How hard is it to identify your ball? I mean really?

[JWLI]

I leave it unless there is no way it can not be lost. I play a course where there is only two instances of holes running adjacent to each other (and on the first set there is a creek running between the two that they would have to jump to get across). On the other 14 holes, if you find a ball, it's lost (links style course).

Actually, I was going to say something like that but it tends to complicate things by offering "permissions" for when it's acceptable, but yes, I agreee that there are some places on a course where a found ball is obviously "lost" and is then fair game.

Here on Long Island there are four County tracks that were all designed by the same guy back in the 60's and so they all are similar in layout and all have at least two or three instances of adjacent fairways and "crossover" tee shots. Most people recognize this and understand that a ball found in these areas most likely belongs to someone who just hit it there from some nearby tee and most folks leave them be.

But there are always the ones who simply cannot resist the temptation even if the ball and it's markings are clearly not theirs.
Whenever I wipe a tee shot and it ends up in one of these areas, I usually excuse myself from the group so I can get a head start on finding it before the zombies from the other fairway get near it. :stop:

There are always zombies out there somewhere.

 

[smoothduffer]

Its easy for me,i am one of the very few at my home course who puts a putting line on thier balls and i use a red or green marker and,when i do see another ball with a line it almost always black.I also tend to game "unpopular" golf balls(FG tour,C:25,50 elite(winter ball)HOGAN tour deep,MG C4 tour and now callaway's I(z))so that makes it even easier.Adding to all of that W/S balls are easily identifiable by the panhead dimples and callaway's by thier hex dimples.Even with all of that i have witnessed what you are talking about many times,i have had to yell 30 yards away while driving to my ball cause someone had already started thier backswing on my ball and i had already driven by thier ball,it was 40 yards short of mine.I really cant understand why you would not make sure you are about to hit your own ball instead of someone elses,it takes all of 2 seconds to look.

 

[long&straight]

I agree. I hit a Vision X3 ball into the rough last week and some guy was lining up to hit it. I asked him what kind of ball he was playing and he said he didnt remember. The vision balls arent found in America very often I wouldnt figure so I told him it was probably mine. He left and walked around looking for another one. I dont get it either.

I was going to say the exact same thing for me this weekend!! Testing these Vision balls you would think people would at least know the brand of ball they are playing!!

 

[McRock]

I mark mine with 2 dots ( blue , black or red ) on either side of the number on all my balls

Hmmmmm, that's precisely how I mark my balls, although it's always with blue dots. Still, the odds of a similar mark and ball brand and ball number are slim.

There was one time, I was on the course with a couple of buddies. And this dog comes galloping over, eyeing one my buddies balls. He was like, "hey dog, that's not your ball." The dog then took a playful stance, did a couple of sidesteps, picked up the ball, and took off running. My buddy proceeded to chase him all over the course. It was the craziest thing to see. Can't believe that dog didn't know the ball wasn't his. :clown: (sorry, I know were all venting about idiots on the course, but it reminded of the story, had to post it).

 

[mariusvt]

This is an annoyance of mine, but the thing that is worse is the people who pick up your ball and pocket it because they "found it" while looking for theirs and you weren't up to it yet to lay claim.

This happened to me on 18 Friday, I saw where my ball landed in the rough just in front of a sand trap. When I got about 30 yards from where my ball was I saw a guy in a cart angling back towards his hole. When I got to where my ball was, it was gone. I was pissed, I ended up having to drop a new ball to finish the hole. Although it was probably wrong of me, I didn't bother to assess myself a penalty stroke since I had seen where the ball landed and came from a stop off the tee.

 

[Bullfrog]

Mine is pretty easy to identify since I got me a TIN CUP ball marker. I got the "RIP IT" Frog! It is so cool. I make the frog green and the eyes red. So it's a red eye tree frog on my ball... LOL

 

[tdinbr]

I found a ball in the woods a few weeks ago that had F*%K written on it in all caps.

Pretty hard to say that one's yours if you picked it up by mistake!

 

[Canio]

I have my balls marked with my initials in RED CAPS and also a treble clef in colors (green or red) on the other side. I've actually had people pick up my ball IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FAIRWAY. I was NOT going to let them take it. I followed them to their hole. I actually picked-up my ball from their green!

 

[War Eagle]

I found a ball in the woods a few weeks ago that had F*%K written on it in all caps.

Pretty hard to say that one's yours if you picked it up by mistake!

I have found a few balls similar to that, saying the same thing or F--- You on it. I thought it was tacky and childish. Not sure the reason why anyone felt the need to put that on it, but just glad that I picked up before a younger golfer did.

