Returning lost golf ball etiquette

[Itsjustagame]

Don't really care if somone does not return one of my poorly trained/lost golf balls.

Would return a ball I found if I knew who it belonged to, and often offer balls I find to people in the group I'm playing with.

 

[Mr. Bean]

On 8/20/2022 at 6:14 PM, HiTrajLoSpin said:

I'm just curious what you think about this situation. I'm playing in a foursome with a guy from our usual group of 12-16 golfers. On the green I notice that he's playing with one of my golf balls (which have a unique name imprinting in red (Boom!) and blue dots on either side of 'Titleist'), so there's no doubt that it's one of my lost balls.

 

I said, "hey, that's one of my lost balls", and he said, "yeah, I found it by the water the other day". However, this guy never offered to return the ball. FWIW, in the past, I've found other people's balls with their names imprinted and returned them later. Am I wrong in assuming that proper golf etiquette would have been to offer to return my ball?

 

So... you lost your ball and someone found it later on. Are you serious about you challenging the ownership? Honestly? Maybe you should buy lake balls, they are cheaper 😉

[Golferpaul]

On 8/20/2022 at 12:59 PM, jomatty said:

I’d always give it back but I wouldn’t necessarily expect someone else to.  People are weird and life is too short to worry about something like that.  

Me too.  It's just a golf ball.  We all have lots more of them.

[Bonneville85308]

If I find a personalized ball that someone lost, it becomes known to me whom it belongs to, and I later cross paths with that person on the course, I will return it to them as a courtesy, but I feel I am under no obligation to do so. Only exception might be the rare person that I strongly dislike, in which case I won't return it and will just use it for practice shots over a pond or whatever.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Bonneville85308

[halliedog]

On 9/8/2022 at 12:29 PM, larrybud said:

Let's do this: How many who think the ball should be returned have told the clubhouse about your "lost ball", and to call you if found?

 

Zero, which is different from other lost personal items such as sun glasses, range finders, keys, wallets, etc.

 The course I was working at a few years ago we were all pretty much a bunch of cut-ups/smart asses.  One day a new young kid is working the counter in the pro shop, and one of the guys calls in from the cart barn:

 

Smart a**:  "Yeah, I played there earlier this afternoon and lost a Top Flite Magna with #3 on it on the 7th hole, just wondering if anyone had turned it in?"

New Kid:  (after stammering a few seconds)  "Sir, I just checked the lost and found, and we don't have it in there.  Generally people don't turn in found balls."

20 minutes later Smart a** calls back:  "Yeah, I just called about the lost Top Flite Magna.  I just remembered it was a Magna #4, not a #3.  Could you check again please?" 

 

 

[rogolf]

True story - a club manager received a call from a homeowner along one of the club's fairways who complained that a golf ball had just come through his front room's picture window.  The manager asked if he still had the ball.  Homeowner said, yes, it's lying on my living room floor.  Club manager asked homeowner to bring it to his office, which homeowner did.  Manager took the homeowner's name and phone number.  Manager recognized the markings on the golf ball.  Next men's night the manager went to the table where the owner of the ball was sitting and asked if anyone recognized the ball.  Yes, said the owner and reached for it.  Club manager handed the owner the homeowner's name and phone number and said that this gentleman would like to talk with you about his broken window.

[Moonbison]

This is interesting. I don't think I have got to a place in my game where I can use balls with unique markings and expect to keep them through many rounds. But I think he should have thrown it back to you. 

[Btbthf]

I have this happen occasionally at my club where we have some guys with highly distinctive ball marks. 
 

Usually the friendly ribbing I get to give about where I found it and how it got there is worth the few dollars for me to use a new ball instead.

[Mr_Wolfe]

Back in my country club days, we all knew what other member's markings, etc. were on the ball. If you were playing and found one of their balls, you brought it into the clubhouse and handed it back. They now owe you a drink. We would have guys come in finding 3 other member balls and they all owed him a drink. lol Don't want to buy a drink, don't lose your ball. Ha

 

Mr. Wolfe

[st1800e]

Buddy has a hand marked shamrock on his ball.  After a round another buddy comes over in the lounge, approaches Shamrock, “hey I found your ball in the pond on 5, I moved it to the pond on 7”…..

[Mr. Bean]

11 hours ago, Mr_Wolfe said:

Back in my country club days, we all knew what other member's markings, etc. were on the ball. If you were playing and found one of their balls, you brought it into the clubhouse and handed it back. They now owe you a drink. We would have guys come in finding 3 other member balls and they all owed him a drink. lol Don't want to buy a drink, don't lose your ball. Ha

 

Mr. Wolfe

 

You sure had a small country club, Mr. Wolfe. Our club has more than 2,300 members...

[Mr. Bean]

On 1/10/2023 at 2:23 AM, rogolf said:

True story - a club manager received a call from a homeowner along one of the club's fairways who complained that a golf ball had just come through his front room's picture window.  The manager asked if he still had the ball.  Homeowner said, yes, it's lying on my living room floor.  Club manager asked homeowner to bring it to his office, which homeowner did.  Manager took the homeowner's name and phone number.  Manager recognized the markings on the golf ball.  Next men's night the manager went to the table where the owner of the ball was sitting and asked if anyone recognized the ball.  Yes, said the owner and reached for it.  Club manager handed the owner the homeowner's name and phone number and said that this gentleman would like to talk with you about his broken window.

 

I can envisage the litigation arising when opposite parties are trying to prove that it was/wasn't the original owner of the ball having hit that particular ball through the window instead of another player having found that ball 😅

[Bad9]

I'd probably give it to you but there's no reason that I have to-you lost it. I think that fact that you expected him to give it back is a bit much on your part and if I realized it bothered you I'd definitely keep it.

[Mr_Wolfe]

4 hours ago, Mr. Bean said:

 

You sure had a small country club, Mr. Wolfe. Our club has more than 2,300 members...

Sure did. And to be fair, there were about 20 of us who knew each other's markings. Not the entire club...

 

Mr. Wolfe