually run in to the owner, then usually have to wait for them to get out of the way. 

[woodzie264]

Seems like everyone picks it up and turns it in to pro shop if the owner doesn't meet up with us first. Seems cut & dry. Weird to leave it I think

[Marty2019]

43 minutes ago, woodzie264 said:

Seems like everyone picks it up and turns it in to pro shop if the owner doesn't meet up with us first. Seems cut & dry. Weird to leave it I think

I agree with that.   I will always pick it up and try to notify the group in front of us that I found a club.  Of course, I try to wait until an opportune moment, like when we catch up to them on the next tee.   They're always very grateful.  

[RussUK]

I'd pick it up and check with the group in front if anyone has dropped a club. I wouldnt say what the club was as las thing i would want is to say " have you dropped a Vokey wedge" and some random to say yes just 'cos they want a Vokey.

If they say "yes, ive dropped a Vokey 52deg" and can confirm its the club i have then fair enough. If there is no group in front i'd finish my round then hand it in at the pro shop.

[boogielicious]

7 hours ago, David in FL said:

If I find a club, I pick it up.  At least half the time I eventually run into the owner working his way back to look for it.  Failing that, I turn it into the clubhouse.

This ^^. 

[Valleygolfer]

I do pick it up and I almost always get a "I'm always leaving a club" story. The law of averages are against these people who leave clubs on the course regularly. Eventually you will hit a finders keepers guy or in your case, a few I don't want to waste time or mess around with someone else's club guy.

[Hardspoon]

I always pick it up and return it at the end of the round. I'm surprised some people don't.

[TourSpoon]

I always pick up clubs, headcovers, towels, etc that may be left behind or have fallen off of a cart. It's just the right thing to do. If the owner is not in front, then it goes to the cart guy at the end of the round to put into the lost and found. 

[Vinny Cap]

I always pick it up and put it in the cart.  If someone comes by and asks if I found a club I ask what it was to make sure it was theirs.... brand and loft will do!  If nobody asks by the end of the round I drop it off in the clubhouse.  Same for driver covers as I have found quite a few of those.

One round this summer I found 3 wedges and was asked about finding a club and two of them knew their club.  The third didn't have a clue and asked why I was asking what it was.  Once I told him he said that was a good idea and he should know more about his clubs other than they have blue grips on them.  During the rest of that round we had 5 more people ask about finding clubs but we didn't see any others.  My friend and I were like "Does anyone here today pay any attention to their clubs?"  That's a LOT of lost clubs in one day.

One round my friend lost his Eye2 wedge and he was pretty sure the group behind had it.  They said No and he was gonna dump out their bags as he was sooooo sure they had it.  We asked the next 3 groups behind and all said No.  It was never turned in to the clubhouse so I had to find him another one online as it was his Money club from 100.

[Yukari]

10 hours ago, CCC said:

I played a round in Oak Island NC a couple of weeks ago.

At some point I looked for my 58 wedge for a shot to the green and it was not in my bag. My brand new Titleist Vokey SM6.

I tell my playing partner we have to go back and look for it. We're in a cart. There is a single playing the hole right behind us. He's playing an approach shot from just off the green. I wait for him to hit and then I start to walk around the green looking for my wedge. I tell him that I left a wedge behind behind.

He says, 'Oh yes, I saw it on the last hole. On the green.' Because he did not bother to pick it up, we now have to drive back yet another hole to find my wedge. And there it was. For all to see.

One time on the second hole I found a wedge just off the green. Couldn't miss it. I picked it up. After I hit my shot to the green, I got in my cart and rushed up to the next hole where the father and son had just teed off. I said I found your son's wedge. His son said that it was not his club. So, they saw the club on the green and did not pick it up. I turned the club in at the Pro Shop after I finished the front 9.

Back to the topic.

When I find a club on the course, I always pick it up. Usually, someone always comes back down the cart path looking for their missing club. I'm always glad to say, Yes, I have it for you. Otherwise, at the end of my round I'll turn it into the Pro Shop so the owner can find it there.

It just gets to me that golfers will just leave the club lying there. Ignore it, step around it. I think it helps to pick it up and carry it forward so you can return it to it's owner - when we finally discover it's missing from our bag.

This is exactly what I do. I just don't get why people don't at least turn it in to a Marshall or the pro shop. 

[Mr. Desmond]

I will join the chorus whether found on range or course - pick it up, will say something to group in front of me if within distance and after they ID it. If owner not around, will always hand it in to the pro shop whether club, headcover, rangefinder, towel, etc.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Mr. Desmond

[Hacker James]

I've one different story that I may have told before (or perhaps another forum). I left some head covers in the back of my cart. I went back to the course a few days later and described them. The manager went back into his office and retrieved only one head cover which happened to be for the driver. It was not in good shape in the first place and had a large hole in it. I thought it strange that was the only one retrieved. The others were new and somehow had disappeared. I guess somebody needed some head covers. My negligence anyway for leaving them.