Other golfers picking up your ball

[galvin18]

Last week I teed off on the first hole and hit it a little left

it was between fairway #1 and #18 but my ball was in a lateral water hazard but it had not water in it

I decide to play from the hazard over the trees to get back in the fairway,

just as Im about to hit a golfer on hole #18 walks up to my and says is that a Titleist?

I said no its a bridgestone its my ball and proceeded to hit my shot

I had a horrible lie and hit a bad shot it didnt make it above the trees, and landed about 10 yards in front

As soon as I hit my shot, the other golfer walks to my ball and picks it up then proceeds to drop it.

I was so insulted I said to him, Sir I dont play other peoples balls and you shouldn't touch others peoples balls either.

He mumbled something and walked off searching for his ball.

This is something I see often, people hit big hooks/slice and pick up every ball in the next fairway to see if its theirs

[doubleBZee]

I have seen people do this and I have seen my ball be played by some punk kid. If I am not sure it is mine, I try to check it as best I can without picking it up. If the logo is down and I need to pick it up, I make sure it is back where I found it. If you were only 10 yards from your ball and somebody did that, it was completed rude.

[Solutions Etcetera]

What can I say... except yup, it happens.

I put a big read arc at my balls equator (which I also use as an alignment aid). It is easy to see in just about any lie that it is not someone else's ball.

[Pepperturbo]

Happens quite regularly; and it can be bothersome if you let it. I typically solve that by making sure my ball is PLAINLY MARKED. If you're not going to do that, or like a few of my friends, not keep your ball in your own fairway, then you have little to complain about... You need to be patient with people that are not aware of etiquette and or hit their ball into the junk from a paralleling fairway and don't know what ball they are playing, accidentally lifting yours.

They don't pick up your ball on purpose; most don't know the proper way to handle the situation or know what ball they are playing; plus they are likely frustrated because their ball is going all different which ways.

[skizix]

Here's a good one from a couple weeks ago...

Me and my buddy were paired with a couple of goofs (like seriously: I'm not a very good golfer, but these guys had the wackiest approach to the game I've ever seen). So I go to hug the right-side trees on a sweeping dog leg right hole. Hit it a bit too right, but crushed it, so I thought I might have carried. So I hit a provisional (and announced that). Crap shot, left, but just in the fairway, and easily located next to a post (for the rope lining the cart path).

Now I [i]know [/i]these guys saw that shot, because they both said, "wow, nice shot!" (which it clearly was not, but they said that after every single shot we took). So I go hunting for my first ball, and take my full 5 minutes, since if I find it, it'll be a phenomenal shot/lie vs. my provisional. I don't find it, and so go back for the prov, and...it's gone. It couldn't have been more in plain sight, but it's gone. I ask the dudes from a distance if they picked it up, and they were like, "no!" Well, there's no one else around. So I drop a new ball and hit it. When I catch up with them, being certain it must've been them, explaining like 5 times what I meant by, "did you pick up my provisional, from where I just hit?"...one says, "ooooh, you mean this ball," and gives it back to me. Sure enough. I didn't even care so much about the ball -- just trying to get this to make sense in my head.

So, slightly irritating and a little weird, since I know they knew it was my ball and all, but I decide to decide it's no big deal. At all. HOWEVER, on the very next tee...dude who picked up my ball (and gave it back) tees up a ball, and since my balls are in fact PLAINLY MARKED, I immediately recognize the ball he's teeing as [i]MY MOTHERFRAGGIN' BALL! [/i]Just as he's preparing to address, I'm like, "Dude, that's my ball too." He said are you sure, I said most definitely yes, and he handed it to me.

Again, I decide not to make any sort of issue out of it (I don't want to ruin anybody's day, especially mine, over a coupla balls), and got on with the game. But in the final analysis.......what a JACKASS!

