# Picking Up Clubs



## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I was pretty fortunate last week that I did not lose a club. I had used my LW on a par 3 since I had missed the green with my tee shot. After hitting the LW, I walked over to with it, and my putter to the ball. I laid the LW down in back of my stance. I made my putt, and me and my playing partner walked off the green. Next hole was a par 5, and for my 3rd shot I needed my LW again. Ooooops, not in the bag. Told my partner I would be right back. On the way back I passed a gentlemen, and asked if he had seen it. His answer was "no" he had not. I get to the par 3 green, and there was my LW right next to the hole where I had left it. Obviously I was the dummy in this scenario for forgetting my club in the first place. For me, worst case would be a $55 replacement fee. It, and couple of balls were in plain sight, close to the pin. A twosome had already hit their shots. I grabbed my club told the twosome those were a couple of nice shots, and caught up with my partner, after parring the par 5. The first guy I asked was on the green, and later joined us. He asked me if I found my club. I said that I had, and that if it had been a snake it would have bit him when he holed out on the par three. He then admitted he had seen it, but in his normal course of play, does not pick up equipment that is not his. I can't argue with his reasoning, since that is the way I also think it should be. If it's not yours, don't pick it up. Maybe move it out of the way, but don't pick it up. The problem with that is I know there are more than few golfers who will pick up a club, head cover or ball and keep it as a souvenir. It's because of these thieves, that I will pick up found clubs and turn them in to the pro shop. That, or wait for the owner to drive/walk back to find me. At my home course I don't even trust the cart return guy, as I know he keeps stuff mistakenly left he finds in the carts, if it's of some value to him. I know I have lost 8 packs of AA batteries to him in the past. My fault in the first place to be sure, but still........:thumbsdown:


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## Feyd888 (Jun 4, 2010)

I'm bad for this. I'll hit my wedge, putt then move on forgeting about my club left behind until I need it next. in fact I've already had to replace a sand wedge this season.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

Never place a out of sight club behind you unless that happens to be on the way from the hole to your bag.

I'm a rider these days, so I quite often take a club or clubs to the green with me. I have never lost one because after hitting my chip or pitch, I lay the club(s) on the line from the hole back to the cart. That way someone in the group has to notice them and say something, even if I forget them myself. I also have a magnetic closure on my putter head cover, so I snap that around the shaft of the wedge. I never put the putter away without the head cover on it, so if I get to the cart and don't have the head cover, I immediately know what happened. 

I never lay my clubs on the flagstick for 2 reasons. One is that I don't want to make it someone else's job to pick up my clubs... I just think that's rude. The second is that I've seen people pick up the flagstick and leave the club lying there without even reminding the player who owns it to come and get it. A friend of mine almost lost a club because of that once. The flag was lying on the green on the side away from his bag, and he put his wedge on the flagstick. After 3 putting from 12 feet, he was so mad that he forgot about the wedge. Another player replaced the flag in the hole and left my friend's wedge lying on the green. Fortunately one of the groups behind them turned it in to the pro shop. 

I've found that the best fail safe is to put it where someone has to just about trip over it when leaving the green. They will either pick it up or just say "Wedge!" as a reminder.


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Yes I've done this before it was my first round with my new LW... Luckly someone handed it into the pro shop which is what I would do too. There is nothing worst them losing a club. Yes now I make sure I leave my club on the path back to my bag.


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