What Would You Do

[Matt Dillon]

I'm seeking the input of my fellow WCN golfers. Here's the situation: This is my third year of playing golf. My home course is a nine hole course. Like most (all?) golfers, I'll pick up, what I consider to be, abandon balls. Yesterday, I had finished my first nine holes and was coming around for my second nine. I'm an impatient person (not good I know), and hate slow play. The regular tee box on hole one is in front of the clubhouse, and the senior tee box (the one I use) is about 20-25 yards in front of the regular box. I rolled up, and there was two guys standing there talking to the club pro (apparently people he knows well, perhaps even good friends) and they were going to walk the course. I asked if I could play through (since they were in front of the clubhouse, I thought they might be waiting on more golfers to join them). They told me to go ahead. I went to the senior box. I'm now 20-25 yards in front of them. I hit my tee shot and went to look for my ball. I'm now out of their sight under a hill. When I get down there, I find two other balls, besides mine, that are off the fairway that could possibly have been overlooked by golfers in front of me. I played the one hole and quit due to an arm problem. As I was leaving, I noticed they seemed to be having difficulty finding their balls. I don't believe they are club members, so I don't know if I'll ever have the opportunity to talk to them. I'm wondering if, perhaps, they had already hit their tee shots, before I pulled up, and were just standing around talking to the pro. I've seen people congregate up at a tee box and stand around talking before they teed off, but I've never seen people tee off and then stand around talking for several minutes before they go looking for their ball. I have a sinking feeling I may have picked up their balls. My question is: should I talk to the club pro about this, or just wait and see what, if anything, is said about it? Thanks, in advance to any and all who reply.

[surveyor]

I'd probably not say anything to him, as it's after the fact anyway.

I don't pick up other balls unless it's clear by the layout of the course, location of other golfers on the course and the location of the balls that there was no possible way they could still be in play. If I'm not sure, due to tree barriers, terrain barriers, etc. regarding the proximity of other golfers, I most often leave them lying where I found them.

We always walk if the course allows it, so if we're a foursome then twosomes and threesomes will eventually catch up to us. There's been times we've let them play through, but if we've already tee'd off, we'll let them know.

If those guys already tee'd off, they should have told you so.

[UK78ALUM]

I'd say nothing. Honest mistake and not worth rehashing.

[kynut]

Well, I think they should have told you they had balls already out there on the hole when they gave you permission to play through. In my 53 years of golf I have played through players that had already hit their tee shots and have let others play through after I had hit my tee shot and I can't remember a single time that the person playing through was not made aware that there was already balls in play on the hole.

However, just to make sure that the other guys have not said something to the pro about you possibly intentionally taking their balls I would mention it to the pro and explain it was an honest mistake and give the two balls to the pro to be returned to the players with your apology.

Norm