[sefty7]

Here's one that happened to me a couple weeks ago also. On the second hole of my course, runs parallel to the 7th hole but in opposite directions. Hit my drive about 285 right down the middle, and it appears to sit down right beside the 150 yd marker. The other two in my group hit their shots and we start making our way down the fairway. As we just leave the tee, we see a young kid and his father walk into our fairway from the 7th. He walks right over to where my ball would be and I see him taking practice swings. I'm still a good 200-220 yards away so I wasn't going to yell from there. The young kid tops it about 20 yards, so it's still sitting in my fairway. Goes up again and this time gets it back into his fairway. I figure since he had 2 oppotunities to look at the ball he would realize that in fact it wasn't his.
We finally get up to where my ball should be and see nothing around. Look over to the right side of the fairway and see one almost in the rough. Obviously all of us are thinking that it couldn't be my ball, and it in fact was a Callaway Warbird, not mine. So now I know for sure that the young kid hit my ball, start walking over to the 7th fairway as they are having to wait for the group in front of them to clear the green. Approach the father and son and ask if the kid might have played the wrong ball in my fairway. The father then asks me "What kind of ball were you playing?" I reply "A Titleist 3" he then asks "well what kind of Titleist?" I reply "A Pro V" he then casually reaches into his pocket, pulls out a ball, looks at it, throws it to me and says "Ya looks like my kid must have hit the wrong ball back there, we figured you would just hit his"
Really? So your kid hits my ball which is in the middle of the fairway....you realize it a couple shots later and instead of returning the ball to me you pocket it? And then when I ask if he did hit the wrong ball you ask me for the specifics of the ball?
Needless to say I was more then a little frustrated with the father, if it were the kid I would have been less aggrivated by the situation as the youngster was only 9 or 10 years old.

[Carolina Golfer 2]

[quote name='sefty7' post='1846483' date='Jul 27 2009, 04:58 PM']Here's one that happened to me a couple weeks ago also. On the second hole of my course, runs parallel to the 7th hole but in opposite directions. Hit my drive about 285 right down the middle, and it appears to sit down right beside the 150 yd marker. The other two in my group hit their shots and we start making our way down the fairway. As we just leave the tee, we see a young kid and his father walk into our fairway from the 7th. He walks right over to where my ball would be and I see him taking practice swings. I'm still a good 200-220 yards away so I wasn't going to yell from there. The young kid tops it about 20 yards, so it's still sitting in my fairway. Goes up again and this time gets it back into his fairway. I figure since he had 2 oppotunities to look at the ball he would realize that in fact it wasn't his.
We finally get up to where my ball should be and see nothing around. Look over to the right side of the fairway and see one almost in the rough. Obviously all of us are thinking that it couldn't be my ball, and it in fact was a Callaway Warbird, not mine. So now I know for sure that the young kid hit my ball, start walking over to the 7th fairway as they are having to wait for the group in front of them to clear the green. Approach the father and son and ask if the kid might have played the wrong ball in my fairway. The father then asks me "What kind of ball were you playing?" I reply "A Titleist 3" he then asks "well what kind of Titleist?" I reply "A Pro V" he then casually reaches into his pocket, pulls out a ball, looks at it, throws it to me and says "Ya looks like my kid must have hit the wrong ball back there, we figured you would just hit his"
Really? So your kid hits my ball which is in the middle of the fairway....you realize it a couple shots later and instead of returning the ball to me you pocket it? And then when I ask if he did hit the wrong ball you ask me for the specifics of the ball?
Needless to say I was more then a little frustrated with the father, if it were the kid I would have been less aggrivated by the situation as the youngster was only 9 or 10 years old.[/quote]
Beautiful, just beautiful

With an example like that, the kids got no chance at learning to play the proper way.

