Etiquette .. what would you do ?

[LUFC 1972]

If you hit an errant shot and the balled rolled past someone in group ahead going to the next tee and you suspected that they had either kicked / thrown the ball into the rough or picked it up .. but from 200 yards couldn't be 100% sure .. what would you do...

Had this yesterday playing with my son in York and suspect one of the ladies in the group ahead did this .. even more certain as 3 holes later they left a new ball in the hole !

 

[Stuey01]

Bounce game, I'd take it on the chin, as I was in the wrong for hitting whilst they were in range.
Medal, I'd have words, as a ball moved by outside agency is replaced, but a lost ball hurts my score. I would apologise though for hitting into them.

 

[Slab]

If I only suspected it then not a lot really, short of apologising for hitting the errant shot obviously

What did you do?

 

[dufferman]

If you hit an errant shot and the balled rolled past someone in group ahead going to the next tee and you suspected that they had either kicked / thrown the ball into the rough or picked it up .. but from 200 yards couldn't be 100% sure .. what would you do...

Had this yesterday playing with my son in York and suspect one of the ladies in the group ahead did this .. even more certain as 3 holes later they left a new ball in the hole !

They left a new ball in the hole...???

 

[Smiffy]

If that had been at Tilgate Forest it would have been a turd

 

[Deleted member 18121]

My first question would be...did you shout fore?

If it was a bounce game I'd just throw one down and continue without penalty....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

As soon as opportunity presented I'd apologise for hitting into them - but I wouldn't ask if they had found a ball and picked it up. The incident has passed and no point in embarrassing the ladies if they had made a genuine mistake.

It's easy enough to pick a ball up without realising it isn't lost...I've done it plenty times then realised my mistake and replaced it. Sometimes on being asked by player behind if I saw their ball coming my way. Ooops!

Odd the leaving a ball in the hole unless they saw you looking for your ball and three holes later their conscience got the better of them and they gave you a ball back - albeit in a curious way.

 

[woody69]

Leaving a new ball in the hole is quite a random one! Not sure how you can forget that, although maybe they got distracted!

I'd be very disappointed if I had my suspicions the group it was near had deliberately kick or picked up my ball because it "rolled" past them.... I'd apologise when I went over and ask if they had seen my ball, but I'd ultimately let it go. If it was a social bounce game I'd just drop one roughly in the area and play on. If it was a comp I'd be heading back to where I made my last stroke trying to get it out of my head!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'd have ensured I shouted fore if there was any chance of hitting them but if you couldn't be certain then I wouldn't have asked the question. As a slight aside on a similar note to Swingsitlikehogan, I was playing in a comp recently. My partner hit one towards the clag so hit a provisional. I wandered over to my ball, near where the provisional ended up. He found the original and played up. I played mine and walked on, saw this beaten up old ball and picked it up. Thinking it was a reject I lobbed it into the thick rough only to realise it was the provisional. Couldn't find it!!! Major embarrassment although I did find a decent conditioned Z star to give him instead. Got the whatsit ripped out of me after too!!