Retrieve OB balls or...

[Newby]

"They didn’t accidentally purchase property on a golf course."

 

What if the properties were there first? Certainly a situation that arises over here.

[Yuck]

We once had a house on the left side of the first fairway, so errant balls and their retrieval was almost a daily occurrence. We never had a problem with folks picking their ball back up. We were heavily wooded so I never saw someone try to play a shot. I did have a pitching net full of balls near the house and one day I found someone going through the net and picking out multiple “good ones”. I told him to take his ball and leave. His response was that I could not prove the other balls were mine. After my jaw dropped, I responded with a less polite version of “get off my lawn”......... they live among us.....

[SNIPERBBB]

When it's reachable without taking more than a step or two I'll grab it. If it's more than that, they get a souvenir.

 

Generally trespass isn't enforced unless you wander onto certain government properties. It's usually tacked on to the charges if you've committed a bigger offense

[Sawgrass]

Like a double bogey?

[HatsForBats]

Having grown up next to a course I can see exactly why you took that stance. We have seen players about to attempt a shot over a new car, want to jump the pool fence and dive in to get their ball, swing out of flower beds etc. Eventually my father got to the point where he didn't want anyone entering the yard. Over the years he has softened a little and taken the stance of it is OK for them to come on the property as long as they don't bring a club in the yard. That gets rid of most of the shenanigans that can occur. If they have hunted for a bit a and found a few balls he will tell them it's time to move on.

 

My advice to anyone hoping to retrieve a lost ball is be respectful of the owners property and don't bring a club into the yard.

[Jcbgt106]

I appreciate your understanding. To add to your point, if you see your ball go grab it without a club. I think where I get annoyed is when the player has no idea where the ball is and proceeds to walk around the entire yard searching.

If the ball is visible and easily accessible go grab it, I have no problem with that.

Also! do not grab multiple balls that arent yours! I had one guy pick me clean of about 8 golf balls...

[mv350]

I live on a course as well, I will say even walking around the complexes there are quite a few balls that are left. That being said, I assume most would cross the line to get their ball, but not all.

[Mr. Bean]

I have a telescope retriever in my bag. If I can retrieve my errant ball with my retriever without stepping onto a clearly fenced out yard I will do it but I would not step onto anybody's yard.

Fortunately, here in Finland this situation occurs extremely seldom and even more seldom yards are fenced out. But even with these parameters I respect other people's yard so much that I would not dream of stepping on one without asking permission. I can afford to lose a brand new ProV1 if I were so stupid to use one if there is a chance of hitting it OB to a place where I cannot fetch it. But I guess that is another story...

[Augster]

Anyone voting no is being hypocritical and I’ll prove it right here.

As the example above. You have your cell phone in the cart cup holder going along the OB line. You take a turn, it falls out, and the back tire tosses the phone 30 feet past the OB line into a guy’s yard.

You’re not going to get a $1000 phone? I don’t believe that for 1 second.

So we’ve proven that everyone will go into the yard. The only thing negotiable is price. A $3 ball is a little different from a $1000 phone. But it’s the exact same moral dilemma. The ball is mine. The phone is mine. Just because it’s accidentally on someone else’s property doesn’t make it theirs. I’m retrieving the ball and I’m retrieving the phone. Exact same principle.

[brew4eagle]

"a few feet", absolutely. Could rake it real quick with a wedge.

[Mr. Bean]

A man says to a woman: 'Excuse me, but I was wondering a hypothetical question if you would be unfaithful to your husband if you would get a million dollars?

Woman: 'Oh.. I surely... no... but one million... well I guess... yes, I would!'

Man: 'Great! Will you have sex me for a hundred?'

Woman: 'Certainly NOT!! What kind of woman you think I am???'

Man: ' At this point there is no dispute about that, now we only have to get into an agreement on the price!'

 

Augster, are you the man or the woman?

Seriously, Augster! If those golf course neighbours only had to deal with occasional 1000 dollar phones dropped on their property I can only assume this discussion would never have taken place. So why don't you try to invent another and much much much better 'prove' that everyone would pick up their 3 dollar ball from another person's property. Especially in your country where shooting a trespasser is perfectly fine and by some millions people even encouraged to be done...

