# Lost Balls



## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

Was out for a round yesterday. Ended up paired up with two other guys, one about 35 and the other about 55. Neither one of these gentlemen appeared to be overly wealthy. Well to get to the point of this posting, when we got to the 17th, which is basically an island, the 35year old chipped his approach shot into the water. The other fella unzipped his golf bag and pulled out a home made ball retriever. I was a little wire basket affair that he twist tied onto his 17 foot ball retriever. Five or six dunks (no kidding) and he had retrieved 47 balls. He gave the young fella a dozen balls and we continued on playing. Well when we got to the club house and were talking, several of the club members became somewhat irate when the 55 told them what he had done, and said that if we had been caught by the management they would have revoked our memberships. What is your feeling on lost balls. If I find them can I keep them. Does the golf course automatically assume ownership because they were lost on their property. I know that the course uses balls they find for their driving range. We end up paying to rent balls that we owned in the first place. What’s your opinion……


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I suppose if I see a reachable ball by the edge of the water, like anyone else, I'm going to snag it and not think twice. On the other hand, using some sort of apparatus that is obviously intended to pick up balls in mass is the priviledge of the diver who has a contract to get the balls from the lake. I think management has a right to be upset about it.

As far as a penelty, revoking a membership seems harsh though.

I would say something diplomatically about having contractual obligations with a diver and that finding the odd ball is common practice. On the other hand, bringing something like the net you described, is obviously intended to decrease the diver's income, not to mention decreasing the income from sales of new balls in the proshop. It basically violates the trust of the diver's contract and management is obligated to protect the diver's interest. At that point, I would suggest to the 55 year old net owner that he is welcomed to play, but please leave his net at home.

If he was to be seen using it again, I think management should consider simply confiscating the balls he retrieves. If they came out of the lakes, management has a right to them, or at least the diver does.

OK, kick the soapbox out from under me...


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## GFMark (Dec 21, 2006)

Personally I think a lost ball is there for the taking - whatever the method of retreiving it! The only time this doesn't apply to my mind is when it leaves the boundaries of the course and ends up on private property.

I almost got suspended as a kid for doing the same.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

GFMark said:


> Personally I think a lost ball is there for the taking - whatever the method of retreiving it!


Not on my home course. The district has a contract with a diver, and he gets exclusive rights to balls that are not visible in the ponds (the ponds tend to be pretty murky by mid-summer). If you can see it nobody will dispute you taking it. But what is described here sounds more like a drag net, and that would get you kicked off the course. The diver has even filed suit against attempted large scale poachers here. He figures he gets about 150,000 balls a year from the dozen or so courses he contracts with. He cleans them up sorts them and sells them at from $.50 to $1.50 each.... that is a big business, and he has a right to take action against anyone trying to steal from his profit margin.


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## Fore! (Oct 17, 2006)

whenever i see a ball at least i check to see if its anyones before picking it up. Ive never played with anyone who has been anoyed with me doing this.


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## Almo (May 25, 2006)

Hmmm, unless contracted out and if this is the case... a sign should be posted concerning this course reg which would restrict members/golfers from helping themselves to the balls in hazard. Otherwise, I grew up hunting balls, sometimes 4 to 6 hours. I would go home with a few hundred at times, most though would be hit back on the course range so in the end the course reap the benefits from me finding them in the first place.  

On another note, my uncle just so happens to have an agreement with the course in my hometown. He finds and sells them to the course for $2.00 a dozen (mediocre balls) and this money goes toward his future cart fees. The course then resells them for $.50 a ball so they make a nice little profit, $564.00 after reselling the balls my uncle has brought them over time. Last I heard, he has about 18 cart free rounds carrying over for next year. That said, my Father and he search and find balls all the time and resell them to friends for the above price and more pending what balls they're selling.

In the end, I think the last thing a course wants is to piss off a few members, especially when the revenue gained by balls would not equal an annual membership and or devoted players paying more annually than what balls would cost in the end. If this was the case, I feel the course would lose money in the end... what, over golf balls that belong to players/members in the first place. Not a great management decision if you ask me. Matter of fact, I would make it clear to the diver contracted to my course; sometimes a few members will stop and help themselves to the balls they can see/reach in the hazards.


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## Police (Oct 26, 2006)

Well that sucks...if i find a golf ball i keep it finders keepers comes into my mind.
If i was to lose a ball and someone found it i wouldnt go up to them and demand it back...its part of club play.


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## Almo (May 25, 2006)

Police said:


> Well that sucks...if i find a golf ball i keep it finders keepers comes into my mind.
> If i was to lose a ball and someone found it i wouldnt go up to them and demand it back...its part of club play.



