For me it comes down to karma. I hate losing discs and hope that I get a call when I do, so I make calls when I find discs. The last disc I found was unmarked, but on the flipside I got an ice bold can of beer for returning a disc that I called about. Meeting on hole #8 at Beaver Ranch to return the disc... well if you know that course you know that there really is no better place to receive/drink a beer. Karma feels good.
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Diving for discs- do you call the owner?
- Thread starter kerplunk
- Start date
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I guess it depends on your personal understanding. Back when I first started playing disc golf, I didn't know the culture. I lost discs. I found discs. Other people lost discs. Other people (presumably) found my discs. I thought that losing/finding discs was just part of the game... I didn't keep found discs out of malice; I kept them out of ignorance.
We used to play that if you found a disc, it was -1 from your score. So there were a few times, when scores were tight, when someone would throw into a pond on purpose for the excuse to jump in and get a stroke or two off of their score by finding a few extras.
And back at that point, discs were fluid -- if someone needed a disc, it was freely given. Name or no name. Finding/losing discs was part of the game, and none of us were good enough to see much difference between discs. And none of us were knowledgeable enough to know that some discs were worth a lot of money (this was back in 1997, so there weren't many valuable discs being thrown at that point).
I think a lot of people new to the game still have a similar mindset. They probably think of discs as just a flowing commodity of the game. It always made sense to us that we lost one or two and we found one or two and their was a cosmic, karmic balance to the game.
Since then, of course, I've gotten to know disc golf etiquette and understand the literal value of different discs as well as the intangible value that certain discs can have to their owners. Because of that, I find that it should be a good idea to call, or in lieu of a phone number, to post on whatever disc golf forum board is local to the area you are playing in.
However for me, I don't think that -- to this day -- I have ever gotten a single disc back that I have lost. And I have been playing since 1997. Granted, I don't lose too many discs, but the numbers do add up. I've gotten one phone call, back when I first started playing, but it was a DX Shark and not worth the trouble to meet up and track it down or pay for postage.
But I'm also a careful golfer. Ever since losing my favorite 2nd run Valk in a pond at Buffumville Dam back in 2003, I haven't thrown anything I can't replace near water. I figure it's my fault if I throw in, and I bring something I can part with on all water courses. That way, if I go in. I don't have to worry about it -- someone else can find it and I'm happy for them to have it.
I've found it's all a matter of mental game. The best way for me to keep my mental game is to not do anything radically stupid. For me, throwing a favorite/expensive disc next to a body of water is a radically stupid thing to do. If everyone subscribed to this philosophy, people would be a lot less upset over lost water discs...
We used to play that if you found a disc, it was -1 from your score. So there were a few times, when scores were tight, when someone would throw into a pond on purpose for the excuse to jump in and get a stroke or two off of their score by finding a few extras.
And back at that point, discs were fluid -- if someone needed a disc, it was freely given. Name or no name. Finding/losing discs was part of the game, and none of us were good enough to see much difference between discs. And none of us were knowledgeable enough to know that some discs were worth a lot of money (this was back in 1997, so there weren't many valuable discs being thrown at that point).
I think a lot of people new to the game still have a similar mindset. They probably think of discs as just a flowing commodity of the game. It always made sense to us that we lost one or two and we found one or two and their was a cosmic, karmic balance to the game.
Since then, of course, I've gotten to know disc golf etiquette and understand the literal value of different discs as well as the intangible value that certain discs can have to their owners. Because of that, I find that it should be a good idea to call, or in lieu of a phone number, to post on whatever disc golf forum board is local to the area you are playing in.
However for me, I don't think that -- to this day -- I have ever gotten a single disc back that I have lost. And I have been playing since 1997. Granted, I don't lose too many discs, but the numbers do add up. I've gotten one phone call, back when I first started playing, but it was a DX Shark and not worth the trouble to meet up and track it down or pay for postage.
But I'm also a careful golfer. Ever since losing my favorite 2nd run Valk in a pond at Buffumville Dam back in 2003, I haven't thrown anything I can't replace near water. I figure it's my fault if I throw in, and I bring something I can part with on all water courses. That way, if I go in. I don't have to worry about it -- someone else can find it and I'm happy for them to have it.
I've found it's all a matter of mental game. The best way for me to keep my mental game is to not do anything radically stupid. For me, throwing a favorite/expensive disc next to a body of water is a radically stupid thing to do. If everyone subscribed to this philosophy, people would be a lot less upset over lost water discs...
kpc2004
Double Eagle Member
well said sir
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Different only in the disc is covered by water instead of air...
Have you ever been stung by a swarm of bees while climing a tree? Even been bitten by a colony of fire ants in a wide open fairway? Even gotten a case of poison ivy rummaging through the leaves? Even been sprayed by a skunk searching in the woods? Ever been impaled by thorns getting a disc back from the brambles?
There are hazards to disc retrieval everywhere.
Why do you assume the owner chose to leave it there? How do you know they didn't just go home to get a swimsuit and are on their way back. Unbeknownst to them some unscrupulous diver has already taken their disc while they were gone and didn't call. They spend hours looking for their disc all in vain.
How do you know he/she didn't try?
Though I was glad to read that you do call anyway Kevin.
ERic
kpc2004
Double Eagle Member
most of the time i do my searching at night time, especially in my local park, and technically its illegal to be out there since it closes at dark, so i dont imagine too many people would be coming out there around 10 o'clock to find a disc they lost at noon. i do this to avoid encounters with park rangers/local police. in the woodlands they dont like it too much when you are in the water. one time the police came and made me get out of the water to prove i wasnt naked in a public park lol. if not night time its usually hours after i have been there and around sundown. very rarely do i go in during the day unless i throw one in and i have to go get it, then i go in immediatly after it goes in the water.
your so full of shit and a disgrace to the game. you always call no matter where you found the disc. if there is no response then you get to keep it. not before.
