Playing Golf or Picking Golf Balls

Recently I've noticed an uptrend in golfers part-timing as ball picker.

I normally play on an average two-times per week (both local and m'sia). During my plays, I have observed these two occurrences:

• Golfers in front of my flight after playing their shots, would go around water hazards or bushes to look around. Initially I didn't pay much attention presuming that they have hit it into these places. Only to later saw that they are picking up balls not belonging to them before going to theirs to take the next shot.
  
  

• On several occasions, I'm pretty sure I have hit nice shots (can see where the ball lands from the places I hit the shots) either straight down the fairways, just at the rough near the fairways or near the greens only to arrive there later to discover that my balls were missing. The strange thing is that prior to arriving at the landing areas, I would always see golfers nearby looking around for ball (presuming to be looking for theirs).
  
  
  

It may probably be coincidental at times and I was giving benefit of doubts till last week. I have played a shot over the green and basically saw it land behind the green (only a few metres). After the shot I temporary lost sight of my ball as I need to drive the buggy to fetch my flight's mate after he hit his shot. When we were driving and approaching the green, I saw a young golfer (probably in his 20s) scouting around near the place my ball landed. As I noticed that he was playing from an adjacent hole and perhaps his ball might have landed near our green, I didn't take note of anything amiss until I reached the place my ball landed. MISSING again ! By then he have already moved. Feeling a hunch that he might have taken my ball and pissed off, I drove all the way to his buggy and asked. Only then did he admit innocently that he found a ball and thought it belongs to nobody.

PLEASE for golfers out there who like to pickup balls. I'm not saying that you can't and neither am I able to stop it. Use your common sense when doing so ! You may find it rewarding to find an extra ball but this may result in spoiling someone else games.

Sad but quite common in some golfers' poor etiquette.

Had been a victim of golf balls gone missing and taken by adjacent golfers.

There should be a law to outlaw these 'thieves' on the course.

My take.....'stealing' balls in this manner is a more serious infringement than slow play.

The last time I committed that, I ended up playing double par on the next hole using the stupid ball I 'stole' fm the flower bed deep inside MBGC

I wholeheartedly agree with Dave.  Picking up golf balls on the course is something that really gets to me.  Don't get me wrong, fishing around inside the hazard for balls is prefectly fine as long as it does not hold up play.  It is the people who pick up balls that are (presumably) still in play that really piss me off.

I can forgive someone hitting a golf ball near me (especially if it is a mishit off the tee), even if they did not shout FORE (sometimes you really have no idea where the ball went or just too in shock from a bad shot to react).  There is no intention.  Everybody would like to hit it straight all the time.  Even if a golfer hits my ball by mistake I can forgive, sometimes we just forget to check.  But a golfer who, after hitting his own ball, looks around, sees another ball there then puts it in his pocket makes my blood boil.

I cannot understand why some golfers do it.  Are 2nd hand balls really that expensive?  Is it the thrill of getting something for "Free"?

Not sure about what the exact law is, but isn't wilfully taking something that belongs to someone else stealing?

I know when I was taking new golfers for their courtesy rounds, quite a large number displayed these sort of tendencies and wanted to pick up stray golf balls.  I told them firmly that the ball likely belongs to another golfer and picking up stray balls is not acceptable.  However, it makes me wonder what their friends have been teaching them.  Perhaps they have seen their more experienced friends looking for balls inside hazards and think it is acceptable throughout the course.

If there are any new golfers reading this, please remember, if you want to scavenge for used golf balls on the course, please restrict this to hazards (balls inside - even around the hazard is not acceptable), and only if you do not hold up play.  Preferably, do not pick up any ball unless you are sure it is yours.  Some golfers may be playing strictly by the rules and need to be sure that the ball went into the hazard to drop the ball in the correct place.  Otherwise, if it a lost ball, there is a stroke and distance penalty, not just a stroke penalty.

STAY AWAY from any stray golf balls that are just sitting there ... they are not waiting for you to pick them up ... they are waiting for their rightful owner to find them and hit a recovery shot and possibly salvage an acceptable score for that hole.

My policy is never to pick up any golf balls on the course. It could belong to some golfers who could have strayed their shots. Its very frustrating for a golfer to walk to the direction where the ball landed to find it gone! Best to leave it alone.

Agreed w all the abv bros n sista. 
Just imaging u ve handed the $ notes to the drink stall seller n he tell u no...never take!!
A nice cold soft drink turn out to b a kopi O koso lor...

Agree that golf balls on the course should be left alone, resist the temptation to pick it up.Someone might be trying to break 100/90/80,
don't spoil it for them.

Remember what goes round comes round.
One day someone might pick up your stray ball when you are trying to break 100/90/80!! 

Balls in Hazard is fair game:cheers:

Thanks for all the replies to my post.

I really hope the guy (if he is a member of this forum) can read this and refrain from doing it again.

No long term bad feeling or any intention to insult him. Just hoping that we as golfers can all be considerate and gentlemen on the field, so that we can enjoy this game we all love.

I draw polka dots all over my balls. Even my flight mates find it an eyesore.... lol

mariateo wrote:

I draw polka dots all over my balls. Even my flight mates find it an eyesore.... lol

Pls don't do that, the poor person who picks up your ball in the hazard will have a hard time cleaning it.

davecsh wrote:

Thanks for all the replies to my post.

