When a Nice Ball Shows up in the Range Basket

[HitAndGiggle]

I practice a lot more than I play. If playing took 2 hours and practice 5 it'd probably be the other way around. But, I digress. I was watching my son's lesson Saturday morning and happened to see about 30 abandoned balls o the range next to us. So, I pulled out an iron and started swinging. I noticed on one that it was a pretty nice TM Tour Preferred X. Hit it with a 4-iron and it really sailed far compared to the range specials. Made me chuckle...

[Lihu]

Put it in a separate pile then hit it with your driver. . .

[Patch]

I see all kinds of premium balls show up in the range basket. I just pay a little more attention to their ball flights when I hit them. 

[Hardspoon]

I usually just steal them.

Edited April 3, 2017 by Hardspoon

[Denny Bang Bang]

2 hours ago, Lihu said:

Put it in a separate pile then hit it with your driver. . .

 

38 minutes ago, Patch said:

I see all kinds of premium balls show up in the range basket. I just pay a little more attention to their ball flights when I hit them. 

Ditto 

[Hacker James]

58 minutes ago, Hardspoon said:

I usually just steal them.

haha, I probably would not steal them, but I might be tempted to "repeal and replace" them.

[Jack Watson]

The range I used to practice on had a lot of nice pro v balls showing up in my bucket.

i stocked up! 

[RandallT]

1 hour ago, Hardspoon said:

I usually just steal them.

A trip down memory lane

 

[chilepepper]

If it's a model I like I'll take it otherwise I hit it with my driver. I practice at course ranges and the balls I find while playing get saved and hit on the range. It's a net gain for the facility

[gregsandiego]

If Lexi can get penalized by a TV viewer, I can call your course and turn you guys (that take them)  for stealing. 

[boogielicious]

7 hours ago, gregsandiego said:

If Lexi can get penalized by a TV viewer, I can call your course and turn you guys (that take them)  for stealing. 

Make sure you are in your pajamas, eating Cheetos and lying on your couch when you call! 

[ebaz]

It's probably mine from slicing off hole 1. So I keep it 

[jkelley9]

My course used mainly found balls as well. They replenish at times with practice balls too, but the majority are just a mix of found balls. Our buckets are ~40 balls and there will usually be something like 3-4 ProVs, 10 mid to high end TM/callaway/bridgestone balls just worn a little, 10-12 rock flights, and the rest will be practice balls. 

I scoot the better balls to the side and hit them with my driver, as other have said. I can't STAND hitting a rock flight with my driver. I feel like it's going to crack the face! 

I don't steal the good balls. Think about it... sure you may "donate" them back to the course via a bad shot... but then they have to pick it up again. Don't do that. The balls I lose will be my own, and maybe one day in the future I'll get to hit it again lol. We should all contribute in that aspect to the practice range of a given course. 

Edit: I've also gotten in the habit of checking for "refurbished" or "refinished" balls. I don't hit those with the driver either. I will pretty much only hit chip shots with those (15-40 yards).

Edited April 4, 2017 by jkelley9

[Gator Hazard]

Are we playing finish the sentence?

You take it and put a nasty scuffed water ball that's been run over by a lawnmower in its place. 

[anker0071]

So let me preface this by saying not proud of this. Growing up, I worked maintenance at a course that hosted a lot of tournaments over the summer. Basically there was a tournament every week. The course would put out Pro V practice balls on the range. I would take the last 30 minutes before lunch to "pick" the woods adjacent the range. At the end of one summer, I had a 5 gallon bucket full of practice Pro V's that lasted me well into my college years.... I know. I was a scumbag. I justified it with myself as hazard pay for having to water wilt on NC bent grass greens while the tournament participants constantly hit balls into me on the greens during practice rounds, rather than wait for me to finish. 

[Inthetrap]

Taking balls from the range is kind of "stealing".  I'll save them til the end of the bucket and crank them with a driver.

[rehmwa]

I save them for the end of the practice session.

For those people that take them.  Options:

1 - Why not just ask the staff if you can take them?  Unlikely, but then it's not stealing if they agree.

2 - Offer to exchange shags for the good ones - maybe offer 2 to 1 - more likely

8 of 10 courses you get "no" and "no".  But at least you get the policy statement and can respect that accordingly as their business.  It's amazing what happens when you are just straightforward and ask sometimes.

I like to hunt balls during a round.  But I tell the counter person to be sure they don't have an issue or a policy conflict.  Most don't, and I get a funny look from them - usually a comment about how people don't ask that.......  But it's up front.  Last course was a new one - "SURE, but if you do we want half.  And only if you don't play slow"  They were excited about it even.  That was great.  I get to do something I find relaxing, they get driving range inventory with free labor.  And I got to pick which I kept and which they got (which also saved me effort in cleaning the scuffed ones and brands I don't like)

Edited April 4, 2017 by rehmwa

[HitAndGiggle]

During a lesson a few weeks back some yahoo managed to hit a ball that ricocheted off a little sign, bounced backwards, and ended up hitting my truck, parked in the little lot behind us, Everybody looked at my truck then looked at the yahoo. When he and his friend finished and walked back to their parked cars I intercepted them to honestly ask how he managed to get the ball to go that way. He denied any involvement. I noticed everyone had stopped to watch the conversation. Haha. I stole that ball. Still in my center console cup holder. But it's just a rock range ball..,