[Pepperturbo]

sefty... Long ago similar events have happened to me. An unknown playing partner picking up a ball without thinking it might belong to someone because he got to it first. I announced I lost a ball, make and marking, then looked for it for a few minutes, and told the guys playing with us; never found it. Two holes later I notice one of the unknown guys teed up my ball; my marking were obvious. I said that's my ball that disappeared a few holes back; he said OK and without a bit of shame handed it back to me. A few holes later a similar event happened to my buddy; the same guy too... Seems some people are purely brain dead; and their game reflects it.

My solution to the problem is after marking my ball before walking on to the 1st tee I announce what kind of ball I have in play, and how it's marked; seems to work for my tee group; and that's all I concern myself with since I almost never hit into other fairways.

[masterli]

having my ball picked up by someone else is a pet peeve of mine. don't touch another man's balls. it's universal really... if you're not sure the other person is on their way to the ball anyway. keep looking.

[quote name='Pepperturbo' post='1845878' date='Jul 27 2009, 11:55 AM']Happens quite regularly; and it can be bothersome if you let it. I typically solve that by making sure my ball is PLAINLY MARKED. If you're not going to do that, or like a few of my friends, not keep your ball in your own fairway, then you have little to complain about... You need to be patient with people that are not aware of etiquette and or hit their ball into the junk from a paralleling fairway and don't know what ball they are playing, accidentally lifting yours.[/quote]

hitting your own fairway doesn't always stop it. i've had people pick my ball up in the fairway. heck, i've even had a guy pick my ball up on the green it was unbelievable. i'm literally 50 yards walking toward the green and only one around. guy walks up behind the hill talking on a cell phone picks up my ball then drops it... didn't even look at me to signal if it was mine. i don't think a marking would have stopped him. maybe that's more of my peeve is that people see you walking toward and don't bother signaling to see if it could be yours. the last time someone picked up my ball they were in my group. sucked because it was a great lie then my drop ended up horrendous.

[quote name='Pepperturbo' post='1845878' date='Jul 27 2009, 11:55 AM']They don't pick up your ball on purpose; most don't know the proper way to handle the situation or know what ball they are playing; plus they are likely frustrated because their ball is going all different which ways.[/quote]

i do agree it's our own fault for getting upset though. it's not like they're trying to ruin someone else's game. there are worse rules of etiquette that people break and this is on the bottom of the list.

[Debit]

Happened during a tournament when player in opposite fairway hit my ball from our fairway. Believe me, I have clearly marked my golf ball ever since. At least if it's marked, you have some level of proof should a ranger or marshall approach the duffus. Unfortunately, you're hiking back to the original spot and now lying an extra shot plus distance.

[Dizz]

There is a hole at a course that I routinely play thats a big dog leg left par 5. If you hit the ball straight and around 285 yards then it will go through the dog leg near another hole on the courses green. Well I hit it through the dog leg and just behind this other green. As I'm walking up to where my ball was theres a guy who just got done hitting. I see another ball next to it, an old beat up Titleist. The guy looks at me and says hey were you playing a Callaway #3 and I said yes. He says, "well that wasn't it."

[hackamore]

What did he say after you punched him in the face?

[boo radley]

So what's the rule of thumb, before claiming the ball as 'found'?

Is it best to find a twig, and stick that in the ground, where you found the ball, in case someone DOES bother you later, saying it was his or her ball? Then at least you can say, "yeah, look for this stick poking upright, on 17 in the rough...."

[krustyburger]

[quote name='boo radley' post='1848108' date='Jul 28 2009, 10:41 AM']So what's the rule of thumb, before claiming the ball as 'found'?

Is it best to find a twig, and stick that in the ground, where you found the ball, in case someone DOES bother you later, saying it was his or her ball? Then at least you can say, "yeah, look for this stick poking upright, on 17 in the rough...."[/quote]

A good rule of thumb is, if it isn't your ball, don't pick it up.

[boo radley]

[quote name='krustyburger' post='1848124' date='Jul 28 2009, 10:47 AM']A good rule of thumb is, if it isn't your ball, don't pick it up.[/quote]

True...but you'd abandon an awful lot of lost balls, that way, to the opportunity of others.

