Taking your own ammo to the Range!

[HomerJSimpson]

The practice ground at my club has a property at the bottom right, and an access path at the very end with a main road bottom left and the turn off road to the club short and right. We have been prohibited under H&S to use our own balls anymore as there were reports of these going into the road (fortunately without any passing traffic) and sliced into the garden of the house. We now have 80% distance range balls which don't threaten any of the obstacles and yet the poor pro is still having to sift proper balls out every time he collects. The club has issued numerous warnings and threats but some members still seem happy to risk a hefty legal bill (and no doubt the club will be deemed liable as well) and hit their own rather than pay £3 for 60 balls. I now have 2-3 large practice ball bags with balls I can't hit (and red lines my cousin drew on so they'd be recognisable as mine when we could hit and then go out and collect)

When I use the local ranges in the winter there are often old balls in there. Again I assumed these were overspills from the neighbouring course but I am starting to wonder now. Every now and then they'll be a decent one in there good enough for a practice round.

 

[PJ87]

When I had unlimited range ball card I used to split a bucket of 120 with my mate when we went down

Now I’ll just use my credit to get 120 and split it still

 

[Region3]

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

This.

I can’t fly the fence at the back of our range with a range ball, but I can with a ‘proper’ ball. If I get a proper ball in my basket I’ll hit it with an iron, but I bet plenty of people see it as an opportunity to “clear the fence”. Our first fairway runs directly behind it.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

We received an email from our golf manager a couple of weeks ago on a similar theme. People were taking their own balls and using them on the range. It's not something I would have thought of doing. It's like going to a cafe and taking your own sandwiches.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

.

Blimely a blast from the past, welcome back Mr R3 good to see you back posting and hope everything is good with you

 

[Region3]

Blimely a blast from the past, welcome back Mr R3 good to see you back posting and hope everything is good with you

Yep, all good thanks Darren 👍

 

[Maninblack4612]

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

Yes, but he'd need to catch you first.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Yes, but he'd need to catch you first.

Whats his reasoning?
As I see it, I am buying a certain size of bucket of balls because thats all I want , but I also hit up to 6 of my own pickups for which I am not charging him for them.
Chances are, that someone will take a couple of them when they are recycled as they wont be a crap ball.
If it's an issue with short range and balls beyond the boundary then fair enough, but other than that I don't see the issue.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

BM, maybe he sees it as a slippery slope. It starts off with 6 balls, next time it could be more. Others see non range balls in the mix, start to copy. In effect he has a zero tolerance approach, you know where he stands.

One of the reasons our manager objected was because people were using balls at the end of their life and he thought it diluted the quality of balls coming out of the machine. This could also apply for MiB's friend.

 

[PJ87]

Whats his reasoning?
As I see it, I am buying a certain size of bucket of balls because thats all I want , but I also hit up to 6 of my own pickups for which I am not charging him for them.
Chances are, that someone will take a couple of them when they are recycled as they wont be a crap ball.
If it's an issue with short range and balls beyond the boundary then fair enough, but other than that I don't see the issue.

I’ve seen people take range balls and put them in their bag to practice with on other days 😂

 

[Maninblack4612]

Whats his reasoning?
As I see it, I am buying a certain size of bucket of balls because thats all I want , but I also hit up to 6 of my own pickups for which I am not charging him for them.
Chances are, that someone will take a couple of them when they are recycled as they wont be a crap ball.
If it's an issue with short range and balls beyond the boundary then fair enough, but other than that I don't see the issue.

His reasoning is that if he didn't have this rule you could have people bringing dozens of balls & effectively using the range for nothing. It also gives his staff the job of removing all the non range balls after they're collected. He accepts that he's never going to stop it but the rule curbs gross misuse.

 

[Capella]

We received an email from our golf manager a couple of weeks ago on a similar theme. People were taking their own balls and using them on the range. It's not something I would have thought of doing. It's like going to a cafe and taking your own sandwiches.

That sums it up, in my oppinion. I'd never even consider taking my own balls. I even feel like a bit of a fraud when I collect range balls from the short game area and short course (where they are not supposed to be used at our club btw) to hit them on the range afterwards, but I think the fact that I saved the range owner the effort of collecting them from places where he can't reach with his vehicle makes up for the occasional basket I am not buying that way.

 

[patricks148]

the range at Nairn is the balls are free, but you still get the odd ball in there, some from the course as its next to the 18th. Some guys do go and use their own balls for chipping as the range balls are quite firm, so usually a few prov1 in the mix

 

[Slab]

I think I've done it years back at a standalone range when the last ball in the bucket was a top/slice etc and I didn't want to finish on a poor shot so I hit one of my own but haven't on a course range
The local course even keeps their range and short game balls separated from each other (by colour) so they'd know if someone lifts a short game basket and tries to use it on the range

 

[Oddsocks]

Our ranges runs parallel to our 12th so plenty of balls find their way down there. If I find scrubbers in the way round I throw them onto the range, likewise when I have balls in my bag that a past playable I normally throw them onto the range.

With the amount of range balls I find around the course, I’d guess the club are greatful of the replenishments

 

[Chisteve]

I have seen this on a small scale - mainly tight peeps not wanting to pay for range balls, I have also found the odd range ball on the course (nohere near the range) assumed being used by tight peeps not wanting to buy balls

 

[Orikoru]

I have seen this on a small scale - mainly tight peeps not wanting to pay for range balls, I have also found the odd range ball on the course (nohere near the range) assumed being used by tight peeps not wanting to buy balls

You have to laugh when people do that. I presume it's only beginners who don't realise a range ball is likely to go a lot less distance than a proper ball. As soon as you know that there's just no reason to use one.

 

[CliveW]

At our range some folk turn up after it is closed, walk on to the range to pick up balls and the proceed to hit them. When challenged they don't see that they have done anything wrong!