Question:
Not really stealing, but, well, a possible misunderstanding. What do people think of the following situation: (e.g. did I screw up?) Okay, I’m playing, one of my first few times on a full-size course. I’ve lost a few balls, so I’m using a garbage ball out of my bag without really paying attention to what it is. I’m not hitting well, but I’m trying to play fairly quickly, so as to not hold up the group behind us. I think I’m doing a pretty good job, because we often have to wait on the group ahead of us. ANyway, on my second or third shot, my shot veers off to the left, and lands, out of might sight, about 20-30 feet from the green. I walk up and don’t see my ball right away, look around, and: aha! There it is. Or, I think it is. What was I playing again? Shoot. Well, it’s probably that ball, and if it’s not, well, I landed real close to where that ball is, so I play it. So I play out that ball, and am walking off the green when a guy from the foursome behind me says, "Hey, did you see a ball land about there? A prostaff?" I look at the ball I played, and sure enough, it was a Prostaff. So I hand it back to him, show him where I found it, and mosey along. My concern is that if I had just stumbled across that ball (not having lost mine in the same vicinity) I still would have probably picked it up, because "hey, wow, I found a ball." The guy behind us had hit over us, without us knowing. He didn’t call fore, and none of my foursome saw his shot, so we had no way of knowing it was his ball. My question was, did I screw up by playing the wrong ball (well, yes, but in an informal game, who really cares?), would I have been wrong to pick his ball up if I hadn’t lost my ball, and lastly, was he wrong to hit over our heads like that? -Ron
Response:
My question was, did I screw up by playing the wrong ball (well, yes, but in an informal game, who really cares?),
Yes. would I have been wrong to pick his ball up if I hadn’t lost my ball,
Yes. and lastly, was he wrong to hit over our heads like that?
Yes. -Ron
– Bobby Galvez
Response:
At a public course (Meadowbrook – FortWorth) my friend (who has vision like a hawk) witnessed another player from another hole taking his tee ball. Having a cart, he chased the guy down and demanded his ball back. The guy initially refused. My friend (who is also as big as a house) said to give it up or he would play it out of the thief’s pocket. The guy finally gave the ball up and sure enough it had my friend’s mark on it. Stuff like this is partly why I belong to a club. I rarely if ever encounter this kind of trouble. It’s tough enough just trying to play well and keep up with my bets. TheReal Ken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Fellow rsg’ers, During last sunday competition at a local public course, we had two separate incidents happen to our group. The daily competition was stroke and the incidents are outlined below. All these events took place on a public course (and as I understand Australian law, there is no way to remove these people from the course) I would like to know: a) rule interpretations on events (we fairly sure we followed correct procedure, but …) b) options available to clamp down on this unsociable behaviour INCIDENT #1: The third hole is a 320m par four. I hit a terrible drive right off the toe which came to rest several metres outside a lateral water hazard. A pensioner with two dogs proceeded to walk towards the ball and his dog picked the ball up in its mouth, moved to the owner who pocketed the ball and walked away. A playing partner (my marker) and myself witnessed these events. I proceeded to chase the man and caught him and retrieved my ball. After some angry words (this is not the first time he has attempted to steal my ball), I dropped the ball without penalty in a spot where we agreed was not nearer the hole and in the area where the ball originally lay and proceeded the complete the hole. INCIDENT #2: On the next hole, a fellow player proceeded to drive the ball into a nearly identical spot to where my drive on the previous hole lay. A young kid then kicked the ball into the lateral water hazard in an attempt to steal the ball when our group was unable to find the ball (he drove into an area out of sight from the tee). Fortunately, another group on the course witnessed this, and the player retrieved the ball and dropped it (no penalty) outside the hazard, no nearer the hole and proceed to complete the hole. Any useful ideas, comments or suggestions? Andrew Cassin
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Marking balls for identification might also help this action. I really thought so, too. <sniptomania We had a funny situation a couple of years ago at our course, on a long hole that calls for a downhill, left-to-right shaped drive out of line-of-sight from the tee. Balls that should have been in the fairway were gone by the time you got down there. After a little research, the assistant pro hid in the woods to catch the culprits and was successful! It was a little pack of very fast foxes, who had filled up a couple of big holes with all the balls… 
There was a thread on this a few months (years ?) back, and I posted about the foxes at a northern course here in Saskatchewan where similar events occur. On occasion the fox would carry the ball to the green and drop it (what a way to get on in regulation !) but mostly they (he? she?) would just run off with them. It’s too bad the course is so big in area (all spruce forest) cause if one found the den I’m sure you would never have to buy balls again. In fact, if one found those balls you could get rich spamming this group with "cheeep balls" (just kidding, please don’t do this, and if you already are, please stop). dave
Response:
snip- All these events took place on a public course (and as I understand Australian law, there is no way to remove these people from the course)
yeh, the law is something like that although a golf course is private property because its a public (semi public) we cant not let people walk around. .I dont particularily remember the reason when it was explained to me, but it seemed to make sense at the time. On my Golf Club (Darwin) any resident can wander all over the golf course, but i cannot jump his fence to get my ball back. This becomes aggravating when you consider that as a member the Golf Course is YOUR property. snip snip I would like to know: a) rule interpretations on events (we fairly sure we followed correct procedure, but …)
Going by memory, there is a rule entitleed "Ball at Rest moved by outside agency". In short, if you saw the ball moved (or stolen) you replace the ball in the original lie without penalty. This of course is difficult if you witnessed the event from a distance, but you just have to make the best effort, and normally with the consent of your playing partners. If you do not have absolute proof that your ball was moved or stolen by an outside agency, then you would play the ball as it lies or treat as a lost ball. This proof could be provided by a witness, if you did not see the occurence yourself. This creates an interesting scenario. You hit the ball down the centre of the fairway on a blind shot. when you get over the hill, you cannot find your ball, but there is a man with a dog. He denies having seen or taken your ball. after you threaten to beat him senseless with your sand iron, he gives you your ball. but refuses to tell you where he got it or even suggests that he found it deep in thetrees (and you know he is lying) Now what??? You surely cannot replace the ball in its original lie becaese you did not see where it was. Cannot treat as a lost ball as you found it. Maybe unplayable with only option is stroke and distance. This is probably covered in the decisions – perhaps someone with this valuable resoursce could look it up for me. I am sure it can be decided under equity – allowing the golfer to replace his ball in its original lie at best guess of where it would have finished. b) options available to clamp down on this unsociable behaviour
this Dog has broken the law. He is obviously a local resident and the Golf club management should undertake a ‘class action’ against him through the local constabulary. Mark Blake "remove ‘zap’ to obtain my real email address !!"