LOL... this thought comes to mind seeing you post that... ask the guy if he has ever seen a broken 3 iron, of course hoping he says no and tell him he’s about to if he doesn't give me my ball back. :laugh:


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## Golfbum (Oct 14, 2006)

Balls that go in the ponds on my course are there until the ball pickers come and get them out. Reason is the sides of the ponds go straight down. You can not see or find your ball if it goes in there. There is a swamp on a par 5 that dries up if there is not a lot of rain during the summer. You can venture in there and find lots of balls. Friend of mine, his son went in there last year and within 15 minutes hauled out 2 dozen like new Pro V's and left the TopFlites etc in there!
I know in the past two guys used to come and drag a ball picker back and forth across the ponds but I have not seen that done for the past two years. One hole, 120 Yard island green hole once produced 5000 balls, from the end of September to the end of May. No golf during Dec/Jan/Feb and March too! So bascially in 4 months 5000 balls went into that pond :laugh: :laugh: Lots of them were range balls too


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## srothfuss (Nov 17, 2006)

If I loose a ball to a pond, I only try to retreive my own ball. I don't mind if people pick up a few extra balls, but I've already got enough so I leave the extra balls for the next guy.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I've played with guys who *always* prowl the edges of ponds and streams with their retrievers out. They drive me nuts, as well as slowing down the round. For one thing, they aren't usually very good players or they wouldn't need to be finding balls that way in the first place. They are usually "away", but rarely hit until all the rest of the group has done so. I've seen it where 3 of us are on the green waiting to putt while Bogey Joe, lying 30 yards off the green, is still fishing for that last Top Flite in the pond. :thumbsdown:


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## Pro_Wanna_Be (Nov 25, 2006)

I'm a finders keepers golfer. I loose my share of balls that without a doubt someone found and is likely using. However dragging a hazard scooping up ball by the ten's......I disagree with. I feel that this method is a little extreme. I'm not sure exactly what my golf club would do in this case but I'm guessing they wouldn't be inpressed.

Later


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

I have to agree with Rick, there's nothing more infuriating (especially on a busy weekend) waiting every hole while guys are hunting for balls, especially if they were'nt the ones who shanked them into the woods in the first place. If I do slice one into the woods, I take 5 minutes, if I don't find it in that time, I drop another one and play on. BUT if in looking for my ball I spot a couple more, well they join the rest of the balls in my bag. Like its been said "Finders Keepers" but lets not make a career out hunting for strays, us old guys are getting older by the minute, and I'd like to finish my round. Eventually Rick we will all hopefully, get that good that there won't be any balls to go looking for.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I asked the pro where I've been playing what their reaction might be to the above. He said they have a contract with a diver and while they know people grab the occasional visable ball from the edges of the lakes, they would stop anyone who tried scavanging balls from the bottom of the lakes with a net so obviously made for the purpose. He told me the owner of the company who has contracts at about 30 local courses is a multimillionaire from that business.


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## Golfbum (Oct 14, 2006)

I find it hard to believe anyone would want to play "POND BALLS" in the first place. I know I do not want them. 
I have a good source for top quality used balls right in the city I live in. $10/dozen for all balls except PRO V's. Those run $20/dozen.
None of these balls comes from ponds, they are all picked up in fields that run alongside a couple of local courses. The guy who sells them puts the money aside for his childrens education.
I bought some last year, and could not tell the difference between those and brand new ones. NXT Tours for $10 Cnd/dozen. can't beat that with a stick!
I go through a lot of balls, chewing them up with my irons. I play between 120-160 rounds a season up here in Canada. So buying new balls gets exspensive!


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

After listening to the comments on "Fishing" I decided to do a little research on the internet to see how Fishing works out for golf courses. Here is a graph I made up after searching for professional sports..

Individual professional sports, where the playing facilities were specifically designed to encourage the loss of player’s equipment. 

Sport: Loss Per Year:	Nr. of Doz:	Cost Per Doz:	Cost Each:	Total Cost
MLBaseball:	900,000:	75,000:	$72.00:	$6.00:	$5,400.000:
NHL 2005/06Pucks:	1230 games: 11070:	922.5:	$36.00:	$3.00:	$33,228.00

Canadian Golf Courses:	Number of Courses:	Typical Haz Recovery One Course:	Typical Haz Recovery All Courses:	Average Cost Per Ball:	Total Cost just for CdnCourses:
1230:	8000:	9,840,000:	$1.50:	$14,760,000:

This is just Canada, extrapolate the TOTAL COST across USA, UK, Europe.....No wonder golf courses who used to be for the idly rich have change their tune to "You All Come".....


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## Golfbum (Oct 14, 2006)

65nlovenit said:


> After listening to the comments on "Fishing" I decided to do a little research on the internet to see how Fishing works out for golf courses. Here is a graph I made up after searching for professional sports..
> 
> Individual professional sports, where the playing facilities were specifically designed to encourage the loss of player’s equipment.
> 
> ...


Yeah and people are paying $14,760,000 to play with balls that have sat in water. Which causes balls to lose distance. Then they whine, "I can't seem to drive the ball very far" :laugh:


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