Picking up another ball - Bad bad bad

It has happened to me on more than one occasion this season - I just renewed my stock of balls and this time around I got Yellow Chrome Softs...hopefully this helps!

I can somewhat understand beginners doing this but how about grounds crew?

On a particular par 3 I hit just short of the green. As a maintenance guy comes by on his cart, he cuts across the fairway, stops by my ball, sees it's a pro-v1, picks it up and takes off in his cart! The whole time I'm standing on the tee box yelling at him.

I finish my round and complain to the guy at the shop. He pulls a ball out of a sleeve and hands it to me.

Seriously it must be hard to get good help nowadays.

A couple of months ago I absolutely nutted a drive down the left side of the fairway. Best drive of the day. My cart partner hooked his left towards the woods. While looking for his ball we saw two guys come over from the other fairway and play two balls in the general area where my ball went. When we finally got up there we couldn't find my ball. The rough was short with no leaves so had it kicked off the fairway we would have easily found it. My partner said one of those guys must have hit my ball, no way it could have been lost and gave me a free drop telling me he couldn't charge me a stroke for that kind of crap. It bothered me though and stayed in my head for the rest of the round (that was my problem of course). I do put marks, red dots, on each side of the Bridgestone name on my balls and I always look for them before hitting my ball. I expect others should be doing the same.

The thing is, one of those guys likely ended up in the water which was on the right side of our fairway . I wonder if he ever noticed that the ball he was playing wasn't his and fess up to it with his playing partners. I'm guessing "yes" to the former and "no" to the latter.

Metroid said:

Hey guys.

This weekend I was out with my wife playing a social round. The hole is a dog leg to the right, about 400 meters (which for you Americans is about 440ish yards). Perfect 250 meter drive, up to the top of the corner.

Watched someone on the next hole as my wife hit, chunk a low slice that rolled down our fairway, probably 20 yards from my ball.

I watched the group in front come over to our fairway, check both balls, point out where his was, then walk back and pick mine up. We're not out of sight, clearly coming up the fairway to both our balls. Mines clearly clearly marked with a massive green line all the way around for putting alignment as well as other marks.

After approaching they initially looked confused about what I was asking, and then said oh were you playing a titleist Pro V1x too, pulled out my ball and handed it back. I asked if his was marked similar but the guy just walked off.

Has anyone else had this happen and how did you deal with it?

To say I was annoyed was an understatement. Firstly that they picked up a ball with a group on a fairway that were yet to reach it, secondly that they appeared to try and hide that they were talking an expensive ball just because it was there.
I
Probably over reacting but just interested to see how often people have this happen, actually whitnessing someone essentially stealing another persons ball very obviously in play.

Cheers as always guys, Met.

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I've had it happen numerous times on my old homecourse. During just regular rounds, during Friday-night matches, during summercup matches and even in the stroke play championship. It's not the main reason I'm gone, but it sure is part of it.
Last time someone picked up my ball was when he got from his fairway to mine to shoot his ball. He saw mine about 5-6 feet from the fairway and picked it up. When I got to his group he said nobody should hit a ball that far, it was my own fault. Sure it is sir, I hit an absolute bomb, that's too good for you so you pick it up? Please go fornicate with yourself.

As far as dealing with it: I can't. I don't understand people that pick up random balls from or near fairways. I can't shake the negativity for a couple holes and again and again it kills my round.

Today I was walking the front nine on my new homecourse (just moved two weeks ago), saw a ball just lying in the fairway on the fourth, right side. I left it there, it wasn't mine so I'm not picking it up.. The ladies behind me did though

Inconceivable! I coat my golf balls with a temporary paralysis poison. I have spent years developing immunity to that poison. Easy to find people if they take my ball.

mtcowdog said:

Inconceivable! I coat my golf balls with a temporary paralysis poison. I have spent years developing immunity to that poison. Easy to find people if they take my ball.

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Are you Sicillian?

I had this happen twice in a round once. Unfortunately jerks play golf as well. It boggles my mind how someone that hits onto the wrong hole could possible think its okay to pick up a ball when they are essentially getting in your way.

I've had this happen. It sucks.

At my home course, the rule is simple. If you are in another fairway other than the one you should be in and there is a group/player, whatever on the tee or on that hole, but not having reached their ball, then you have NO right to be in that fairway until the group/player passes. That stops this from happening (most of the time).

Heck, I've had guys in my own group pick up my ball before...........

I had Chump Fries do this to me twice on the same hole

In all seriousness though, I have had it happen to me - mostly on cheaper courses where the weekend hackers abound - and it drives me nuts. I will only pick up a ball if I find it clearly out of the field of play for someone on another hole. Some people suck!

It happened to me this Saturday. I hit into an area of trees that divide the #5 and #6 holes. I was waiting for my partner to hit and I watched a guy drive over and get out to look at it. I figured once he saw it wasn't his he would move on, but instead he grabbed it and put it in his pocket. He gave it back when I asked if he picked it up and he apologized, but now I'm unsure exactly where the ball was and the lie.

Yep. Happened to me twice in SD for the #HandCrafted Event. Once at Torrey Pines, once at Balboa Park.
What is funny about both is that I have a face stenciled on my balls, one was not even one color (faded yellow to white on top, dark yellow on bottom). I found both of the other balls, which were POS balls, I had Srixon balls (which were almost POS condition).
I hate when it happens. Even I don't pick up other balls in the grass, only balls in the desert or in the woods.

drp3434 said:

I've seen this, and it is annoying. Part of the reason why I never make my playing partners take a penalty for a lost ball if we know it landed somewhere safe.

