+Jeep4two Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) Alright - I know that many place golf balls in caches as 'trade items'. Not sure how I feel about that. But that's not my issue. My last several caching outings have yielded a golf ball find. Consistently while hunting caches sometime on a great caching day I'll come across one. Not in a cache mind you. I've found them just lying on the ground near a park (makes sense), half buried in mud a mile from any location that could be used for golfing, wedged in the crotch of a tree or floating in a stream. Most of these finds have been along the route to or away from a cache and none of them have been close to a golf course (no closer than about a mile in one case). So I wondered. . . am I alone? Is this maybe why there are so many golf balls in cache containers? Is the popularity of the golf ball in the cache container why I'm finding balls on the ground nearby caches (frustrated cachers tossing the golf ball out of the container). In addition I have found 1 softball, a baseball and a very nice soccer ball all located not too far from caches. Oh well - Just something that makes me laugh. I now consider a golf ball find good luck (as long as it's not in a cache) and always pick it up. Edited May 27, 2009 by andynshe Quote
+Nature Kids Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Save em for the dogs, my dog loves golf balls, soft balls.....for her, anything round falls into the ball category. Apples.... are balls that grow on trees in her mind. Quote
+Gimpy13 Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 <SNIP> My last several caching outings have yielded a golf ball find. What part of the world are you in? I'm in Houston, Texas and I have a cache that is at least 8 miles from the nearest golf facility but someone left a log asking why there were all those golf balls at the cache. I thought... HUH??? By the time I got to go check on the cache, they were gone. I spoke later with the person who had seen them and he said there were about 5 of them, stacked in a little pile, right by the cache's hiding place. I have been stumped on this one so it makes me happy to learn that the golf ball phenomenon puzzles others, too. Quote
+Jeep4two Posted May 27, 2009 Author Posted May 27, 2009 I'm in Kentucky so I've not been to your caches in all likelihood. It is a strange thing. @Nature Kids: So far 3 of the golf balls have been handy for physics projects and ended up being launched from air cannons. The students got bored with potatoes and wanted to see how a golf ball would fly. . . It's amusing to say the least to have something out of place be so consistently present. Quote
chips n gravy Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 Yes yes and yes So funny, in Australia its the same thing. I'm even one of the annoying people that shoved the golf ball in the cache, although no more. Bring it home for the golf bag that never gets used. Quote
+Knight2000 Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 It is not strange at all. People practice their golf skills at places besides on the green or driving ranges. This is why you find balls all over. If there are more by a cache a previous cacher simply picked them up on the way and left them by the cache. I don't think i would calling Richard Stack just yet. Quote
+markandsandy Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 It appears to me almost as if an occult hand has reached down from above and placed the golf balls like pawns upon some giant chessboard. Quote
+Harry Dolphin Posted May 27, 2009 Posted May 27, 2009 I put the golf ball in the cache because the soccer ball I picked up on the way in wouldn't fit. Quote
+Knight2000 Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 Some cachers very much like finding golf balls. Quote
+Viajero Perdido Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 I once found, in a cache, a golf ball in a ziploc bag. Um, golf balls need to stay dry? Quote
maf86 Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 It's not uncommon for people to practice light swings in areas other than golf courses. A gold ball cache seems like it would stick out though Quote
+P and L Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 I once found, in a cache, a golf ball in a ziploc bag. Um, golf balls need to stay dry? I wish my golf balls would stay dry - they always seem to find a lake if there is one! I have not yet seen a golf ball in a cach but would be pleased to find one. Quote
