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Finding Equipment and other things left behind on the course

I've lost a couple of things towels and what not and they've been turned in. I usually turn anything I found into the clubhouse or give it to a Marshal.
 
I guess I'm lucky and have never lost any equipment on a golf course other than my ball lol

When I see a club or something left behind I always try to ask the group ahead of me if it is theirs. If not definitely turn it in at the clubhouse.
 
Keep it in the cart and if I can catch the group in front without disturbing them or others I will ask them about it. Otherwise I turn it in at the clubhouse.

Most of the time the person who left it realizes it shortly after and they come back to ask. I only recall one instance where no one came back to ask about a club I had found and I actually had to turn it in.
 
jspangs said:
First let me say I always turn clubs/headcovers in, I know how I feel when I scramble for my GPS being my first one was never found. Hopefully the golf gods will look favorably at me.

But a couple things here I find odd. First why are golfers to be held at higher standards? Same with pro athletes. So why are golfers and pro athletes held at a higher standard? I think everyone should be held at the same standards(which in today's society seems pretty low)

And second. If you lose something and someone picks it up, it's not theft and someone is not going to be charged with theft as someone stated above.

It's a sad world we live in, I'm scared to leave my range finder clipped to my bag. Someone stole a 913 head at my local golf shop. Unfortunately this is the world we live so we just need to take extra precautions with our expensive hobby.
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Theft by finding is not legal unless you cannot reasonably find the owner. At least in some places it is. In the case of a golf club, it would be more than reasonable to assume you could find the owner.
 
I found a rangefinder on a course once and I would be lying if I didn't admit to contemplating keeping it. After 2 holes, I completely erased that thought from my head just thinking about how I would feel if I was on that person's shoes.

Fortunately when I got up to the clubhouse to turn it in, there was a guy freaking out because he lost his rangefinder. Was able to make his day.

As for clubs, I turn them into the clubhouse since 100% of the time, they are right handed. But if they were left handed, it would be the same thing.
 
Hawk said:
Theft by finding is not legal unless you cannot reasonably find the owner. At least in some places it is. In the case of a golf club, it would be more than reasonable to assume you could find the owner.
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I'm not saying you're wrong I'm saying the odds of someone getting charged are slim to none. I've gone through this with the police when my wallet was returned minus the cash. Since there was no evidence anyone took it. Plus unless your name is engraved how can you prove its yours.
 
I'd agree with that for sure.
 
I generally throw the club in the basket and then see if the people ahead of us lost it. If it wasn't theirs I turn it into the clubhouse at the turn or after the round. One of the courses down here has a button in the cart that lets the clubhouse know you found a club.
 
Left a wedge around a green and didn't realize it until several holes later. I drove back a couple holes looking for it and then figured I'd ask the twosome that were following close behind us if they had seen it (I had already drove past them and they didn't waive me down at all). Low and behold my wedge is in one of the guys bag and he wasn't all that forthcoming about it. I didn't get the feeling they were going to ask if it was mine. I got my wedge back along with a not so nice exchange.
 
When I find something on the course, I will pick it up and try to flag the group in front of me when they come back to get it, and turn it in to one of the rangers if I see them. In some cases, if the layout of the course would make me think someone would come back to the green a different way and I'd miss them, I'll leave it.

But I will ALWAYS turn a club I pick up into the clubhouse. In terms of proving that a club was yours, with some sets I'd imagine you'd be able to do that by serial number.
 
I generally places it inside the strap that holds my bag on the cart. This way if I happen upon the person that lost the club it's not in my bag.

If I don't run into the person that lost the club during the course of play, I leave it at the pro shop.
 
I always try to keep whatever it is safe until the end of the round then it is turned into the clubhouse.
 
moosejaa said:
Left a wedge around a green and didn't realize it until several holes later. I drove back a couple holes looking for it and then figured I'd ask the twosome that were following close behind us if they had seen it (I had already drove past them and they didn't waive me down at all). Low and behold my wedge is in one of the guys bag and he wasn't all that forthcoming about it. I didn't get the feeling they were going to ask if it was mine. I got my wedge back along with a not so nice exchange.
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Oddly, a similar thing happened to me.

I realized I had left a wedge in the fairway of the previous hole so I drove back. There I found a guy who lives on the course with my club in his hand. He and his little boy were hawking golf balls in the desert. From the look in his eyes I was pretty sure he had no intention of turning the club in at the club house.
 
