Stealing Golf Balls

[JGolfer]

Does anybody else have issues with people stealing their balls. Was playing a round today, and one of the guys I was playing with asked why I don't use my ProV1x's anymore, I mentioned because whenever I do, I have to race to my ball to prevent them being picked up. He was hesitant of this, 3 holes later, hit a drive down the right into the trees. Walking down see a guy playing the opposite hole in the tree's bend down, pick the ball up on his merry way. Pulled him, he then dropped the ball out of his pocket. 4 holes after that, hit a ball right, finds the fairway coming opposite direction, again as I am walking towards my ball, see a guy bend down pick the ball up, and scooter on. Again walked over him, questioned him, he denied it, asked him if he wouldn't mind showing me his right pocket, low and behold my ball. Playing the last, which goes past our first, again same thing happens. Again pulled the people in question this time, they kicked off a fuss, asking me how dare I accuse them, luckily one of the greens staff was driving past in a buggy, low and behold. Yet again my ball in someones pocket.

Got me thinking, does anybody else suffer this issue? If so, do you pull the people or just avoid it? Both the people I was playing with said while that would infuriate them, they would't want the confrontation. Obviously my logic is, I paid for them, I am not just letting people take them, not exactly cheap balls.

If I play with my project (a) don't have to worry nobody pays them any attention (hence why I now use them, used it today as a demonstration) , however moment I pull out the yellow prov's it seems like kids in a candy store. I would say based on the people I have pulled around this, always seems to be 3/4 balls of guys in or around mid 30's-40's.

 

[Depreston]

Love to nick a ProV me like straight in the pocket and run



As if this is even a thing

 

[Robster59]

I've never seen this at our place. Is it a municipal or private club?

 

[JGolfer]

I've never seen this at our place. Is it a municipal or private club?

Municipal.

 

[Orikoru]

Your course isn't in Liverpool by any chance is it?

 

[USER1999]

Never had any issues like this.

 

[Dando]

Does anybody else have issues with people stealing their balls. Was playing a round today, and one of the guys I was playing with asked why I don't use my ProV1x's anymore, I mentioned because whenever I do, I have to race to my ball to prevent them being picked up. He was hesitant of this, 3 holes later, hit a drive down the right into the trees. Walking down see a guy playing the opposite hole in the tree's bend down, pick the ball up on his merry way. Pulled him, he then dropped the ball out of his pocket. 4 holes after that, hit a ball right, finds the fairway coming opposite direction, again as I am walking towards my ball, see a guy bend down pick the ball up, and scooter on. Again walked over him, questioned him, he denied it, asked him if he wouldn't mind showing me his right pocket, low and behold my ball. Playing the last, which goes past our first, again same thing happens. Again pulled the people in question this time, they kicked off a fuss, asking me how dare I accuse them, luckily one of the greens staff was driving past in a buggy, low and behold. Yet again my ball in someones pocket.

Got me thinking, does anybody else suffer this issue? If so, do you pull the people or just avoid it? Both the people I was playing with said while that would infuriate them, they would't want the confrontation. Obviously my logic is, I paid for them, I am not just letting people take them, not exactly cheap balls.

If I play with my project (a) don't have to worry nobody pays them any attention (hence why I now use them, used it today as a demonstration) , however moment I pull out the yellow prov's it seems like kids in a candy store. I would say based on the people I have pulled around this, always seems to be 3/4 balls of guys in or around mid 30's-40's.

Have tried hitting your own fairway?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Only time I have seen this is at a muni I used to play at, where some kids would jump the fence and nip out onto fairways where visibility from the players wasnt so good.

 

[Wolf]

Gillingham used to suffer this issue when they had the old course layout. Kids used to run out from the trees next to 6th & 7th fairwarsa adjacent to a housing estate.

Never known it to be a am issue at any course where members pick up balls though 🤔

 

[Blue in Munich]

Have tried hitting your own fairway?

Oh the irony!!

 

[JGolfer]

Have tried hitting your own fairway?

Thought had crossed my mind.

 

[larmen]

Are they just picking up what looks like a lost ball from earlier in the day?
If a group walks down the fairway and there is an unclaimed ball there, and they haven’t heard someone from the other hole shout ‘fore’ then maybe they just didn’t know.

 

[Dando]

Thought had crossed my mind.

It’s massively over rated

 

[IanM]

Only time I have seen this is at a muni I used to play at, where some kids would jump the fence and nip out onto fairways where visibility from the players wasnt so good.

Happened to me Formby a few years back, other than that, not seen it

 

[Oddsocks]

Have tried hitting your own fairway?

Exactly what was through my mind except I wanted to see if someone else jumped in

 

[Maninblack4612]

Thought had crossed my mind.

Short journey?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Gillingham used to suffer this issue when they had the old course layout. Kids used to run out from the trees next to 6th & 7th fairwarsa adjacent to a housing estate.

Never known it to be a am issue at any course where members pick up balls though 🤔

Used to have the same issue with kids when member of Filton in Bristol. I did a fair bit of chasing in my time. Nothing the club could do about it due to a number of public RoWs crossing the course. Just one of these things.

 

[jim8flog]

I played as a visitor on a course and had a similar problem when two of us went on to the adjoining fairway . It took a lot of persuasion with this guy to give us our balls back.

Not really a problem where I play although you get the occasional player who plays a wrong ball.

Seen it happen on some clubs with public footpaths through them.

 

[Orikoru]

Are they just picking up what looks like a lost ball from earlier in the day?
If a group walks down the fairway and there is an unclaimed ball there, and they haven’t heard someone from the other hole shout ‘fore’ then maybe they just didn’t know.

That's still well cheeky though. I personally never pick up a ball that's just in the rough or on the fairway as there's always a decent chance someone's sliced it there and haven't got up to look for it yet. I'd only pick one up if it was found deep in the bushes or trees when looking for my own ball, and it seems likely it's been there for a while.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I would certainly think twice about leaving my shoes in the OP's club changing rooms.