+solo63137 Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 With the few finds that I have thus far, I have found three caches with one or more Golf Balls in them... I did think it was a bit strange as unless you are a Golfer, what interest would you have in them??? However, I didn't really care as I usually don't take anything from the caches anyway... For me and the guys that I sometimes cache with its all about the challenge of the find... I'm think'in order of importance its...... 1. The Find!!! 2. Reading and Signing the Logs!! 3. Looking Through the Goodies in the cache to see what was actually put in there! 9 times out of 10, we take nothing... 9 times out of 10, I've been dropping in a few Foreign Coins, but now I'm wondering, do people feel the same way about these coins as some have statedabout the Golf Balls??? Would I be better of leaving Nothing, should I find something else to leave??? Even if I'm not taking anythng, I like to contribute something to help keep it going... I imagine there are many people who are just the opposite and would just take something and leave nothing... Quote
ecnum Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 I was digging up a new garden bed a few years ago. I found a golf ball buried six inches below the grass! Quote
+haleyes Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 Just today I found a cache inside a golf ball. Slight twist on the theme. Was actually a difficult find. Quote
+Keruso Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 at the moment, i have a golf ball travel bug in my water travel bag Quote
+KD7MXI Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 Save em for the dogs, my dog loves golf balls, soft balls.....for her, anything round falls into the ball category. Apples.... are balls that grow on trees in her mind. the insides of the balls can kill dogs Quote
+Sioneva Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 I found a baseball by a cache a week or two ago. I'm going to make it into a TB. Quote
+Gimpy13 Posted May 29, 2009 Posted May 29, 2009 <SNIP>9 times out of 10, I've been dropping in a few Foreign Coins, but now I'm wondering, do people feel the same way about these coins as some have statedabout the Golf Balls??? Would I be better of leaving Nothing, should I find something else to leave??? Even if I'm not taking anythng, I like to contribute something to help keep it going... I imagine there are many people who are just the opposite and would just take something and leave nothing... I encourage you to continue with your practice. I don't think anyone has said they have anything against golf balls, just that it's a little quirky sometimes. I was initiating a new cacher a couple of months ago. The first cache she found totally on her own had a French 2 franc coin. She kept it as her "first cache prize". I think foreign coins are a fun idea. I always leave something even if I don't take something. I hate to find a cache large enough to hold even small trinkets but find that there's nothing there but a log. Don't get me wrong - I love the hunt. I love the logs. But I also really enjoy swag. One day I came across five caches that had these little rubber frogs in them. It was fun because I knew I was following a route that some frog-leaver had followed before me. I always leave little silver flower charms - and if there is room in the cache I also leave larger stuff. -Carol Quote
parsnip39 Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 MY sisters love finding golf balls. We too have found golf balls in parks or the woods where seemly no golf course is around (nor would there be any space to practice golf) We have quite a collection. Maybe we should start placing them in caches Quote
+KD7MXI Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 i find golf balls at freeway exits all the time Quote
+Viajero Perdido Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 9 times out of 10, I've been dropping in a few Foreign Coins, but now I'm wondering, do people feel the same way about these coins as some have statedabout the Golf Balls??? Not at all. Coins are cool! Especially Gold Maples, Krugerrands, and the like. But all coins (except local ones) are great to find in a cache, if you ask me. Quote
+solo63137 Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 9 times out of 10, I've been dropping in a few Foreign Coins, but now I'm wondering, do people feel the same way about these coins as some have statedabout the Golf Balls??? Not at all. Coins are cool! Especially Gold Maples, Krugerrands, and the like. But all coins (except local ones) are great to find in a cache, if you ask me. I hear ya.. I'd crap if I ever opened up a cache that had Gold Maples, Krugerrands, G.A.E.s or anything of the sort in it.... I'd even be happy with Morgans, Pre-64 Silver, Generic 1 oz Bars and or Rounds... Or a Nice 10oz Bar to add some weight... Quote
+Gimpy13 Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 i find golf balls at freeway exits all the time OK - gotta bite on this one. Exactly how much time do you spend at freeway exits, and why? Quote
+mfamilee Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Picked up 4 this afternoon in a baseball field. I don't know why we pick them up... we don't even golf. Quote