I return anything I find, and so do all of the folks I play golf with. One time, on a hot, humid day, I lost my wedding band somewhere on the course, while drying my hands with a towel, and didn't realize it until I got home. I called the course and reported it. A couple of hours later I got a call that someone turned it in! How great. I wish the person had left their name and contact info, but they didn't.
 
The guy who owns a web site that has this sales slogan "{name omitted} can help you replace missing individual golf irons with a huge selection of single, replacement golf clubs" told me that golf course maintenance workers sell him the majority of his inventory.
 
Hey...soooo.... any of you guys want to buy a range finder? :wink: I uhhh....got a great deal on it...
 
I had my 8 iron disappear at a very private course in Jacksonville last year. I knew exactly where I left it (driving range) and noticed it was missing on the second hole. I was too late. It was gone and was never turned in.
 
I have always returned anything to the clubhouse after the round if we didn't come across the person looking for it somewhere on the course. I have only ever left 1 club on the course and luckily my uncle came across it a few groups behind me. Only reason he knew it was mine was we played the exact same clubs at the time.
 
Its Karma! you turn something in if you find it, the same as you would hope people would do if they find something of yours.
 
I just throw whatever I find into the cart basket, then I don't have to worry about taking it home with me.
I misplaced my range finder - what a bad feeling that is.
I have come across at least a dozen towels over my time, I just leave them in the cart, never even thought about turning them into the golf shop.
 
I always turn things in. On my home course, people leave everything from gloves to lasers to drivers... I've been on both sides. I don't keep things that aren't mine and I am eternally grateful when things of mine are turned in. Golf is expensive enough without having to replace lost items.
 
e1iterate said:
I am just curious about how you guys handle yourself in this situation when you have found a club or maybe some other accessory left behind by another player on a previous hole they have played?

Personally, I have always just turned in anything I have found at the clubhouse. I have seen on two different occasions a close friend has left items on the course only to have people keep them. We dont play at a rinky dink club either which makes it more surprising. Earlier this year he left a wedge behind which was never turned in and then last week we met after work for a quick 9 and he left his laser behind which also was not turned in. I mean, isnt golf about being honest with yourself? Granted I believe its his fault for leaving it but at what point are golfers held to a higher standard? In this game you call penalties on yourself ect. Why take something that someone mistakenly left behind?

Just curious to THPer thoughts on this matter as it kinda ruffled my feathers.
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Turn them in, always, no matter what the item is or the situation. I've found everything from wedges to head covers to towels to GPS.

Once found a phone lying in the grass just off the fairway on the 5th hole - this was quite a few years ago. Nobody in my group had ever owned a cell phone at the time, and the damn thing kept ringing, but none of us had a clue how to use it. It was probably the guy who lost it trying to find out where it was, but we just handed it over to the ranger when he came by and he took it to the clubhouse. They found someone who knew how to answer it and got it back to the owner.
 
I once sat in a booth at a local diner and to my surprise there was a wad of cash on the seat in a rubber band. I saw the two guys who left the table prior to us being seated and thought I caught a glimpse of something falling from one of them as they got up and while the busboy was whipping down the table but you know how that goes when you think you may saw something but your not really sure or it doesnt quite register and you think nothing of it.

Well, sure enough when I sat down there it was. I new it was a substantial amount of money and I just jogged out to the parking lot and the guy was like "oh crap" and a bit embarrassingly dumbfounded. Said there was 2400 dollars and thanked me sincerely very much.

Personally if it were me I would have given the person a hundred or even two. To me the alternative was never seeing the 2400 so would have been worth giving the reward. I wasn't looking for a reward but afterwards now knowing it was 2400 I thought that is something I would have done and been the proper thing to do. But that's just me :)
 
I turn stuff in. Haven't found a club laying around, but have found head covers, jackets, etc. I know I'd like to think people would bring my stuff to the clubhouse, so I do the same.
 
Finding Equipment and other things left behind on the course

I left a wedge behind on a hole for the first time in ages last Sunday. I had no idea when I'd last played it (turned out it was the last hole). I went back to the group behind us and asked if they'd found a lob wedge, and one of the guys said "there's a wedge by the green on the last hole."

Maybe they didn't want to be accused of stealing it? Seems like leaving it there isn't very helpful, but I got my lobber back so mo harm, no foul.
 
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