Locking your practice pin?

[colodiscgolfer]

I live in a college town, and have twice had to interrupt some drunk college kids from trying to steal my practice basket out of my backyard (live right next to a park so it's visible from the park). I have since locked the basket via a U shaped bike lock to an old iron clothesline T-bar that is cemented into the ground. We are about to get rid of these T-bars, and I'm looking for a new way to secure my basket from theft. I'm not sure if I want to get the locking collar assembly for it and cement it to the ground, or if I am going to get the roller bottom, and continue to use a bike lock. Just curious if anyone else has come up with other ways to secure a practice basket from theft.

The basket is a Mach V, and the kids that previously tried to steal it were dealt with immediately, and VERY harshly without police involvement.

 

[billnchristy]

Did you pants them?

 

[colodiscgolfer]

Did you pants them?

The first time, one of the two kids trying to steal it hopped the fence right away, and I caught the other as he was trying to hop the fence by the back of his belt. He was rather ungracefully smashed on the ground, and caught more than a few of my fists, elbows, knees, etc... before I picked him up and tossed him over the fence.

The second time I tackled one of the guys and he hit his head on a rock as he hit the ground and was bleeding everywhere. I let his buddy help him up and take him to the hospital with a warning that if they tried again, they'd get a more severe response from me.

Luckily here in CO, we have the 'make my day' laws, which pretty much allow you to legally defend your home property from theft or damage with any force you feel necessary including guns. Now I'm not the gun totin' type, but am a big enough guy that most folks don't want to tangle with me.

 

[Countchunkula]

Vigilante justice at its finest!

 

[homebrew]

awesome.

Is it too much to dig a hole, fill with concrete and set a base/sleeve that you can lock the basket into?

 

[billnchristy]

That's nice...here we can beat them up, get sued and then give them the basket and all of our hard earned cash in the settlement. It's justarific!!!

 

[reverand_redbeard]

most of the local courses with removable pins have a concrete base with a metal tube sticking out of it, the pin slides into the tube and a pad lock is slipped through it, they usually put a cap on the tube when that pin placement is not in use or over winter.

 

[colodiscgolfer]

After some more research, I have looked at the locking sleeves, and bushings for the pin placements like they have at the course, and with all the hardware and such it is like $36 + the cost of the valve cover box + plus the cost of having the top piece welded to your pin + etc... then you have to leave 75% of it behind if you ever move. I'm really thinking of going with the roller stand base like this for $50:

Then just cement an eyebolt in to the ground, and use a chain style bike lock to secure it. I will be cheaper, less work, and if I ever have to move I will only be leaving behind like $10 worth of the setup. It will also make it so I can wheel the basket over to the park to play some longer practice holes than I can do in my backyard.

 

[BrotherDave]

Umm, big scary dog in the backyard? Chained to the basket?

 

[prerube]

I would go with the hole and cement idea.

lock a bike chain to a cement block. Throw the cement block in the hole, cover it with cement so the the chain is sticking out. then you have a place to lock the basket to.

 

[colodiscgolfer]

Umm, big scary dog in the backyard? Chained to the basket?

Hmmm... don't think either of my dogs qualify as scary...

 

[TalbotTrojan]

I think you could train the scottie dog to bite the guys where the sun don't shine. That might get them out of the yard pretty fast. On another note I have never even thought of this problem before but could see how it would be a problem in a college town. Now if only we could educate our young adults not to do stupid things.

No good ideas for you unfortunately unless you have a tree that you could lock it to.

 

[Adaven]

that's good luck, I would love to catch someone stealing from me, in my opinion they got what they deserved. good luck with the locking mechanism.

 

[colodiscgolfer]

that's good luck, I would love to catch someone stealing from me, in my opinion they got what they deserved. good luck with the locking mechanism.

the dogs might not be scary, but they are a surprisingly effective warning system.

 

[Midnightbiker]

I would love to see you hook some sort of electric fence device on the basket, and turn it on at night , so when they touch the basket, it will shock the crap out of them. After the word gets out that you have a shocking basket, they will never come back.

 

[solomon.trenton]

the dogs might not be scary, but they are a surprisingly effective warning system.

if you want scary get mike vicks old dogs

 

[DallaS]

I like bringing mine into the house. I carry it in and put it by the back door. My wife doesnt care for it much though.

 

[craftsman]

So sad that it comes to this it's not like you have to ( I hope not) lock down patio furiture or a basketball hoop! With the fairly reasonabl price and availability of portables it so sad.
Is this the direction the sport is going? It will be funny though when people still try to steal it, realize it's locked down, and then see you comin! Invest in a nice airsoft gun- less mess but still alot of hurt

 

[BrotherDave]

I would love to see you hook some sort of electric fence device on the basket, and turn it on at night , so when they touch the basket, it will shock the crap out of them. After the word gets out that you have a shocking basket, they will never come back.

I guess you could hook a car battery to it, might inflame anything not made of metal. Jack Bauer would approve but I don't know if the law would.

 

[colodiscgolfer]

So sad that it comes to this it's not like you have to ( I hope not) lock down patio furiture or a basketball hoop! With the fairly reasonabl price and availability of portables it so sad.
Is this the direction the sport is going? It will be funny though when people still try to steal it, realize it's locked down, and then see you comin!

It weird, there's very little REAL crime here like murder (ok, ok... Jon Benet was like 15 years ago), armed robbery, car theft, etc... but petty crimes due to drunken college kids are pretty common. I don't ever worry about locking my home or car at night, but wouldn't leave a bicycle, or my practice pin unlocked. Hell, I haven't locked my pick up truck in years in hopes that someone would steal it so I could cash in on the insurance policy... no luck yet on this.