Stealing Golf Balls

[JGolfer]

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.

I gave a pretty loud fore. And if it was a one off, I could be like yeah maybe fair enough. But its pretty much every time.

 

[JGolfer]

Short journey?

Shortest thought in history. On tee, "I'm like okay you got this, you got this". Soon as I hit the ball, "I didn't got this".

 

[drdel]

On some Spanish courses they'll nick anything ! That's why they sell balls on the approach roads. I guess that keeps the 'stock' circulating.

 

[sunshine]

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

Every stereotype is true

 

[Orikoru]

Every stereotype is true

I actually wrote that on my phone and didn't see until today that his location actually IS Liverpool.

 

[patricks148]

get people playing the wrong ball now and again.

one of the Swedes i played with in the Scottish Hickory Championships told me about how he and his pal were playing a course in Edinburgh with a couple of feathery (replica) balls they had just bought for a tidy sum, watched them stolen by a couple of kids

 

[AntShadow]

This happened to me once playing The Derby course at The Belfry, hit one straight down the middle of the fairway i was playing. Two blokes in a buggy coming down looking for one one had sliced over to our fairway, stops the buggy looks at my ball, decides it isn't his (it's not difficult as i mark mine with a drawing of an ant) and in the pocket it goes, about 30 yards away from me. I just laughed at how pathetic it was.

 

[Orikoru]

This happened to me once playing The Derby course at The Belfry, hit one straight down the middle of the fairway i was playing. Two blokes in a buggy coming down looking for one one had sliced over to our fairway, stops the buggy looks at my ball, decides it isn't his (it's not difficult as i mark mine with a drawing of an ant) and in the pocket it goes, about 30 yards away from me. I just laughed at how pathetic it was.

You didn't ask for it back??

I can't understand how someone can pocket a ball that's on another fairway. Surely, SURELY you assume it's in play?? People don't usually lose and abandon balls on the middle of the fairway??

 

[Tashyboy]

Before i was a mature adult. Sherwood was my fave place to find balatas in the middle of the fairway when i was a scraggy arsed kid. That and the practice ground. Fortunately not had it happen as an adult.

 

[jmf1488]

I tend to find visitors take my balls alot rather than club members. One bank holiday Monday I pulled out a brand new tp5x marked it and drew my we line on it. Proceeded to slice it down the second. Walked over the hill to the second 3 young lads walking up, one was bend down picking up a ball and seen me and dropped it then went on his way. The ball he dropped was a battered old thing. Never did find mine although that shot was a common miss for me and it should have been on the second fairway. The guys were long gone and I wasnt running after them.

 

[Foxholer]

Definitely a problem on several Scottish courses! Not from other players, but from 'locals' who's kids will even try to sell them back to you!

And that includes some 'posh' courses too!

 

[Slab]

Only had them snaffled by crows in the UK or monkey's out here (although without a system of ownership is it even 'stealing')

 

[GG26]

Had the opposite at an Open competition I played at Fortrose up in Scotland last week. Thinned and caught an iron off of the toe. Looked for it in an area of rough where it had headed, but not to be seen. A few holes later heading in the opposite direction sliced a driver over towards another green. Got there and the players playing that hole advised that there was a ball in the green side bunker (which was my tee shot). They then advised that there was a ball in the fairway 100 yards short of the green with the same markings. That was the one I caught off of the toe earlier. Very surprised that several groups must have passed through without picking it up.

 

[Deano1984]

I have had this happen to me on a few occasions and I mentioned it to the wife and one day she came home with a ink stamp for golf balls and it stamps a lovely red coloured middle finger on it so it makes me feel happy about someone pinching my golf ball now because it hasn’t happened much since.

 

[Leftie]

At our course, many found balls are returned to their rightful owners as a lot of unique markings are well known with the members. Must be a southern thing

 

[williamalex1]

A few weeks ago 4 of us were out playing our 9 hole comp, we'd watched a visitor playing on his own a few holes in front, we met up with him as we teed off at the 6th and he was leaving the 7th green.
I asked if he'd lost any balls, he said yeh 2 , so i gave him the 2 brand new Prov1s we found.
Turns out he was an old American gent visiting friends in Glasgow and trying to play as many courses as possible.
He was quite impressed by our course condition, but more impressed with us returning his 2 provs , first time he'd ever experienced it .

 

[Fish]

At our course, many found balls are returned to their rightful owners as a lot of unique markings are well known with the members. Must be a southern thing

I think it's a gloating thing, a few in my group have unique markings, some people like nothing more than coming up to you in the bar and say out loud 'found this today, is it yours', knowing full well it is!

 

[Fabia999]

A few weeks ago 4 of us were out playing our 9 hole comp, we'd watched a visitor playing on his own a few holes in front, we met up with him as we teed off at the 6th and he was leaving the 7th green.
I asked if he'd lost any balls, he said yeh 2 , so i gave him the 2 brand new Prov1s we found.
Turns out he was an old American gent visiting friends in Glasgow and trying to play as many courses as possible.
He was quite impressed by our course condition, but more impressed with us returning his 2 provs , first time he'd ever experienced it .

I think I've lost some pro V1's on your course... let me know if you find anymore .

 

[Leftie]

I think it's a gloating thing, a few in my group have unique markings, some people like nothing more than coming up to you in the bar and say out loud 'found this today, is it yours', knowing full well it is!

Not gloating Robin. Just thought a bit amusing when you lost your ball on the 18th Cooden and then "found" one you'd lost in the morning in the hole.

 

[Grant85]

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.

Another thing to add to a list of requirements when joining a club;
* well fenced off
* not walking distance from some dodgy part of town
* fees expensive enough to keep thieves away from the course