It's a gray zone. It's like playing with someone who hits it in the crap. You wade into the stuff to help look for it, braving flora and fauna, and notice he's too lazy to really look -- just poking around on the edge of the fairway....after a minute he gives up, and says he's going to drop (yeah, I know), and hit another. He does so, and moves on. You look down and find his ball. Now whose ball is it?

[Carolina Golfer 2]

[quote name='boo radley' post='1848606' date='Jul 28 2009, 02:11 PM'][quote name='krustyburger' post='1848124' date='Jul 28 2009, 10:47 AM']A good rule of thumb is, if it isn't your ball, don't pick it up.[/quote]

True...but you'd abandon an awful lot of lost balls, that way, to the opportunity of others.

It's a gray zone. It's like playing with someone who hits it in the crap. You wade into the stuff to help look for it, braving flora and fauna, and notice he's too lazy to really look -- just poking around on the edge of the fairway....after a minute he gives up, and says he's going to drop (yeah, I know), and hit another. He does so, and moves on. You look down and find his ball. Now whose ball is it?
[/quote]
His.

And I agree with the other poster, If it's not your ball, leave it alone. I have left perfectly new Pro V's alone, becaue they're not my ball.

Not to take the subject off topic, but that goes for the driving range as well. I cringe when I see someone all of a sudden reach over into their group of range balls and pluck out a (presumably nice) ball and pocket it or put it in their bag. What, just becasue it doesn't have two stripes on it, you claim it as yours

[arbitrage]

I've actually had my playing partners amazed how I keep so cool when it takes me 3 to get out a greenside bunker (as an example).

This past Sunday, I was playing with my usual foursome. I hit my tee shot on 2 (short par 3 140yds over water) thin and it ends up on the hill behind the green. We start walking down to the hole and see the kid (16-18) in the group ahead of us start walking down to where my ball is and picks it up and pockets it. Umm...ok. I yell (I never realized how much my voice projects) at the kid. I, not so kindly, ask him if there was any particular reason that he picked up a ball that I just hit that is clearly not his? He yells at me "It's just a ball man" and throws the ball back to me. For the rest of the day he avoids me like the plague. Usually, nothing gets to me on the golf course. I've actually had my playing partners amazed how I keep so cool when it takes me 3 to get out a greenside bunker (as an example). For some reason, people picking up my ball brings out the "roid rage" in me. It doesn't help that the kid was half my size. I probably scared the crap out of him.

[skizix]

[quote name='boo radley' post='1848606' date='Jul 28 2009, 12:11 PM'][quote name='krustyburger' post='1848124' date='Jul 28 2009, 10:47 AM']A good rule of thumb is, if it isn't your ball, don't pick it up.[/quote]

True...but you'd abandon an awful lot of lost balls, that way, to the opportunity of others.

It's a gray zone. It's like playing with someone who hits it in the crap. You wade into the stuff to help look for it, braving flora and fauna, and notice he's too lazy to really look -- just poking around on the edge of the fairway....after a minute he gives up, and says he's going to drop (yeah, I know), and hit another. He does so, and moves on. You look down and find his ball. Now whose ball is it?
[/quote]

Well, if you found it within 5 minutes, by The Rules, not only is it still his ball, but it's still in play (and you'd better not touch it!), and any ball he dropped [size=1](yeah, I know -- but just maybe, in a casual round, on a crowded course......'nother topic though) [/size]in the mean time and/or hit is [i]not[/i] in play and those strokes don't count. Not really a grey area at all.