I really hope the guy (if he is a member of this forum) can read this and refrain from doing it again.

No long term bad feeling or any intention to insult him. Just hoping that we as golfers can all be considerate and gentlemen on the field, so that we can enjoy this game we all love.

Picking up balls is 1 thing, how about picking up clubs on the green.... Some golfer just pick & put in bag.... Yesterday found a SW left behind by 2 Japs in front , we pass it to the marshal. Hope all golfers will do the same.

Picking up golf ball on purpose when flight behind is waiting that's not right
 thing to do! if there 's no flight behind than that's fine, you can take your time searching
 for golf ball in the bush,  some time you might be rewarded with a snake too! especially Malayan Krait or Viper one bite you're goner!

Always mark ur ball so "ball picker" can't deny if they indeed picked up your balls.

To all bros, please do not pick other's ball. You have your own balls.  

And if you did pick someone's else ball and he approached you for it, please have the balls to admit it and return it and apologise profusely. This will go a long way for all of us to have a ball on the golf course.  


Golfing this week, Yippee!

Yes! fully agreed! never pick another player's golf ball that's very wrong!
 All golfers must practice some Golf etiquette.

Picking balls is one thing very common in sg, since most the courses have overlapping fairway and certain brands are particularly very common among golfers, some golfers just assume that ball, it's his/her, often happened in course, I would advice all to take a look before hitting.

I like the topic. Like, as in i fully agree. We should campaign that every club encourage all golfers, members or otherwise playing not to pick up balls that are not yours. 

Golfers afford 800+ set of irons, 400 bucks driver but still pick up used balls.  Used balls very cheap, leave the stray balls to the course maintenance people to collect, clean and sell. Let them earn a little. 

I once hit a ball off the tee and saw it land next to the buggy track (hook la). Some golfer from the trees appear with his bag walking around, see the ball and take. Don't even check to see if anyone playing. I was too far to shout and other person was teeing off. 

boh li mao.

Why nobody mentioned...

Picking up used balls is BAD LUCK ...   


 

Hopefully, not a reflection of deeper social norm. What's not yours, dun take lah.

Some ppl also have the habit of picking up used tees ... So what does that tells ya?

A year ago at MBGC, I also experienced a bloke who picked up my ball which landed on the left near the buggy track ... He assumed most social golfers like me would not have driven so far    and he therefore thought it was left behind by someone ... He was playing at the adjoining fairway next to us ... I shouted at him loudly and he quickly threw the ball back on the ground ... Damn!  

sywog wrote:

I like the topic. Like, as in i fully agree. We should campaign that every club encourage all golfers, members or otherwise playing not to pick up balls that are not yours. 

Golfers afford 800+ set of irons, 400 bucks driver but still pick up used balls.  Used balls very cheap, leave the stray balls to the course maintenance people to collect, clean and sell. Let them earn a little. 

I once hit a ball off the tee and saw it land next to the buggy track (hook la). Some golfer from the trees appear with his bag walking around, see the ball and take. Don't even check to see if anyone playing. I was too far to shout and other person was teeing off. 

boh li mao.

Turbo wrote:

Some ppl also have the habit of picking up used tees ... So what does that tells ya?

A year ago at MBGC, I also experienced a bloke who picked up my ball which landed on the left near the buggy track ... He assumed most social golfers like me would not have driven so far    and he therefore thought it was left behind by someone ... He was playing at the adjoining fairway next to us ... I shouted at him loudly and he quickly threw the ball back on the ground ... Damn!  

sywog wrote:

I like the topic. Like, as in i fully agree. We should campaign that every club encourage all golfers, members or otherwise playing not to pick up balls that are not yours. 

Golfers afford 800+ set of irons, 400 bucks driver but still pick up used balls.  Used balls very cheap, leave the stray balls to the course maintenance people to collect, clean and sell. Let them earn a little. 

I once hit a ball off the tee and saw it land next to the buggy track (hook la). Some golfer from the trees appear with his bag walking around, see the ball and take. Don't even check to see if anyone playing. I was too far to shout and other person was teeing off. 

boh li mao.

Not only in SG lah, JB also.....I was left with a old ball where the flight on the 1st hole took off with my new ball and horrible lie, when my ball rolled over.  I shouted to the guy he also never heard.

sywog wrote:

I like the topic. Like, as in i fully agree. We should campaign that every club encourage all golfers, members or otherwise playing not to pick up balls that are not yours. 

Golfers afford 800+ set of irons, 400 bucks driver but still pick up used balls.  Used balls very cheap, leave the stray balls to the course maintenance people to collect, clean and sell. Let them earn a little. 

I once hit a ball off the tee and saw it land next to the buggy track (hook la). Some golfer from the trees appear with his bag walking around, see the ball and take. Don't even check to see if anyone playing. I was too far to shout and other person was teeing off. 

boh li mao.

If u and your flight mates can see, does this still count as lost ball with penalty?

Finder keeper golfers can't resist when they saw ProVI, TM, CallayWay and other branded ball. You can initial as many as you like, still it does not stop them from picking it up. Very strange mentality...

Turbo wrote:

Some ppl also have the habit of picking up used tees ... So what does that tells ya?

They are lazy???

I have the habit of picking up used tees to use on the Par 3s... But I am sure no one will come claiming for them...Balls are a whole different matter.