2nd hand balls sold on the course

[Slab]

I know many are loyal to their ball choice and stick to that alone...

But for those of us who play with most things... does your course have guys selling bags of 2nd hand balls from the hedgerows and bushes?

• If so do you buy them?
• Does the club chase the sellers/advise players not to buy?
• What do you personally think about the practice?

Asking because I normally take the opportunity to buy a bag of 20/30 if they look decent enough and the price is right (the savvy sellers have already sorted out the Pro V's etc so they can be bagged together & sold at higher rate)

When playing last weekend my mate bought 140 balls off a lad in one go!

 

[Agent Pies]

I would buy them if they looked in good condition and were half decent brands. I am a rank beginner though so that's why it wouldn't bother me. What I do find silly is a lad at work who plays off 25 who will only use Pro V1s and nothing else. On average he'll lose 3-6 balls a round.

At my regular 9 hole track, they have the standard big bowl on the desk with the lake/found balls in there.

Few weeks ago I went in just as they were refilling it. I had a quick mooch (as always) and couldn't believe there was 4 almost new Pro V1s along with 3 equally as new Srixxon AD333s. I bought them for £4. Made my day that did

 

[HawkeyeMS]

The only course I've ever seen anyone selling them was Brent Valley. The scallywags there wouldn't always wait until a ball was "lost" before "finding" it if you know what I mean.

 

[patricks148]

one of the starters at my place sells them, he walks round with one of the roll ups once or twice a week and finds in the region of 100 balls plus per time. a lot of Pro v's in summers as you would expect at a championship course visited by lots of overseas golfers.

ive had balls from him before ( i swapped 100 srixon ad333 and soft feels for 20 prov's) he's a member of the club so i don't have any issue with it nor do the club.
we do also get a load of Polish guys skulking around the course at night looking for balls, not sure what happens to those balls?

 

[Slab]

one of the starters at my place sells them, he walks round with one of the roll ups once or twice a week and finds in the region of 100 balls plus per time. a lot of Pro v's in summers as you would expect at a championship course visited by lots of overseas golfers.

ive had balls from him before ( i swapped 100 srixon ad333 and soft feels for 20 prov's) he's a member of the club so i don't have any issue with it nor do the club.
we do also get a load of Polish guys skulking around the course at night looking for balls, not sure what happens to those balls?

lol maybe they are broken up and sold for spares

 

[Slab]

The only course I've ever seen anyone selling them was Brent Valley. The scallywags there wouldn't always wait until a ball was "lost" before "finding" it if you know what I mean.

Yeah pretty sure I 'lost' one like this about a month ago...ironically while buying a bag of 2nd's off his mate!

 

[backwoodsman]

The only course I've ever seen anyone selling them was Brent Valley. The scallywags there wouldn't always wait until a ball was "lost" before "finding" it if you know what I mean.

Only seen it once - I think it was Bull Bay on Anglesey. A guy sitting on a bank on the dogleg of a longish hole. I drove my ball into the rough on the bank reasonably near him. He didn't move - or offer to help look for it. Couldn't find it so carried on. Was very windy and had a bad day and lost a lot of balls. So when I was offered some balls in the car park I bought some. Only realised it was the same guy when I realised he'd sold me my own ball back. (Although to be fair to him, I had abandoned it)

 

[Rooter]

We have a member in his 80's who walks his dog round the course most nights, the dog finds them and drops them to him. Finds 20-30 a night usually. Sells them back to members which the club are perfectly happy with.

 

[Alex1975]

Never seen this practice, I am surprised that clubs are ok with the selling of goods on there property. I thought if a ball was lost it became the property of the club?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Never seen this done. I've seen second's in a basket in the pro shop for sale so clearly someone has been out finding them and flogged them back to the pro. I might buy a few depending on the condition, especially if it was a course I'd not played or it had penal rough

 

[Foxholer]

The only course I've ever seen anyone selling them was Brent Valley. The scallywags there wouldn't always wait until a ball was "lost" before "finding" it if you know what I mean.

Certainly seen - and experienced - this in Scotland. Mortonhall (4th), Duddingston (16+), Ladybank (15?), Silverknowes (16-18) and The Braids (9th?) were known to have areas where balls could be 'lost but re-purchasable'!

I don't have a problem buying pickups - in fact it's time I refreshed my supplies. Most clubs ignore the casual pick-ups, but there have been instances where Divers have gone in unauthorised!

 

[TLB]

I'm certain I 'lost' a ball like this playing at The Carrick at Loch Lomond a month ago! Similar experinces to others really, a friend of mine always walks his dog near a few of the holes and seems to find quite a lot, and the shop sells them at 50p a ball, sometimes you find the odd ProV1 in there.

 

[Slab]

Never seen this practice, I am surprised that clubs are ok with the selling of goods on there property. I thought if a ball was lost it became the property of the club?

Ouch, must be sore when you leave your wedge out on the course!

 

[woody69]

Don't think it is something that happens in England very much. Have only seen it when playing a few courses in Spain, Portugal and Mauritius. Balls seemed fairly good quality and cheap and I bought a bag, but mainly because I was running out!

 

[Green Bay Hacker]

I can't remember seeing anyone doing it on the UK courses that I have played but it is very common in Spain and Portugal. The road up to La Cala is littered with cars parked up and the bonnets are covered with bags of balls.

We used to have an old boy who walked the course with his dogs that could sniff a lost ball from 100 yards away and he sent the balls off to a charity.

 

[el marko]

Thought this was a joke at first! cannot believe this actually happens.

My place sells 2nd hand pro v1s for £2.50 -RIP OFF!

 

[gdunc79]

Had this happen to me on the 8th tee of Strathclyde Park Golf Course. I don't buy them as my sister lives in St Andrews so when ball stocks are running low I tend to arrange a weekend visit and suggest a Sunday morning stroll round the Old Course (which is closed to golfers but open to the public to walk on). My son is just the right size to throw under the gorse bushes...ha ha. Usually come back with 20-30 practically brand new tour balls.

 

[Alex1975]

Had this happen to me on the 8th tee of Strathclyde Park Golf Course. I don't buy them as my sister lives in St Andrews so when ball stocks are running low I tend to arrange a weekend visit and suggest a Sunday morning stroll round the Old Course (which is closed to golfers but open to the public to walk on). My son is just the right size to throw under the gorse bushes...ha ha. Usually come back with 20-30 practically brand new tour balls.

More in fuel than the balls cost?

 

[mchacker]

One of our greenkeepers openly advertises hundreds of second hand premium balls on his facebook page. There are a couple of guys who go out late to find balls which are then traded to golfers rather than sold, a couple of pints for half a dozen sort of thing.

 

[GB72]

When I used to play at Orton Meadows in Peterborough, there was a bloke in a wet suit who used to fish balls out of the stream on the 18th hole and flog them to golfers. Never bought any myself and it was frowned upon but it was a muni course with no marshalls and plenty of access points so nobody to stop it.

I have no problem with the club selling second hand balls found on the course but I would rather see the profits split with the captain's charity or such like.