Didn't read the entire thread, but...
...in my opinion, it's not a matter of being obligated to do anything. I don't have to call anyone when I find their disc. I always call, though, as a matter of courtesy.
If I lost a disc (and believe me I look for a long time to find my wayward discs) I'd hope that if someone found it that they'd call me. I believe that it just shows a basic respect for one-another in the dg community.
That's my two cents worth... don't want to get into my two dollars worth!
...in my opinion, it's not a matter of being obligated to do anything. I don't have to call anyone when I find their disc. I always call, though, as a matter of courtesy.
If I lost a disc (and believe me I look for a long time to find my wayward discs) I'd hope that if someone found it that they'd call me. I believe that it just shows a basic respect for one-another in the dg community.
That's my two cents worth... don't want to get into my two dollars worth!
I have personally gone diving for discs about 6 times. Each time was not in an attempt to cash in on a gold mine of lost discs, rather I dove in attempt to find one of my own lost discs. Of the times that I was looking for my own I did find some discs with numbers and they were returned.
By the way, I always went looking for my disc a least the day after I lost it. I had to come back with a change of clothes. If someone were to have dove for my disc, found it, and assumed I just left it there without trying to get it back, they would have been very much mistaken.
I often hear people justifying when it is OK to keep a disc but the truth of the matter is if you come across a disc while playing, you will never know how many aces that disc may have had, what sentimental value it has, or how long the owner might have spent looking for it. (unless you return it to them and ask)
By the way, I always went looking for my disc a least the day after I lost it. I had to come back with a change of clothes. If someone were to have dove for my disc, found it, and assumed I just left it there without trying to get it back, they would have been very much mistaken.
I often hear people justifying when it is OK to keep a disc but the truth of the matter is if you come across a disc while playing, you will never know how many aces that disc may have had, what sentimental value it has, or how long the owner might have spent looking for it. (unless you return it to them and ask)
seconded.
nevermind the effort required during retrieval.
Call.
Multiple times.
if noone answers, fine, its yours.
the one disc i found that had a number on it, i called, got the guy first try, he said thanks, I left it at the course's office, i thought nothing more of it after that. why should someone feel entitled to a reward for returning $15 worth of plastic that doesn't belong to them in the first place?
if someone does answer, you meet up, and you don't get a thank you/beer out of it, fine, that person may be an asshole, but it STILL WASN'T YOUR PROPERTY TO BEGIN WITH.
now, if same said asshole loses another disc that you find, then by all means keep it. if someone can't even do you the courtesy of thanking you for finding their disc, they don't deserve it (the second one) back and are probably not the kind of folk you'd want to be playing with.
take the high road and equate a lost disc with a lost wallet. wouldn't you appreciate the extra effort someone went to to get your stuff back to you?
(i know that's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but the DG community and humanity otherwise would be better off if more persons followed that guideline.)
/you may saaaaaay i'm a dreameeeer, but i'm not the only one....etc etc.
those who give a shit get my point.
Omega SuperSloth
Banned
its just plastic you wanna be buried with it?
I always call the numbers and leave messages if the person doesnt answer, but it seems rare that anyone wants the disc back.
Me and a friend hit a pond one day and found somewhere in the vicinity of 80 discs. I called every number on the discs I had gotten out of it, some of which was the nicer CE plastic from back in the day, and not one person returned my phone call.
To this day the there has only been two times I talked to the person whose number was on the back, and on one of those the guy still didnt walk back to the hole I was waiting for him at.
Me and a friend hit a pond one day and found somewhere in the vicinity of 80 discs. I called every number on the discs I had gotten out of it, some of which was the nicer CE plastic from back in the day, and not one person returned my phone call.
To this day the there has only been two times I talked to the person whose number was on the back, and on one of those the guy still didnt walk back to the hole I was waiting for him at.
borndasaur
Birdie Member
Trophy Lakes (a pay-to-play course) in Charleston, SC has a deal worked out with a local scuba diver to recover lost discs. They pay him $1 per disc to cover his time and expenses, recovered discs are returned to their owners for $2, and unclaimed discs are sold through the pro shop. This would be an unusual set-up since there is money available to do this (from the course fees) and its not like he goes out there every day. Some of the discs pulled out had been missing for a few years but the owners were still glad to get them back.
I don't generally go into water to get a disc that I can't see. If I left the disc there I wouldn't expect anyone to try to return it to me. Interestingly in ball golf nobody tries to return golf balls they find or even marks them so that it would be possible. when I 1st started playing i was suprised to see names on discs.
Omega SuperSloth
Banned
dont write your name on it unless it means something to you if you can buy a new one at the store just let it go you find some you lose some thats part of the fun
Lets continue the analogy. If someone left their golf clubs at the course, would you expect them to be returned?
brennan
Par Member
I'd much rather lose a brand new champion plastic disc rather than my perfectly seasoned Gazelle or Roc. "Oh, this thing is old, beat up and base plastic. They probably wouldn't want to go out of their way to get it back." can never be farther from the truth sometimes.
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- May 2, 2008
- Messages
- 2,043
Even our local Play It Again Sports will let you buy your disc back for what they paid for it, if you have proof it is yours.
Just return it when it is feesible and can...plain and simple.
Just return it when it is feesible and can...plain and simple.
Lewis
* Ace Member *
If you don't make an effort to return a disc that bears a person's name, it's petty theft, no matter what the circumstance. I don't even buy the written-on discs at Play-it-Again Sports, because they feel contaminated by bad karma.
Well said.
kpc2004
Double Eagle Member
on a side note--about how much does a disc cost from play it again? are they reasonable prices for a used disc?
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