[MisterT]

I generally will retrieve my golf ball when there is no fence, it is reasonably close to the course, and no one is in the yard where it comes to rest. I usually don't carry a club with me unless encountering a snake is a strong possibility. On those occasions, I carry the club parallel to the ground in hopes they understand that I am not intending to play the ball.

[LeoLeo99]

I chip balls around my yard at home and sometimes my ball goes into the neighbors yard. I retrieve it but don't hit from the neighbor's lawn.

Two weeks ago I was filming myself in my front lawn and hitting foam balls. Hit a ball towards the neighbor's house and the foam ball went way further than I expected. Hit their roof and bounced off and hit their car. Went over to retrieve my ball and one of the neighbors was sitting on the front porch. Didn't see her there when I hit the ball but there she was. I just gave the sorry wave and picked up my ball and she waved back. She doesn't speak much English.

 

Jacked one OB years ago on a course that runs through a condo complex. Guy starts yelling at me that I almost his wife how was sunbathing in the yard adjacent to the course. We pointed out all the pock marks on the condo and told him it probably wasn't a good idea to sunbathe in their yard when golfers are on the hole.

[PutterFingers]

We lived on a golf course in FL for a few years.

The neighbor to one side of us had an unfortunate placement along the course, and eventually tired of people entering the property.

They installed motion activated irrigation sprinklers about every 5 feet under the security cameras....

Way more effort than I was willing to put in, but our house was pretty much exempt from errant balls so I didn't have the same frustrations they did.

It worked well against neighborhood stray pets pooping on their lawn as well I would imagine!

 

[Mr. Bean]

There is a course in Northern Finland where one par3 was turned around because so many balls were hit onto a yard behind the green. Now the green is where the tee used to be so there is no problem. This is certainly an extreme case and it is not possible to do everywhere but just shows that there may be other solutions than suggesting what people may or may not do on their on property.

On the other course of that particular golf club one back tee of a long par3 has been taken out of use for the same reason.

[Jcbgt106]

HA thats a great idea- I have never heard of motion sensor sprinklers. I am going to look into that...

[Jackal66]

I carry a retriever with me.

If my ball is around 12 feet or less from their fence, I'll reach over and get it.

There have been known houses that complain about people getting their balls, that never said anything to me.

Also, don't lean on their fence..

I have played some courses, and the peoples fences are bowed and broken down from golfers climbing over it.

I have also seen some with electric around the top, they also have a vicious dog.

If it's gonna take some work, leave the ball..

Most people don't care if you are careful, and leave no sign you were there.

[Wheat5]

I recently put up out of bounds private property signs in my backyard. We are semi private and have seen a big increase in public play since Covid-19. Members and most golfers understand the rules and are respectful and I have never minded ball retrieving but it has become all to routine to witness our rental carts in my yard and playing out of my yard. I can also honestly say it feels very uncomfortable when a stranger is in our backyard close to our windows looking around. Whether you live on a golf course or not that’s not something anyone should be ok with. I hope the signs help because I don’t like having to say anything to someone. 
 

[bekgolf]

On 6/30/2020 at 10:16 PM, Augster said:

To retrieve the ball? Yes. To play the ball? Almost never.

Had a strange situation yesterday. Houses on nearly every hole. OB stakes define OB. Get to 17 and fly the green into a line of fir trees. Fight my way through the fir trees, and I’m in someone’s yard and there’s my ball. The course didn’t put up stakes or define the tree line as OB. So I played it to the green by putting it under the trees.

First time I’ve played a ball from someone’s yard. It’s the only time I can remember seeing someone’s yard and not having OB stakes along the property line.

But I’ll always retrieve it if I see it. They didn’t accidentally purchase property on a golf course.

 

Sometimes the OB stakes get moved by the home owner.  Then they suddenly have more back yard.

[2bGood]

A few feet with no fence - yes.

A few feet with a fence but I can reach it without jumping the fence -yes. 

I know the owner and now they don't mind (my local course) - yes

 

Otherwise not going to happen - I respect people's property and would not want to enter it. 

[2bGood]

4 hours ago, bekgolf said:

 

Sometimes the OB stakes get moved by the home owner.  Then they suddenly have more back yard.

Funny story is we had neighbour at our club who kept pulling the OB stakes near his back yard. The members of the club knew where they should be and played the OB where it was typically marked even when the owner of the yard removed the stakes. 

 

One day the owner was horrified that several golfers hit off his lawn. We were hosting an outside regional event and he pulled the stakes out (again) the day before.

