Where has the Honesty gone at TV golf courses
 

Played Havana today and inadvertently left a pitching wedge somewhere on the course. My bad. The disappointment came when no one turned it in. This is the first time in 60 years of playing that I have lost a club. I have probably found and turned in over a 100 clubs over the years. It is unfortunate that someone obviously picked it up and decided to keep it for themselves. Very disappointed to see this happen.

I wouldn't assume yet that they picked it up and kept it for themselves. They might have forgotten about it after putting it in their bag, thinking they'd turn it in at the end.

Give it some time before characterizing the whole of TV as dishonest. Even then, that's one person out of thousands playing golf.

With some guests had the same thing happen a few years ago. Left an impression. They bought elsewhere. When you take something that does not belong to you, it's called stealing.

I have left clubs on the course. It might take a day or two to show up. I left a club on a cousre in Indy onetime. it apparently rode around in the ranger's cart for a couple of days. Keep the faith!

I did not cat agonize all of TV as dishonest. What I tried to convey is that, given the time our round was completed 11:45 and close of business at the course it is a pretty safe assumption someone picked it up. Given that it was used on the 18th hole you would think that someone picked it up and would not have forgotten to either turn it into the club house or to one of the many Ambassadors. For that reason I am suggesting that there is a strong possibility someone is less than honest IMO.

Let's not rush to judgement. Check with your playing partner, it may be in his / her bag. Give it a few days.

I'll say. Why would you have such a negative expectation?? This place is "honester" than any place EVER I have known. We were raised at the right time by the right mothers, MOST of us.

Look in your partner's bag first. Check in lost and found. We all have full sets of clubs that match. Here is another thread that made me all snarly. https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...ong-us-138734/

There are posts on this forum all of the time about expensive found items. We are a pretty good bunch of folks who live here.

If you find the club, we want you to tell us.

Why negative???? Because it appears someone picked it up and thought better about turning it in. Do you really think I would not have checked my playing partners. First thing I did when I noticed it missing. Second thing I did was call the course. Third thing was to physically drive back to the course, check with the proshop and cart barn and then backtrack to the point where the club was last used. It was a $100.00 PW. That might be why someone wanted it.

Wow. I see that you are renting. After you have lived here for many years, you will find that people find things and return things as a general rule. Your club may surface tomorrow, or the next time the person that picked it up plays golf. Some of us are a little forgetful at times.

100,000 people. DUI's, drug arrests, domestic disputes, golf clubs stolen, all happen in a community this size. It's just way less than most communities this size. Could also be a non-Villager. If someone won't move here because of a club not being turned in I wish them the best of luck not having the possibility of that happening elsewhere.

Well said.

I play with a group of 24 women. Two days after playing one of the ladies noticed a club in her bag that was not hers. She has been trying to find the owner. Who it belongs to or how it got there is a mystery. What club did you lose? Have you posted it in lost and found in TOTV? Hopefully it will show up.

Thanks for the encouragement but I am not hopeful. It was a TaylorMade Pitching Wedge.

Few weeks ago someone said that their keys were STOLEN at the golf course. They ranted and raved for many posts. How could someone. But they were not just misplaced and not stolen. It's just a golf club. we play with custom clubs that the rep has made for us. If I forgot a club on the course it's my bad. I don't expect someone else to babysit for me. Did you go back to the hole that you left it at?

I was playing El Diablo one time months ago and came across a wedge one of the foursome in front of me left on the fringe of a green. I tried waving my arms and flashing my cart lights for the next three holes trying to get their attention. I was able to get their attention to return the club. They thanked me and originally thought my efforts were conveying I thought they were playing to slow. Oh well.

I lost my range finder at Tierra Del Sol a month ago, went back on the course to look for it, asked the ambassador if any one had handed it to him, no luck. Checked the pro shop and starter shack later that day no luck. Called the next day no luck went back three days later still not turned in, so I can sympathize.

Was your name and phone number on your club? If someone finds it you'll likely get a call. Sometimes it takes a few days to get it back.

We were golfing a few weeks ago and in the cart in front of us one person lost their putter. Since we were directly behind them they turned around and asked if we had seen it. We hadn't. He noticed it missing on the second hole. The ambassador was going around asking if anyone saw if and the response was no. After we played a few more holes the ambassador came to us and said he found the club. We were delighted for the gentleman who lost it. The ambassador said he found it very stragically put behind some bushes. This means that someone found it and hid it and was going to return to the bushes to pick it up when the time was right. I dont understand who could have picked it up but they did.

Golf Club Taken
 

I was playing with 3 gals and we had a guy as a fourth who none of us knew. He kept commenting on a lob wedge I was using with much success. At the end of our play, he left the green without shaking hands, quickly picked up my club and roared off. I went to the clubhouse and asked that he be called but they refused. It even had my name and address on it. On the other end of the spectrum, I lost my hearing aids and someone picked them up and put them on a nearby lamppost. The owner of the home answered a posting here on Talk of the Villages and returned them to me. I like to dwell on the two kind people rather than the guy who stole from me. Happy Easter!

I've been playing golf for 40 plus years and left clubs several times---always got them back. One club is about the last thing a thief would steal. Think about it---what to do with one club. Relax---chances are you will get it back. Golfers are among the most honest people you find in this old' world.

Twice I have left a club on the course and the next day the starter called to tell me he had it. My name and address & phone no. are on each club

Should have called the police!

I had someone walk off the green and pick my ball up 25 yards away from the green. Wow. They were looking for a ball for, honest to God, five minutes, and I think they thought it was theirs and it magically appeared in the fairway. That's not even where they were looking for their ball!!