Response:
Move away from Aussie , It seems your heritage is haunting you. A helpfull NZ’r
It’s a good thing there’s a few waves between you two, methinks. dave
Response:
Marking balls for identification might also help this action.
I really thought so, too. So before I went to the local goat track for the first time in, well, in a long time, I increased my mark on each ball to not one but two huge red triangles. We’re talking 2 1-inch-on-a-side triangles on *each* ball. So I pushed a drive right into a nearby fairway, and what does this idiot do but walk up and hit my ball before I can get close. "I thought it was mine," he says. "Did you see the big red triangles on the ball?" "Yeah." "And you still thought it was yours." "Yeah. Sorry. Let me give you a ball to replace it." [Attempts to hand me a Rockflight to replace a brand new HP2 Tour.] I was too amazed to even be angry. Nothing will stop these morons. All of this, of course, boils down to education. If there were a "driving license" to play golf and it was treated like a privelege, we’d first of all run off a large percentage of those who can’t be bothered to learn how to do something before flailing at it, and secondly we could tell them to mark their ball, and why they should do so. — Curtis Jackson Opportunity is missed by most people because San Jose, CA USA — Thomas Edison
Response:
Marking balls for identification might also help this action. I really thought so, too.
<sniptomania We had a funny situation a couple of years ago at our course, on a long hole that calls for a downhill, left-to-right shaped drive out of line-of-sight from the tee. Balls that should have been in the fairway were gone by the time you got down there. After a little research, the assistant pro hid in the woods to catch the culprits and was successful! It was a little pack of very fast foxes, who had filled up a couple of big holes with all the balls… – Chip Atlanta Tar Heel Web Page Keep up with all Atlanta area activities sponsored by the Atlanta Chapters of the UNC Educational Foundation and Carolina Club. http://www.mindspring.com/~heels
Response:
Fellow rsg’ers, During last sunday competition at a local public course, we had two separate incidents happen to our group. The daily competition was stroke and the incidents are outlined below. All these events took place on a public course (and as I understand Australian law, there is no way to remove these people from the course) I would like to know: a) rule interpretations on events (we fairly sure we followed correct procedure, but …) b) options available to clamp down on this unsociable behaviour INCIDENT #1: The third hole is a 320m par four. I hit a terrible drive right off the toe which came to rest several metres outside a lateral water hazard. A pensioner with two dogs proceeded to walk towards the ball and his dog picked the ball up in its mouth, moved to the owner who pocketed the ball and walked away. A playing partner (my marker) and myself witnessed these events. I proceeded to chase the man and caught him and retrieved my ball. After some angry words (this is not the first time he has attempted to steal my ball), I dropped the ball without penalty in a spot where we agreed was not nearer the hole and in the area where the ball originally lay and proceeded the complete the hole. INCIDENT #2: On the next hole, a fellow player proceeded to drive the ball into a nearly identical spot to where my drive on the previous hole lay. A young kid then kicked the ball into the lateral water hazard in an attempt to steal the ball when our group was unable to find the ball (he drove into an area out of sight from the tee). Fortunately, another group on the course witnessed this, and the player retrieved the ball and dropped it (no penalty) outside the hazard, no nearer the hole and proceed to complete the hole. Any useful ideas, comments or suggestions? Andrew Cassin
Response:
Move away from Aussie , It seems your heritage is haunting you. A helpfull NZ’r
Response:
Fellow rsg’ers,
<ball swiping descriptions edited Any useful ideas, comments or suggestions?
Andrew, If this happened to me then perhaps the police would be charging me with assault (kidding folks), but in your case why not press charges ? If several folks did this, and the course posted notice to the effect that ball theives would be charged to the fullest extent of the law, then perhaps some would think twice. Marking balls for identification might also help this action. Good Luck, dave