+KD7MXI Posted June 2, 2009 Posted June 2, 2009 i find golf balls at freeway exits all the time OK - gotta bite on this one. Exactly how much time do you spend at freeway exits, and why? most exits in utah have geocaches at them Quote
+Colonial Cats Posted June 2, 2009 Posted June 2, 2009 Golf balls are the advance scouting party for an alien race. Here is what they actually look like. Quote
+sullude Posted June 2, 2009 Posted June 2, 2009 The thing I hate is in the smaller cache there's a golf ball in it and nothing else so you have a hard time fitting the log in it too. So yes they go flying in the woods. People have to use their heads when they leave they signature items. In the last month beside a dozen or so golf balls, three baseballs, one softball, beach ball. Quote
+Jeep4two Posted June 4, 2009 Author Posted June 4, 2009 For clarification, my original intent was just the observation of the errant golf balls that I seem to encounter in odd locations while caching (near caches, on the way in). I'm all for golf balls. Heck - I pick them up, wipe them off and pocket 'em. When I get home I give 'em a closer inspection and put them in the good bag or the shag bag for chipping around the yard. Of course a few went flying out of potato guns in the name of science but hey - its science! I think its great to put golf balls in caches. I always look at them to see if they have logos. I've got a few hundred logo balls from when I lived near a course and went ball shagging on Sundays (can I say that on the forum?). Golf balls at exit ramps. . . that's interesting. I guess people get bored while driving and stop and take a few practice strokes? Love it. Quote
+Jeep4two Posted June 4, 2009 Author Posted June 4, 2009 I almost forgot, I broke my 6 cache outing streak this past Saturday. Not a single golf ball all day. Quote
+drfred Posted June 4, 2009 Posted June 4, 2009 We had a cache here that was an ammo can full of golf balls. One of the golf balls had a nano inside...you just had to find which one... Quote
+loflyinjett Posted June 6, 2009 Posted June 6, 2009 Went out on my first hunt yesterday...what was in the bag? A golfball of course,One with a Ford logo on it to be exact.So I traded it with a regular ole Noodle. This thread made me chuckle,I guess golf balls are pretty common? Quote
+bflentje Posted June 10, 2009 Posted June 10, 2009 Alright - I know that many place golf balls in caches as 'trade items'. Not sure how I feel about that. But that's not my issue. My last several caching outings have yielded a golf ball find. Consistently while hunting caches sometime on a great caching day I'll come across one. Not in a cache mind you. I've found them just lying on the ground near a park (makes sense), half buried in mud a mile from any location that could be used for golfing, wedged in the crotch of a tree or floating in a stream. Most of these finds have been along the route to or away from a cache and none of them have been close to a golf course (no closer than about a mile in one case). So I wondered. . . am I alone? Is this maybe why there are so many golf balls in cache containers? Is the popularity of the golf ball in the cache container why I'm finding balls on the ground nearby caches (frustrated cachers tossing the golf ball out of the container). In addition I have found 1 softball, a baseball and a very nice soccer ball all located not too far from caches. Oh well - Just something that makes me laugh. I now consider a golf ball find good luck (as long as it's not in a cache) and always pick it up. I am fascinated by this post because I encounter the same thing. I've found just short of 3000 caches and over the years, I've collected in excess of 100 golf balls. Now, the fact that they're golf balls and the quantity in and of itself isn't that big of a deal. It's where I find them. I find golf balls (outside of caches) in the deepest parks of the woods. I've found them in forests no where near a golf course. I find them in places where you couldn't practice your swing even if you wanted to. I can't explain it.. maybe it is aliens. The cool thing is, the balls are in the process of being converted to a cache. No, no nanos hidden in a ball. Different idea that I'll divulge after FTF. Quote
k_statealan Posted June 11, 2009 Posted June 11, 2009 I've seen a cache where there were a couple of softballs inside that you signed as the logbook. Quote
+Zarya. Posted June 11, 2009 Posted June 11, 2009 You're not alone - I've picked up many a golf ball from caches and put into caches miles from any golfing spot. Other local cachers noticed this too and soon they published a special cache... http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...ba-5f4fe551f53c ...you guessed it, a nice big ammo can on a river trail full of nothing but golf balls, golf balls, and more golf balls. Quote
+TeamGuisinger Posted June 15, 2009 Posted June 15, 2009 Larger birds pick them up thinking they are eggs. They drop them to break them. I've found over 1000 since I started caching. Quote