[quote name='Carolina Golfer 2' post='1848632' date='Jul 28 2009, 12:22 PM']Not to take the subject off topic, but that goes for the driving range as well. I cringe when I see someone all of a sudden reach over into their group of range balls and pluck out a (presumably nice) ball and pocket it or put it in their bag. What, just becasue it doesn't have two stripes on it, you claim it as yours [/quote]

As far plucking a nice proV out of your bucket of range balls...that's a LOT more of a grey area IMO. I mean, someone hit an errant shot onto the range, and the scooper picked it up. To use the logic above: shouldn't they have not picked it up, being not their ball (or to paraphrase the other logic: just because it's sitting on the range, they claim it as theirs?)

I'm gonna say it's perfectly ok to pluck and keep a decent, non-range ball from your bucket. Ok, I guess a legitimately lost-then-found ball belongs to the finder, and the range found but did not lose it. But the fact is: the range doesn't even [i]know[/i] they found it. Which is kind of a rationalization I guess, but in any case, it's a crime on par with jaywalking, which I am also going to continue to do

[Carolina Golfer 2]

[quote name='skizix' post='1848732' date='Jul 28 2009, 03:22 PM'][quote name='boo radley' post='1848606' date='Jul 28 2009, 12:11 PM'][quote name='krustyburger' post='1848124' date='Jul 28 2009, 10:47 AM']A good rule of thumb is, if it isn't your ball, don't pick it up.[/quote]

True...but you'd abandon an awful lot of lost balls, that way, to the opportunity of others.

It's a gray zone. It's like playing with someone who hits it in the crap. You wade into the stuff to help look for it, braving flora and fauna, and notice he's too lazy to really look -- just poking around on the edge of the fairway....after a minute he gives up, and says he's going to drop (yeah, I know), and hit another. He does so, and moves on. You look down and find his ball. Now whose ball is it?
[/quote]

Well, if you found it within 5 minutes, by The Rules, not only is it still his ball, but it's still in play (and you'd better not touch it!), and any ball he dropped [size=1](yeah, I know -- but just maybe, in a casual round, on a crowded course......'nother topic though) [/size]in the mean time and/or hit is [i]not[/i] in play and those strokes don't count. Not really a grey area at all.

[quote name='Carolina Golfer 2' post='1848632' date='Jul 28 2009, 12:22 PM']Not to take the subject off topic, but that goes for the driving range as well. I cringe when I see someone all of a sudden reach over into their group of range balls and pluck out a (presumably nice) ball and pocket it or put it in their bag. What, just becasue it doesn't have two stripes on it, you claim it as yours [/quote]

As far plucking a nice proV out of your bucket of range balls...that's a LOT more of a grey area IMO. I mean, someone hit an errant shot onto the range, and the scooper picked it up. To use the logic above: shouldn't they have not picked it up, being not their ball (or to paraphrase the other logic: just because it's sitting on the range, they claim it as theirs?)

I'm gonna say it's perfectly ok to pluck and keep a decent, non-range ball from your bucket. Ok, I guess a legitimately lost-then-found ball belongs to the finder, and the range found but did not lose it. But the fact is: the range doesn't even [i]know[/i] they found it. Which is kind of a rationalization I guess, but in any case, it's a crime on par with jaywalking, which I am also going to continue to do
[/quote]
SK...I think I follow you You got me there, the range shouldn't have picked it up, it's not their ball I guess what I'm saying is, why not put the Pro V aside, until your ready to hit your final driver on the range, then tee it up send it back to where it came from so someone else later that day or next day can enjoy the same small thrill of hitting a nice range ball. I know, I know what you're going to say, they will probably pocket it if you don't. I guess it's just me, I find more satisfaction in getting a nice range ball to hit than I would putting it in my bag (Only to lose a few holes later

[BNich0622]

yesterday I stepped up to the tee and smashed one right down the middle. After watching my ball land two guys on a cart come out from behind trees on the right side, apparently they hadnt finished the hole yet and lost their ball right. They thought I hit down on them on purpose which is far from truth. One guy hopped out of the cart and hit my ball as if it was his. I couldn't believe it!! A nearly new Titelist Pro V1. What an A-hole. I was so pissed.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[boo radley]

[quote name='skizix' post='1848732' date='Jul 28 2009, 03:22 PM'][quote name='boo radley' post='1848606' date='Jul 28 2009, 12:11 PM'][quote name='krustyburger' post='1848124' date='Jul 28 2009, 10:47 AM']A good rule of thumb is, if it isn't your ball, don't pick it up.[/quote]

True...but you'd abandon an awful lot of lost balls, that way, to the opportunity of others.