 

[huhhh]

Although it was probably wrong of me, I didn't bother to assess myself a penalty stroke since I had seen where the ball landed and came from a stop off the tee.

There's a good question... How many of you would / do take the penalty when you know / strongly suspect someone swiped your ball?

 

[War Eagle]

I have my balls marked with my initials in RED CAPS and also a treble clef in colors (green or red) on the other side. I've actually had people pick up my ball IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FAIRWAY. I was NOT going to let them take it. I followed them to their hole. I actually picked-up my ball from their green!

Wow...how was that reaction? Only thing to top that would be to grab it mid putt...

 

[Danilo]

I do pick up lost balls, but not if it's in the fairway and there is one that plays opposite of it, and if I'm in the rough and there is anyone near, I ask them.
There are tons of lost balls in FL courses... Last time I played I found 3 lost balls in one spot, all near my ball. I actually almost played a Srixon yellow ball because I was playing yellow E6 that day... my ball ended up hidden under a leaf, and I only found it as I was clearing the area around the wrong ball that I assumed was mine.
I'm not perfect...
There was no one on the course before us, as we were the first group out, and there was no hole that plays opposite that.

 

[mikedean441]

I have my balls marked with my initials in RED CAPS and also a treble clef in colors (green or red) on the other side. I've actually had people pick up my ball IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FAIRWAY. I was NOT going to let them take it. I followed them to their hole. I actually picked-up my ball from their green!

that would be something to see!

 

[scott_d]

One guy in our group used to write his name on his balls but he quit doing it because he got too embarssed when everyone was returning all the lost balls to him. We all thought it funny to return them to him.

 

[McRock]

One guy in our group used to write his name on his balls but he quit doing it because he got too embarssed when everyone was returning all the lost balls to him. We all thought it funny to return them to him.

Funny, yes, but I wish people would return my balls to me, especially if they haven't been run over by the mower.

 

[hartattack52]

I mark mine with my initials. The only time I take a ball is if it was clearly lost.

 

[Will_Mac]

My playing partners fairly often play the wrong ball. Sometimes it's each other's, other times it's just a random ball in the vicinity of their own.

I've never played the wrong ball, maybe I'm too paranoid as I always check to be sure. Because we play with stakes and by the rules, playing the wrong ball costs strokes. Anyone can mess up once but it's beyond me that why they've done it more often than that.

 

[JR]

We have some of the laziest people that play at my club. A few rounds ago, someone left 3 new Pro V1's on the putting green. I left them and played my round, but when I came back and they were still there, I pocketed them. Better I get them than the pro shop, (they sell lost balls in the shop). I was playing with my dad a few weeks ago and we found 6 balls on 1 hole, 4 in the fairway, 2 just over the green. There was nobody else on the course (early morning round), so I picked them up too. Don't feel bad in the least, golf balls a freaking expensive.

 

[HuskAir]

Back when I used a Diablo Edge driver and Callaway golf balls to go with it, I would mark my balls with devil horns like this:

I now use a TM Penta, and simply have 3 dots, within 3 adjacent dimples (looks like a triangle of dots), to be used as an alignment aid.

 

[clam fist]

I have been playing nitro eclipse golf balls lately. I actually had someone pick it up the other day. They had hit into our fairway played their ball then proceeded to pocket mine. I knew the guy so I just let him go and dropped another ball. No sense getting worked up over a 50¢ ball.

 

[UNCFan6]

I usually pull out a sleeve of balls and mark them all before the round. One with black dots on both sides, one with red, one with blue. I hardly check my ball unless its in the woods but have too of late cuz other people i play with have been playing srixons as well.

 

[Smallville]

I have been playing nitro eclipse golf balls lately. I actually had someone pick it up the other day. They had hit into our fairway played their ball then proceeded to pocket mine. I knew the guy so I just let him go and dropped another ball. No sense getting worked up over a 50¢ ball.

If you knew the guy, you should probably have said something for sure. What if he does it again to someone he doesn't know and the other guy isn't as understanding? Might be best to let the guy you know that it's not such a good idea to pick up balls fromn the fairway.

 

[oiler3535]

I agree with people that a lot of people don't mark their balls at all so just assume any ball close to where they think they went is theirs. I usually draw a silver Homer S on one side and write a black 137 on the other; no matter how it lays, I can usually see some of one of them. And yes, I am silly enough to sit at home drawing on my balls before going out!

 

[fracisco]

I now use a TM Penta, and simply have 3 dots, within 3 adjacent dimples (looks like a triangle of dots), to be used as an alignment aid.

That's the mark I use on my Noodle+, too.

 

[Smallville]

I have yet to run across another person's ball with these markings on it. MO_Hacker called it Hieroglyphics!