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I'm the same way. I play a lot of rounds on a dense urban links style course that wraps around on itself. Miss your fairway and if you aren't OB at the edge of the course, then you are in the other fairway. It is particularly bad if the rough is high making balls hard to find in general. This type of "confusion" happens quite often.

I waive penalty strokes from others if we all see a ball go somewhere in play, get to where we've marked it and can't find it. No sense adding insult to injury.

I also play yellow balls to cut down on the likelihood of it happening. It can almost be worse though because people who are also playing yellow get a false validation. It's like they can't tell their dull, shabby Top Flight from my glowing, almost crystal Srixon. That's really the only thing I don't like about the Supersoft. It is too easy to "confuse."

It's usually an honest mistake. If not it's not woth a confrontation. Just drop another ball.

HoosierGolfer said:

I've had this happen. It sucks.

At my home course, the rule is simple. If you are in another fairway other than the one you should be in and there is a group/player, whatever on the tee or on that hole, but not having reached their ball, then you have NO right to be in that fairway until the group/player passes. That stops this from happening (most of the time).

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I like this rule.

Happened to me today!! and I pissed off.

We get to 8th tee par5. For some reason out of the blue we couldn't understand all of a sudden we are on top of the next group as they still hitting off the tee with no one in front of them :confused2:

Any way we converse and whatever while we wait. The fairway goes uphill and the disappears beyond driver distance. So now clear I hit a good one but drifts left side with a left blowing wind so it lands close to the tall fescue on the left which swallows balls like a hungry monster

So not being sure if I would find it, I hit a provisional which was a beauty long and right side well in the fairway. But as I was hitting that prov the group in front all of a sudden reappears right at the place I hit my ball. Not just one guy, but the whole darn group. :confused2:

It was hard to see what was going on but 3 guys now hit balls :confused2: from scattered places in that area. I immediately think and say "I hope they aren't playing my ball".

Now keep in mind I am playing yellow e6 balls.

So anyway I walk up the left side to first find my original which I did. It was in the rough but not in the fescue after all so I play it of course.

But amazingly somehow my provisional which we all saw land is gone from the fairway. So I borrow my partners cart and drive up and ask if anyone played or picked up my yellow Bridgestone. (FYI I just took it out of the sleeve)

One guy is actually playing a yellow ball but says he has a callaway. And no one else responds at all. I am really pissed off at this point. I was having a good round and was +4 to this point. I get to 9 and after thinking more about it. It really got me hot and let it get the best of me and triple on the par3 9th. My falt of course but I was all friggin disturbed for the principle of the whole darn thing. I now catch them coming up 11 while we are heading down 10 and I ask (or really I implied) "NO ONE FOUND MY YELLOW BRIDGESTONE!" and the one guy responds with "sorry but I have 3 yellow balls and none of them are bridgestones. To tell you the truth I actually believe this gentleman but his other two players who appeared to be separate from him (he was walking and they driving. They said nothing again and just ignored me.

It was just so clear that they had to have picked up or hit my ball even though we couldn't actually tell from the tee at the time.

The whole darn thing really got under my skin. From the way we waited on the tee, then clear to hit, then the whole group re-appears before our eyes and all hit from the area of my ball, and magically my "yellow" ball in the fairway is gone. :confused2: ys just cant figure this crap out

I am normally a "turn the other cheek" kind of guy and even to a fault will most oftn give benefit of doubt but I really wanted someone to say something stupid back to me as I yelled over from the 10th cause I was hot. This is just wrong and someone deserved a smack. We all knew right where my ball landed. There is no way they didn't just outright take the thing.

I have to say, rollin, (and I apologize for being off topic) that every time I see your avatar it causes me to smile.

Den60 said:

I have to say, rollin, (and I apologize for being off topic) that every time I see your avatar it causes me to smile.

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yea, thanks, have had others comment as well. I didn't always have that but I just happened across it one day on the web and it was automatic
Only one word imo to describe that pic ........... "COOL"
Would have loved to been in that 4some round lol
I have a family member who actually met them on more than one occasion. I am jealous of him for that. Its a long lost great era imo. Dino was my favorite, and besides we share the same name lol

Tony Bennett is still around and BTW if you saw his show with lady Gaga she was really impressive. Never knew she had such a passion for that music genre and boy oh boy she can sing it too.

Nothing like throwing on some Frank and Dino during then after dinner while I sip my espresso, not to mention the Sambuca along with it. Aahhh yeeea, "easy and cool"

Sorry to ramble but its just bittersweet how great and yet they are gone.
"goodnight pally"

I had this happen in a state amateur qualifier. We were playing threesomes and it was a dogleg right hole. I hit a good drive around the corner and one of the guys in my group pushed his drive in the trees on the right. He walked right out to my ball and started to play it claiming it was his. I said what ball are you playing and he looked down at the ball and said "Maxfli". I had the ball marked and he claimed they were his markings. It was very bizarre. The third guy in our group looked at him and said "Dude - that's not your ball! You hit it in the woods!" He finally went and found his in the woods.

I think I've had people pick my ball up but it always seems to be a situation where I don't actually see where my ball landed. I know the general vicinity and see others there hunting and hitting but when I look for my ball, I cant find it. I'm not going to accuse anyone if I don't have a solid feeling of where my ball even was.

I have had people attempt to hit my ball thinking it's their's but it's been instances where I see my ball clearly, and it's usually someone coming from an adjacent fairway and simply thinks my ball is their's. It's kind of a panic feeling when you see it unfolding in front of your eyes (esp. if its a good shot) so I'll yell and that gets their attention. When they double-check, they see their error.