Every golfer stumbles upon stray balls during a round. Many a frugal golfer will go out of their way to look for them. Who among us hasn't delighted at stumbling on a pristine Pro V1 to add to the bag. I know golfers who never buy balls; they're happy with whatever they find on the course.
But like many aspects of the game, there's etiquette to be followed – whether picking up a stray ball in the fairway, or purposely hunting for balls. Here's some friendly advice for my fellow orb hunters:
Make sure it's really lost. Obviously, do your best to make sure that your lucky find is not still in play by a nearby golfer who hit an errant shot.
Consider turning it in to the pro shop. If you find a quality ball that's got someone's name printed on it, turn it in. If the ball owner is known to the shop staff, they might return it. You'll benefit from good karma.
Keep up the pace of play while hunting. If you're purposely traipsing into the rough and woods to find balls while playing a round, don't hold up play. Your playing partners will be annoyed, not to mention the group playing behind you. If you're lucky enough to be playing alone on a quiet course, with no one behind, happy hunting!
Don't throw crappy found balls back in the woods or a pond. The course superintendent will appreciate your efforts. Toss the ball in your bag, either to put it in the trash at the end of your round or to add it to you shag bag.
Leave no trace. Speaking of pleasing the superintendent, take care when ball hunting not to trample vegetation, break branches, or otherwise degrade the golf course.
Stay in bounds. Don't be rude to residents who live next to the golf course. Stay out of their yards, even if a stray ball is spotted there. It's not only bad manners, it's also trespassing.
Now that you've got the etiquette covered, what can you do to improve the odds of finding more stray golf balls?
Look right more than left. Since most golfers are right-handed, and more slice than hook, focus your hunting on the right side of a hole to have better odds. Someone hitting a bad slice off the tee is most likely to hit between 150 and 200 yards, so focus there. If you focus more around 250 yards from the tee, you're more likely to find better-quality balls that the best players like to use.
Look in the rough in front of the tee box. If a hole has a carry over rough to the fairway, check in front of the tee. Many a golfer who's hit a horrible shot there will be too embarrassed to hunt for it.
If you know your course well... you probably know where to find lots of stray balls. At my home course, hole number 2 is an uphill dogleg right with thick weedy rough on the right side. Hunt there.
Look left and right of the white tees. We've all seen the mediocre golfers who insist on playing the tips. If you're waiting to tee off from the more-forward tees, take a minute to find the mishits of He Who Should Not Be Playing The Tips.
Leverage your own lost-ball search. If you've hit a stinker into the woods and have to search for your own ball, use the opportunity to pocket other balls you may find.
Take advantage of slow-play days. Is it a busy day where you're frequently waiting on the foursome in front of you? That's a great time to take a couple minutes finding balls in nearby rough, bushes, or ponds. Just be ready to hit when it's clear.
Invest in a ball retriever. Not only are they useful for ball fishing in ponds, but they're handy for pulling balls out of thorny bushes. Of course, some ponds balls have been there for a while and probably aren't worth keeping. Refer to the etiquette tip above, and don't toss them back in the water.
Walk, don't ride. Your odds of finding stray balls are immeasurably higher when you walk the course rather than ride in a cart. And the exercise is good for you.
Check your range bucket. It's always a pleasant surprise to find a quality ball hiding out with the range balls. Most course driving ranges end up collecting stray balls from holes that run alongside.
Did I miss anything? Share your tips in the comments!