+TeamGuisinger Posted June 15, 2009 Posted June 15, 2009 Larger birds pick them up thinking they are eggs. They drop them to break them. I've found over 1000 since I started caching. Quote
goldwingvet Posted July 27, 2009 Posted July 27, 2009 I'm glad to know I'm not alone on this. While out caching a week or so ago in a nature area far from any golf courses my wife and I found a golf ball, in the woods, a few hundred feet from the cache. I thought it was odd, but I figured CITO I'd take it with us. Within a hundred yards we found another. I picked it up and carried it out as well. I don't golf, so now both of those balls are in caches elsewhere. I figured someone could use them and it's putting them to better use than leaving them as litter. Quote
+GEO*Trailblazer 1 Posted July 28, 2009 Posted July 28, 2009 I have a hunting buddy who has shot himself a golf. He has 2 golf balls sitting there on his mantle with all the other trophies. Don't know why but I would have stuffed the whole thing. Quote
oakenwood Posted July 29, 2009 Posted July 29, 2009 I saw this thread yesterday and thought "Have I seen a golf ball near a cache? I can't remember." Wouldn't you know it, I was out caching today and found a golf ball. Go figure. It was deep in the woods, too-- miles from the nearest golf course. Must've been a heckuva tee shot. Maybe the wind carried it. Quote
+Jeep4two Posted August 5, 2009 Author Posted August 5, 2009 Interestingly I haven't happend upon too many golf balls lately with the exception of this cache: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...2d-c8aeb4d5dbbd Found several on the way in to the cache. Funny thing was they were range balls and we were no where near the range (but near a water hazard) which just goes to show that many golfers grab range balls to play on the water hazard holes. . . . Quote
+smstext Posted August 6, 2009 Posted August 6, 2009 when i was a kid, we used to play gold down the local playing field and once on the mud track down to the field start to whack the golf balls down, so maybe its kids. BTW never had to buy a golf ball, a visit to the local golf club 10 miles away and a walk around the perimeter used to yield a rucksack full of gold balls. Quote
CreeperSleeper Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I have a hunting buddy who has shot himself a golf. He has 2 golf balls sitting there on his mantle with all the other trophies. Don't know why but I would have stuffed the whole thing. That made me LOL! Quote
+Zork V Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 (edited) My understanding was that putting a golf ball in cache was the finders way of saying it was crap cache. I was doing a cache on the beach and found 7 golf balls all in the same area . Maybe someone was practising their golf driving nearby. Edited September 15, 2009 by Zork V Quote
Fenian16 Posted September 28, 2009 Posted September 28, 2009 Took my son caching today, and let him choose what to trade. He wouldn't have the sleeved Mario Lemieux hockey card or any of the other interesting things to pick from. Nope. He had to have that little white ball. There's no accounting for taste, I guess, so I wont feel bad in the future about trading a golf ball out of one and into another. Quote
+FamilySchneider Posted November 8, 2009 Posted November 8, 2009 Alright - I know that many place golf balls in caches as 'trade items'. Not sure how I feel about that. But that's not my issue. My last several caching outings have yielded a golf ball find. Consistently while hunting caches sometime on a great caching day I'll come across one. Not in a cache mind you. I've found them just lying on the ground near a park (makes sense), half buried in mud a mile from any location that could be used for golfing, wedged in the crotch of a tree or floating in a stream. Most of these finds have been along the route to or away from a cache and none of them have been close to a golf course (no closer than about a mile in one case). So I wondered. . . am I alone? Is this maybe why there are so many golf balls in cache containers? Is the popularity of the golf ball in the cache container why I'm finding balls on the ground nearby caches (frustrated cachers tossing the golf ball out of the container). In addition I have found 1 softball, a baseball and a very nice soccer ball all located not too far from caches. Oh well - Just something that makes me laugh. I now consider a golf ball find good luck (as long as it's not in a cache) and always pick it up. there used to be a cache in my area that was a coffee can with a bunch of golf balls inside the object was to sign one of the balls as the log. Also seen some that were baseballs or softballs as the log. Not the same thing but might be a use for all the extras you are finding. Quote
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