 

I paid him a visit and the conversation actually went well. He was not a golfer and did not understand the purpose of the stakes and found them annoying when he mowed his lawn. Once he understood their purpose he left them alone.

[lefty1978]

I'm a real estate broker, everytime I list a home on a golf course I ask if they have a stash of errant balls. They usually have buckets filled. Most times they don't golf much and just keep them(and no I don't ask for free balls).

If I'm golfing and hit a ball into a persons yard, I will leave it unless it is clearly visible and only few feet inside property line. 

[Naptime]

If it's a club length and you can easily pull it over that seems fine.  I do not walk into people's yards.  Even if it's permitted, it's discourteous.  Now if they are sitting there with drinks and invite me over that would be different.

[Abh159]

Someone hitting their shot out of your yard is one thing, but if you simply have an issue with people walking into your yard to retrieve their ball then don't buy a house on a golf course.

 

The RARE exception to all this would be for houses built before the course, but how often is that actually the case...

[17TAS]

I am a homeowner on a golf course—17th, to the right of the start of the. fairway. I take my property very seriously since I pay thousands of dollars in landscaping and thousands more in taxes.

 

I get it. I bought on a golf course. My family and I collect the golf balls each night and place them in a basket right next to the cart path, with a sign to take a ball. My property is almost absurdly marked for no trespassing.

 

With all that, people still regularly crossed 100 feet onto the property. They don’t just take their ball. They take every one they can get. So one guy, a dozen balls one day. That’s effing ridiculous. 

 

I found a solution. Bags of beer pong and ping pong balls of all colors, hundreds—strewn all over the hot spots. Cost me $25. When I need to drive/mow in a given area, I just blow the balls to the side. I’ve cut a couple dozen real balls in half and laid them out too. 
 

We still put the mis-hit balls in the basket on the cart path. Aside from some rare idiots bitching here and there, best move I ever made. 

[MaccaRayDudley]

On 6/30/2020 at 9:39 AM, bubbagump said:

Its not really grey area, on almost all the courses I play it mentions more than once in the clubhouse/cart/scorecards or signage around homes that its private property and you aren't allowed to go on it and to respect their home, even if its a foot over the line. Also living on the course, isn't a free for all admittance of letting people do whatever they want or trounce through your yard 24/7 just because they have a heinous slice and paid 50$ to play.

I do think its understood its going to happen, and when you arent home or dont see it, what can you do or when its a arms reach across the stake its usually conceded. But Ive also played enough to have seen its usually very rare its just a foot over, as opposed to people marching all through the yard and or digging in bushes to find their top flight lol.

+1

 

I agree, I don’t think this is a grey area at all.  You should respect other people’s property and accept your ball is gone.

[rogolf]

27 minutes ago, MaccaRayDudley said:

+1

 

I agree, I don’t think this is a grey area at all.  You should respect other people’s property and accept your ball is gone.

Would the same apply to a child's frisbee or soccer ball?

[bcjim]

A course we played growing up and I think now closed had houses laughably close. One, in particular, had dozens of impact marks on the siding. You could ricochet a ball off the house and back in play.

 

A friend broke window on another house on the course.

 

I abandon balls unless they are easily visible and close to the property line and there is no fence.

[rogolf]

I recall a story about a ball hit out of bounds and through a picture window, with the ball ending up in the owner's living room.  The owner called the general manager of the club to seek damages.  The general manager asked if the owner had the ball.  "Of course, it was in my living room," said the owner. The GM asked if the owner would bring the ball to the club; owner did so.  The next Men's night, the GM went to a table of members and asked if anyone recognized this ball and its markings.  One member said, "Yes, that's mine."  The GM said that Mr. ### would like to speak with you about his window and provided the name and phone number of the owner.

[Colin L]

That story points up the individual's responsibility for having mishit his ball and damaged adjacent property in contrast to the implied lack in much of this thread  of a sense of responsibility for hitting a golf ball into someone's property, a ball  which can do material damage and cause serious  injury - even kill. And what comes through from some contributions is a remarkable  sense of entitlement to march into someone else's back garden to retrieve the missile that could have done the damage. 

 

You hack a golf ball into someone's garden and it's their lookout for having a garden there, for having bought a house next to a golf course? Really?  Is that what an American court would say?