Name and phone number not on the club. That shouldn't stop the person that picked it up from either handing it to an ambassador or taking it to the pro shop. No reason that I can come up with to take it home unless it's a better PW than what they are using today.

In November I lost my Ping putter......I had my clubs labeled....the guy called me to return it. He said that he thought he just got a great putter but then saw the label so he called. You might want to check :: Golf Labels ::. May not save you every time but can't hurt.

As some one said this is a very large community and not all made up of honest saintly people. Just like other large communitys or small one for that matter.

You have my sympathies. I would say the vast majority here are extremely honest but the vast majority isn't everyone. I would keep checking since it is possible it will be turned in in the future.in the meantime, here's hoping there's a putter you've been drooling for. You now have the perfect excuse to buy it.

It does happen...
 

the "ole boy" left his bag with starter at Havana to use bathroom, someone came up and said he was a friend of ole boy and was going to try out his putter, when ole boy returned and noticed putter gone, starter explained, man never returned, fortunately starter recognized man as he was leaving golf course, asked where putter was that he took, man looked puzzled and then said, "Oh, yea"...Ole boy never saw this man b4 in his life....Very fortunate that starter saw him. Starter asked ole boy if he wanted him to call police, he said no, just glad to get it back. Starter said that same day, a Villager bought a driver in pro-shop b4 playing golf and never made it to the first tee before it was stolen...I'm sure this is not the norm but it does happen. In hindsight, probably should have been reported.

I'm sorry to hear your club was not returned. And also sorry that the usual crew has to get defensive about The Villages and accuse you of being negative. You are not the villain here. Good luck.

Maybe the person who picked it up decided you didn't deserve getting it back. A few weeks ago our group of women picked up a visor and club cover left on the ground by the group of men in front us. We drove up to them to give the items back and received blank looks and not even a thank you for our efforts. We felt like they expected others to tend to their stuff. Bottom line, there are not so nice people everywhere on the earth. I have a new rule based on our experience with these 4 rude men, I'll pick it up and then leave it at the pro shop. I hope you had your name on the club.

And the usual crew support negativity.

I have played with the same pitching wedge for twenty years. It and I have stayed together. Someone loses their pitching wedge and it is the people here who are to blame??? We will never know if it is found, but I bet it will be.

Because it isn't The Villages only, it is the game of golf and the age of most of us. YES there are dishonest thieves among us. But who on God's green earth would want a pitching wedge enough to not return it? I don't know anyone. I don't know anyone who wouldn't return it if it were found by them. Thank God.

Jayhawks. I did not blame anyone for me losing my wedge. If you look at my initial posting the first thing I pointed to was MY BAD. I agree I was at fault, not anyone else for not keeping track of it. Being forgetful is not the same thing as taking something that does not belong to you. Sounds like you think having something in your bag you didn't pay is ok. And Gracie, I certainly will post back on this thread if someone does return it. Not sure why you said we will never know.

You got that right. I've been on the receiving end of the unusual crew before.
I hope the thief returns your club.

I have had a couple of clubs never show up again (not here). Both were wedges. I am sure they became part of another person's set. So I know how you feel. It's just that the title of your thread may sound accusatory to people who live here.

WOW - can't believe how so many are beating up the OP over this post. The Villages is a wonderful place, but for pete's sake it is not heaven - there are liars and cheats living there as well as anywhere else in the world. Give the guy a break - he forgot a club - someone probably took it - it's a shame.

You and I usually look at things the same way. It was the wording and the attitude that bothered me.

How about something MORE like this;

I am a renter here and new to the place and forgot my pitching wedge on the Havana course yesterday. Where would I go to look besides the obvious places; my bag, the starter shack? Is there a central location for lost and found? I checked the course and the starter shack.
Hope someone didn't pick it up and forget to turn it in or worse yet, decided to keep it.


Diplomacy is the knack of telling someone to go to Hell and make them look forward to the trip.

read this.....https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...ht-iron-58786/

I did that once and had a sticker on my club with my name, address, and phone number. No call, so I called the starter shack and they had it but had not called. If you haven't already, give that a try. You just have to describe the club.

What in the world does being a renter have to do with anything???

I was once behind this golfer at the starter shack who appeared to be way over 80 and reminded me of my Irish grandfather. A smart alack that was fun to be with.

Anyway, he asked the starter if they had a lost and found department. The starter said "Yes".

Then he asks if it's any good. The starter said "We do the best we can, Why? Did you lose anything."

He said "Yea, yesterday I lost a Pro V1. Did anyone turn it in?"

I still laugh just thinking about it.

I didn't take it as a slam against TV. I took it as a slam against whomever took the club and anger at himself for leaving it from the very beginning. We all post negatively when upset.

How about folks quit trying to blame MrG? It sounds like he is doing enough of that himself. We all forget things at times. Most of the time, we are able to recover the forgotten item but not always. Don't know about you, but I get seriously upset if I leave something behind while playing bridge and it isn't turned in to lost and found. Let's ignore the tone and give the poor guy some sympathy and advice how he might get lucky (which several have done).

MrG, I think Gracie put the renter line as a way you could show you're relatively new to TV, not as a slam for being a renter. I'm sure you're disappointed in TV since this isn't what you expected from all of the hype and I'm even more sure you didn't expect to get slammed here for posting about the incident. You'll find that most of TV lives up to the hype. People are mostly honest, kind and friendly. Ditto for TOTV. So, on behalf of TOTV, my apologies. I don't think you deserved some of the responses given. Nothing I can say about the individual who took your club other than I sincerely hope it was done by accident and will be returned.

PS. I do think labeling your clubs is a good idea. Certainly can't hurt.