Taking your own ammo to the Range!

[IanM]

Working from home today, so headed to the range at St Pierre before getting back on the laptop.

A party of old boys arrive on the range, clearly down here in a Group, Midlands Accents. Head Old Boy produces a carrier bag of golf balls which he distributes to his mates, loudly proclaiming he isn't paying a fiver for a bucket of range balls....

Not seen that before! So when you start getting a load of pick ups in the bucket, that's where they came from!

 

[Britishshooting]

Some tight chuffers about and its no wonder some of the smaller business struggle.

This was an issue at a range I frequent, they had to ask people to extract any balls they came across that weren't the srixon branded range balls and they would compensate you with 5 new shiny range balls to hit.

I get on with the lad that runs the range and they completely replaced all of the balls for new ones and within the space of 2 weeks a few hundred of them had been pocketed and there were dozens of crappy old ancient balls that people were hitting instead of range balls.

You're paying for use of the facility not just the balls in my opinion so I find it frankly disgusting.

One that does make me laugh is that you get a part worn pro v1 or pro v1x in almost every basket nowadays, I can only assume its people trying to find any edge they can to win the weekly long drive competitions on the top tracer.

 

[Orikoru]

You're not going to get many trips to the range out of that though are you? How many people are finding 50 golf balls a week or two weeks? And that's excluding any found balls that are good enough to throw in the bag and use.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I always take a half dozen or so balls I’ve found on my course to intermingle with the range balls. I’m happy to let them go as one hit wonders at a range.

 

[Orikoru]

Some tight chuffers about and its no wonder some of the smaller business struggle.

This was an issue at a range I frequent, they had to ask people to extract any balls they came across that weren't the srixon branded range balls and they would compensate you with 5 new shiny range balls to hit.

I get on with the lad that runs the range and they completely replaced all of the balls for new ones and within the space of 2 weeks a few hundred of them had been pocketed and there were dozens of crappy old ancient balls that people were hitting instead of range balls.

You're paying for use of the facility not just the balls in my opinion so I find it frankly disgusting.

One that does make me laugh is that you get a part worn pro v1 or pro v1x in almost every basket nowadays, I can only assume its people trying to find any edge they can to win the weekly long drive competitions on the top tracer.

I always, perhaps naively, assumed that any Titleist etc balls I found in my range bucket were due to errant shots from the course that had been sliced over the fence and onto the range and subsequently collected.

 

[Britishshooting]

Having said all of the above, there is a range at one of the golf clubs I play. I have a monthly membership that allows unlimited use of the range so during periods when the balls have been collected and the range is theoretically closed I jump on the range with my shagbag and flight scope and plonk balls about for a few hours.

 

[Maninblack4612]

My mate owns my local range. Anyone caught using their own balls is thrown out & banned. He considers it to be theft.

 

[Britishshooting]

I always, perhaps naively, assumed that any Titleist etc balls I found in my range bucket were due to errant shots from the course that had been sliced over the fence and onto the range and subsequently collected.

Would make sense I suppose and is the case at our course too. But the range i mentioned is a dedicated range only, not attached to any golf course.

I mean some places don''t mind it at all, our club range doesn't but the owner of this particular range does have signage asking politely not to hit other balls as he wants to maintain some level of standard to the balls people get in their bucket and its his business not a facility for members and greenfees as such.

 

[GB72]

Not seen anyone be bring their own range balls but have seen a long term member produce a flask of tea in the clubhouse for his pre round cuppa

 

[Bunkermagnet]

My mate owns my local range. Anyone caught using their own balls is thrown out & banned. He considers it to be theft.

Does he still consider it theft if you buy a bucket of balls, and add in a few of your own pickups?

 

[Coffey]

I was in my local range a while ago speaking with the owner and an elderly man came in and asked if he could hit his own balls down the range. He did say they were good condition and was willing to show them to the owner.

The owner reluctantly said that's okay but afterwards he told me that his aim was to only have yellow srixon balls at the range so they were all the same yet people kept hitting their own balls out there.

It is strange as range balls are rather cheap. £1 for 20. The battered balls you find get thrown into my practice bag for our grass range practice and left if i cant be bothered to pick them up.

Don't think I have ever hit a pickup down the range.

 

[inc0gnito]

If you bring a couple of older balls with you but still buy a bucket then what’s the harm?

Not buying a bucket or bringing your own and picking them up again is not ok imo.

 

[IanM]

I am sure the odd ball ends up on the St P range from an errant shot off the first, and I am sure we've all hit the odd cheapo pick up on ranges too, but "going fully equipped" is a new one!

On similar theme, some mates of my wife have a "Ladies Senior Away Trip" this week.... they've sussed the bar prices are high, so have gone into Tesco and are taking their own alcohol...

 

[Maninblack4612]

Does he still consider it theft if you buy a bucket of balls, and add in a few of your own pickups?

Yes

 

[MartynB]

I’ve taken and added to a basket my own pick ups to a local range near me, for the simple reason that the quality of many of their balls is simply atrocious. Loads of old worn, mixed, ancient balls that are way past their shelf life, owners should be grateful as I am improving their stock!

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Some ranges are shorter, so hitting 'proper' balls could mean that they fly out the back.

Quite often see proper balls(normally really old ones) near our 18th, which is next to the range, so people must be hitting them on the range.

Would it be theft, taking a proper ball out of the range bucket and taking it home ?

 

[*TQ*]

I can only assume its people trying to find any edge they can to win the weekly long drive competitions on the top tracer.

Now that is a good idea!

 

[Grant85]

Working from home today, so headed to the range at St Pierre before getting back on the laptop.

A party of old boys arrive on the range, clearly down here in a Group, Midlands Accents. Head Old Boy produces a carrier bag of golf balls which he distributes to his mates, loudly proclaiming he isn't paying a fiver for a bucket of range balls....

Not seen that before! So when you start getting a load of pick ups in the bucket, that's where they came from!

Yes - what do they expect. That a range is just open to the public with no necessity to turnover any cash and try and eke out a profit.

the self interest among many in the world saddens me.

 

[howbow88]

Yes

So to confirm - if I buy 50 range balls from the guy, hit them, but also hit 3 or 4 I have found on the course, he would ban me from his range? Seems a bit extreme

 

[patricks148]

far better people putting balls into the range than what ive seen around here, which in knobs stealing balls and using on the course.