Can You Keep Golf Balls You Find?

Golf is a pretty expensive hobby. Between the clubs, accessories, and membership to a local golf or country club, you’re looking at something that comes with high start-up costs and continued expense as you play. Even the seemingly cheap elements of the game, like golf balls, are actually pretty pricey when you think about how many you can potentially lose in a single round when you’re having an “off day.”

Keeping found golf balls is generally acceptable, but actively searching for lost balls on courses can be legally complicated. Obtaining club permission, negotiating retrieval deals, and prioritizing safety can help ensure a legal and profitable experience.

It’s for this reason that people often help themselves save a little money by keeping golf balls that they find on their round. Some take the idea a step further and actively go onto a course looking to retrieve lost balls from the rough, and even from water hazards such as ponds and lakes. But is this behavior legal? Can you keep golf balls you find on the course or in a water hazard? We will explore these questions in today’s blog.

Can You Keep Golf Balls You Find?

If you find a golf ball while you are playing a round, and you can be sure that this ball is not currently in play, then you absolutely can keep it. These balls are typically found in long grass and the deep rough, but possibly also at the edge of a water hazard, or even in a sand trap. As long as it’s not in play, you can keep it.

For those who go onto golf courses at night looking to claim lost balls, however, the answer to the question gets a bit more complicated. Many golf courses contend that any lost ball on their course is automatically their property, and therefore you’re stealing from them. On top of that, if you are there looking for golf balls without permission, they could also charge you with trespassing on private property.

As a legal question, there have been some very interesting answers and interpretations to this issue. In Canada, one case saw a young male prosecuted for stealing balls the club argued were its property. The judge, however, felt that these golf balls were actually the property of the players who lost them, and that the ball hawker was merely recovering this lost and abandoned property.

On the other hand, some have been far less lenient. In a case in England, a ball-finder called Mark Collinson was given a six-month jail sentence after being caught diving in a golf course’s lake looking for lost balls. At the end of the day, it would seem that the specific circumstances of each case are very relevant, and the attitude and policy of the club is also very important.

How Can I Search for Golf Balls Legally?

The fact is that gathering lost golf balls can be an extremely lucrative exercise. Many clubs do hire professional divers to go into their lakes and water hazards and retrieve balls, which they then sell in their pro shop as “lake balls.”

They are the item with the single largest mark-up of anything typically sold in these golf shops. ( which as you can imagine is saying something!) If the club does invest in this kind of service, then they are more likely to look very negatively on anyone who comes onto the course at night or in the early morning to take balls for themselves. These are the clubs or courses that are probably more inclined to prosecute.

Here are some useful tips and things to remember if you want to gather golf balls both safely and legally:

Talk to the Club Management First

To reduce or even eliminate the legal risks, the best thing to do is get permission from the golf course or country club before you go out looking for balls. If the club says that it’s okay, then you can just focus on doing the task safely, at least in the confidence that you’re not doing anything criminal.

Another advantage of talking to the club management first is that you might be able to strike a good deal with them. As we mentioned earlier, some clubs will hire professionals to come and retrieve balls for them to subsequently sell in their pro shop.

If you are willing to do the work and you’re equipped to tackle any situation, you can create a proper agreement with the club where they pay you to get the balls for them. This means you don’t have to worry about how to sell the balls you find or even have to keep them.

Although you could even negotiate to keep a percentage of the balls for yourself to sell to any regular buyers or through other channels you know.

Avoid Anything Sneaky

If you find yourself employing stealth to access a golf course to find and keep lost balls, then you are most likely doing something wrong, and you know it. Perhaps you know that the club doesn’t allow this kind of behavior, or perhaps you know you’re trespassing on private property…in any case, when you’re sneaking it’s because you don’t want to be found, and that’s because you are aware you’re doing something wrong, or even illegal.

One of the biggest reasons that clubs try to stop people from coming onto the course at night or in the morning to find balls is that they may be liable for any injury or other mishap that befalls you while you’re there. We’ll talk more about the risks below, but it makes sense for a club to loudly prohibit unsanctioned ball hawking when any accident could lead to a lawsuit against them.

Remember the Dangers of Water Hazards

The best place to find lost golf balls is invariably in a lake, pond, or other water hazard. The larger and deeper the body of water, the less likely players are to even attempt to go in to retrieve a lost ball. An intrepid golfer might well take off their shoes to wade into shallow water and pick up a lost ball, but the vast majority will not.

As mentioned above, many clubs employ professional divers to trawl their lakes and ponds to retrieve golf balls, which they then keep and are sold as lake balls. These divers are protected legally, and have insurance for mishaps, including potential dangers from local wildlife. These water hazards often become the home of various creatures, including mosquitoes and other insects, as well as alligators.

So, if you are — with or without permission — going into these water hazards to retrieve balls, make sure you’re aware of the potential wildlife risks. Mosquitoes may carry diseases, and the alligators may be hungry. There may also be other diseases or contagions in the water that could leave you ill.

Don’t Take Needless Risks

Finally, however and whenever you are searching for and keeping lost golf balls, the most important thing is that you don’t take any unnecessary risks, or put yourself in any danger either of being arrested or sued, or of getting into physical danger. Always use proper equipment, especially if you’re going underwater to get golf balls.

The safest policy remains to discuss your actions with the club beforehand and get their permission. At least then all you have to worry about is keeping yourself safe. You might even get some additional support from the club in the way of equipment.

We have a selection of articles on golf Balls here on the site. You can check out some in the list below.

How do you know where the ball lands.
How many dimples on a golf ball
How far can a golf ball travel
How fast is a golf ball
why does my golf ball curve right
Can you keep golf balls you find
Why are golf balls white?
Can you use colored golf balls
Can you wash golf balls in a dishwasher

Conclusion,

keeping golf balls found during a round is generally acceptable, as long as the ball is not currently in play. However, for those who actively seek lost balls on golf courses, the legality is more complicated. Golf clubs may claim ownership of lost balls and charge individuals with trespassing or theft. Courts have had varying interpretations, with some cases resulting in prosecution, while others have sided with the ball finders. T

To search for and keep golf balls legally, it is recommended to talk to club management for permission and possibly negotiate a deal for retrieval services. Avoid sneaking onto courses and be aware of potential hazards such as wildlife and waterborne diseases. Prioritizing safety and proper equipment is essential when searching for lost golf balls.

Can You Keep Golf Balls You Find?

Can You Keep Golf Balls You Find?