It's a gray zone. It's like playing with someone who hits it in the crap. You wade into the stuff to help look for it, braving flora and fauna, and notice he's too lazy to really look -- just poking around on the edge of the fairway....after a minute he gives up, and says he's going to drop (yeah, I know), and hit another. He does so, and moves on. You look down and find his ball. Now whose ball is it?
[/quote]

Well, if you found it within 5 minutes, by The Rules, not only is it still his ball, but it's still in play (and you'd better not touch it!), and any ball he dropped [size=1](yeah, I know -- but just maybe, in a casual round, on a crowded course......'nother topic though) [/size]in the mean time and/or hit is [i]not[/i] in play and those strokes don't count. Not really a grey area at all.

[/quote]


If there's any *reasonable* chance a 'found' ball could be in play, I wouldn't touch it. However, in all seriousness, there are times I'll find a ball when looking for someone else's, or mine, and I will keep it. I suppose technically it belongs to the golf course, but they can have the ones I lost. <grin>

But one of the things that bugs me, is I'll usually be very proactive about helping someone find his or her ball. It's a pain-in-the-as*, quite frankly, since I'd rather be studying my shot, etc, instead of wading through spider webs, and brambles, or whatever, but hey. I hate losing balls, myself, so I do my best to find 'em, asap.

Yet if the owner doesn't give a damn about finding it, and puts another ball in play, regardless of how 'legally', *and* I stumble over his ball on my way out of the jungle, I will usually return it. But maybe not.

3-piece balls in nice condition in a range bucket? Oh, hell yeah -- in the bag, in a heartbeat.

[skizix]

Oh yeah, if I find someone's ball who I'm playing with (whether I know them or not), I'll always return it, whether the 5 min. is up or not, they've already shot, etc., etc. Like, even if they are an insufferable d-bag (like the guy in my group who picked up my provisional, then I busted him teeing off with another of my balls on the next hole -- see above). I mean, what are you going to do, help them look for their ball, find it, then what, flat-out lie about what you found? Or say, "sorry, 5 min. are up and you already shot, my ball now." Rediculous.

So ethically, not really a grey area either -- I was just pointing out that The Rules would remove any shred of doubt most of the time. Either way, I mean jeez, if you're not going to return a person's ball, don't even bother "helping" them look for it...she-yit, is this even a question?

[withdrew]

I agree with most of the comments, specifically, if it's not your ball, don't touch it unless absolutely necessary in order to identify it.

BUT

Us WRX'ers are a different breed. While the story above (where the father says, "I figured you'd hit his") is pretty crazy, I can totally see it happening. How many times do you play with someone who shanks a drive into the woods and asks, "can you hook me up with another ball?" Umm, no, I can't because your ball was a shag ball you found by the range, and this ball was 5 bucks and it's already marked with my Sharpie marking. Most people don't have the same concept and respect for their gear and equipment like we do, so borrowing a putter, or "let me try that driver?" or swapping golfballs is really no big deal to them. To us? SINFUL.

I try to be patient with those "regular folk" lol

[BugsyinNC]

I never play a ball I found in the woods or in the water, bad karma. Ball wants to be lost, it stays lost or I give it to one of my fellow players. Yes I am just a little bit superstitious.

[withdrew]

If I'm in the boonies, knee-deep in the sh** looking for my ball, and I stumble upon other balls that are buried and obviously not in play right then and there (usually discoloration and depth can be a "good" sign) then I'll pick them up, and save them for when someone asks, "hey do you have an extra ball?" Here you go buddy. The rock-hard Slazenger is all yours.

