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Ball finder: Have you changed??

Ball finder: Have you changed??

  • Yes, I no longer search for extra golf balls

    Votes: 56 73.7%

  • No, I still search and hoard any golf ball I can find

    Votes: 20 26.3%
  • Total voters
    76
bogeyme

bogeyme

The Golf GODS hate me
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All of us at one point or another were just starting out in this great game and were probably a little short on cash from time to time so we'd scavenge the woods or ponds on the course and pick up any ball we could find. As your game has improved have you done less searching for balls?

I know as my game has changed (for good or bad not sure) I've looked less for extra balls in the woods, along the tree line or on the edge of the water. Now if I end up in the tree line and come across a ball I might pick it up or snag one out of the water if my ball may have gone in but I have spent less time searching the woods for a few extras.

What about you?
 
i will keep an eye out for good balls, i wont go out of my way to do so. i will also throw balls i don't like out on the fairway for other people to find if i don't like them
 
I'm not going to deliberately look for balls, but if in searching for my own I come across a good one, you're damn right I'm taking it.
 
Yeah, I don't look deliberately any longer, but if they fall into my lap and it's good quality, I'm keeping it.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I'm not going to deliberately look for balls, but if in searching for my own I come across a good one, you're damn right I'm taking it.
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That's what I mean. Spending a few minutes looking for extras after you've found your ball. I'm with you, if I come across a decent one as I'm looking, it's going in my pocket for a later time.
 
I put in my vote for #1, but actually I've never searched for any ball but my own. If I stumble across a good ball I'll stick it in my bag, but I don't go out of my way looking.
 
I will typically do a little hunting when playing in certain groups. Mostly because they are slow. Anything I find I put aside for my brother in law. He just took up the game and loses probably 20 balls a round in woods and water.
 
Up until about 2 years ago, I would carry a ball retriever with me on every round and take a little time during the round to see if I could find any good balls. No longer do that and concentrate more on my game now. Also, becoming active on THP cut down on the searching also because I am able to more readily find great deals on new balls with the information shared on the forum.
 
Sox Fan said:
Up until about 2 years ago, I would carry a ball retriever with me on every round and take a little time during the round to see if I could find any good balls. No longer do that and concentrate more on my game now. Also, becoming active on THP cut down on the searching also because I am able to more readily find great deals on new balls with the information shared on the forum.
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I was the same way. I took the ball retriever out of the bag and don't you know like the first or second round after taking it out I "needed" it for my ball. :sad: I also like to carry it for scrambles so we don't have to get out of the cart to pick the ball up. Yep, I'm that lazy. :act-up:
 
Art M said:
i will keep an eye out for good balls, i wont go out of my way to do so. i will also throw balls i don't like out on the fairway for other people to find if i don't like them
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This is me, except I drop them at the next holes tee box. Keeps the reload game going for those behind me.
 
Even though I won't play most of the ones I find, for some reason I still find it necessary to grab and extra balls I see in the ob while I'm there.
 
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I have never searched for golf balls. Even when I first started, if I found mine and a couple others, great, but no sense in going out of my way to find one.
 
I keep an eye out for golf balls all the time!
 
I don't seek out balls and will only pick up a ball if looking for mine.
 
Like others I am just an opportunist ball finder now. I dont even go that far out of my to find my own really.
 
I don't "ball hawk" when I play. But, if I see one, I'll grab it. If it's a premium ball in good shape I'll keep. All the others I put in the cart bin, if I'm riding, for the workers to keep. If I'm walking, I'll set it by the green or the next tee box for someone else to grab.
 
I'll generally look around when hunting my own ball. The amount of time I spend depends upon how fast/slow the pace of play is. I'll hunt balls rather than stand around waiting for things to clear. My home course has a few good spots that collect plenty of balls and I can come out five or six ahead.
 
I don't search but if I see one I will grab it
 
I've never gone looking for extra balls. I think that leads to more slow play.
If I find an extra one...good for me !
 
I don't search for balls. If I see one on my route I'll pick it up, but won't go out of my way to look or fish for extras.
 
I don't wander off into the woods and search for golf balls or pull out the ball retriever by the water hazard but I'll keep my eyes open.
Played with a guy earlier this season where we were constantly waiting on him while he ball hawked. We weren't holding anyone up but ourselves but this guy would disappear into the woods. Got pretty aggravating by the end of the round. I actually finally yelled at him to knock it off.
 
When playing, I only look for balls that someone in my group has hit astray. However, for about 25 years I had a job where one of the duties was to daily take water samples in the creek that ran thru the course. Parking by the road and walking thru the woods down to the sample point on a circuitous route, I picked up easily 50 balls a week. I pretty much found just enough newlike ProV1s to keep myself stocked, and passed along newlike other brands to my friends that played them. Here is an amazing fact - the balls found farthest from the fairway FOR YEARS were almost invariably Nike brand - not sure if our biggest scattershots played Nike or if they tended to fly farthest offline. Anyway, in more recent times that trend stopped.
 
I don't search for ball intentionally and rarely find balls. When I do find them if they are not something I would at least use for practice rounds I ask whoever I am playing with if they would like the ball, if they say no I save the balls and then use them for range balls when I collect enough.
 
moosejaa said:
I don't wander off into the woods and search for golf balls or pull out the ball retriever by the water hazard but I'll keep my eyes open.
Played with a guy earlier this season where we were constantly waiting on him while he ball hawked. We weren't holding anyone up but ourselves but this guy would disappear into the woods. Got pretty aggravating by the end of the round. I actually finally yelled at him to knock it off.
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I have a buddy who is "That Guy", couple that with he is one of the slowest players I know and it makes for some aggravating rounds.
 
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