[Shootin' Better]

[size=4]Returning a lost ball to the original owner, if in your group, shows good character and helps maintain your credibility, as an honest person.
Even if you found/saw a ball along parallel fairways, and you knew a person was looking for it...I say the same thing. Tell them where their ball is and feel better for it.
Honest and integrity count.[/size]

[ScooterMcTavish]

I'm with Bugsy:

[quote]I never play a ball I found in the woods or in the water, bad karma. Ball wants to be lost, it stays lost[/quote]

My solution has been to play cheap balls. Notice how many of the posts use the words "Titleist" or "Pro V" in them? Funny how having a ball cost $4 turns people into liars.

Usually I get people calling to me, "You using a Maxfli/Top Flite/Laddie?" as they don't want to touch such a plebian ball.

My recommendation - move to a Srixon Tour Ball. Most people won't steal something they don't know.

[Sawgrass]

[quote name='masterli' post='1846661' date='Jul 27 2009, 06:18 PM']the last time someone picked up my ball they were in my group. sucked because it was a great lie then my drop ended up horrendous.[/quote]


People picking up my ball and tossing it back down used to really bother me as it might affect the legitimacy of my round. But then I took a careful look at the USGA rules:

<H5 class=gray>18-1. By Outside Agency</H5>If a ball at rest is [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14253#Moved"][i]moved[/i][/url] by an [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14253#OutsideAgency"][i]outside agency[/i][/url], there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.

[b]Note:[/b] It is a question of fact whether a ball has been [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14253#Moved"][i]moved[/i][/url] by an [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14253#OutsideAgency"][i]outside agency[/i][/url]. In order to apply this Rule, it must be known or virtually certain that an [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14253#OutsideAgency"][i]outside agency[/i][/url] has [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14253#Moved"][i]moved[/i][/url] the ball. In the absence of such knowledge or certainty, the player must play the ball as it lies or, if the ball is not found, proceed under Rule [url="http://www.usga.org/bookrule.aspx?id=14306#27-1"]27-1[/url].


Clearly this issue is covered, and I no longer fret about it. Mr. Masterli, please note that you should have placed your ball down back in the good lie it previously had, not dropped it. It's too bad that your clumsy playing partner hurt your game.

[golfortennis]

Ah the other reason, along with pace of play, I got back to playing a private club. While I have started to play a little higher end public courses when I do play one, I still cringe when I am offline that the ball won't be there when I get there. Some of the dog tracks I used to play were ridiculous. Top Flites were fair game for pete's sake.

But part of the issue is the fact that I think we've allowed too much of the "it's just to have a good time" attitude on the golf course. While I don't necessarily agree(if you want to drink, go to the bar, for instance), I most certainly do not believe that the fact you care very little for your game or how you play means I have to deal with your lack of respect for golf and the other participants. Some of the responses people have gotten when questioning someone who has picked up their ball in this thread are just astounding. My congrats for not permanently removing them frm the course that day.

Even on days I am screwing around working on something, I always try to remember that the other person may in act be having the round of their life. Just because I don't care today doesn't mean I need to bring someone else down to that level. Sadly, too many people barely have the brain capacity to think about themselves, much less anyone else.

[skizix]

[quote name='Bluefan75' post='1851928' date='Jul 29 2009, 07:25 PM']...I think we've allowed too much of the "it's just to have a good time" attitude on the golf course...[/quote]

Whoah, whoah, whoah, now wait a minute. While I appreciate your emphasis of respect for others out on the course (and that is pretty much obvious and redundant at this point in this particular thread)...unless perhaps you're on tour (or teaching a playing lesson I guess), "just to have a good time" [i]IS IN FACT THE ENTIRE REASON WE'RE OUT THERE[/i].

Right? Am I missing something?