Theft at the golf course

[Will Spivey]

I have been hesitant to post this thread, but hopefully it can be a cautionary tale for my fellow travelers.

Two weeks ago I spent a great weekend at Pine Needles with a group of guys on an annual trip. On our final day, Sunday, Dec. 5, I had the valuables pouch stolen from my golf bag. How this happened, I can't really figure out. The pouch contained my watch and car key, along with other non-valuable items.

Next to the practice green, while getting ready for our tee time, I placed my watch in my valuables pouch, and put that in my golf bag. (My bag was on a push cart - the only push cart in the vicinity at the time). This was approximately 10:50 am. I teed off on one at 11 am. Upon reaching the green (approximately 11:10) I went in to my bag to get a divot repair too from my valuables pouch, and it was missing. I immediately called back (phone) to the groups behind me (we were 4 groups total, and I was in the first), who were still on the first tee. They, along with the starter, searched the area and did not find the valuables bag. I also called the pro shop to make sure they were aware of my missing items. The pouch contained my car key, my Rolex watch, a few collectable ball markers. Everything else was of no value (tees, etc.).


I re-walked the entire first hole, retracing my shots and steps, and the valuables pouch was no where to be found. Upon completion of my round I took a cart and again canvassed the first hole and then drove the course backwards, stopping at each group asking if they had found a pouch. Everyone claimed to have not seen it.

I was never more than a few yards from my bag. Whomever took it must have gotten out of there quickly. The assistant pro working that day was great. Follow up from the resort has been polite, but of no real help (no cameras, etc.). The items stolen are only things (though quite expensive things), but the watch did have sentimental value.

I would like to think that on our golf travels we are among like-minded folks. This is a harsh reminder that isn't really true. I have traveled and played with many of you. As you travel, please be mindful lest something like this happen to you. The watch was insured, but I learned through this ordeal that the insured value didn't nearly keep up with the actual replacement value. Another tough lesson.

In searching what to do in the case of a stolen Rolex, one "best practice" is to post the item and serial number on a publicly searchable web forum. As this is the only such forum I frequent, I will post that information below. Thanks for your indulgence.

To whomever stole the watch -- may the yips be forever with you.

Item Details:

Stolen Rolex GMT Master, Reference Number 16710, Serial Number Y197376

[Eric Smith]

Man, Will, that really sucks. Hopefully this person is exposed for the scumbag he is. Sadly, this reminds me of the last night of the 2016 5th Major at Dismal. A bunch of us headed out to the 18th of the Nicklaus course on a starry night and someone ended up having their putter stolen from their bag. Pathetic.

[Rob Marshall]

Will,
Call Rolex and let them know in case the watch ever comes in for service. I hope you had it insured.

[Daryl David]

Had two sets of golf clubs stolen near the clubhouse at a club in Scotland while we had lunch. I won’t name the club because I don’t want anyone thinking bad thoughts about the club or their members. It’s still one of my favorite places in the world of golf even with this painful memory. The staff was great, but said there was not much they or I could do.


Since it was the beginning of a 12 day trip, we hoofed it to Nevada Bob’s (they actually had one back then in Scotland!) and purchased all new equipment. When explaining to the sales guy why we were dropping thousands of pounds in his shop, he said our clubs would likely be on his used rack in a week or so. He said they bought clubs for cash and did a big business reselling them. He volunteered to contact me if they showed up and have them shipped back to the US. Unfortunately, he emailed a few weeks after we got back to say he didn’t see them. I hope someone enjoyed them for awhile at least.

[Anthony Gray]

 My featherly  I kept in my bag came up missing at the BandonnDunes Resort. Still sore about that.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Five or six years ago I was at very good club in LA. I had a wallet with about $1000 in it for caddies etc. I took out the wallet paid the caddie and put the wallet back in my bag and went in for lunch. When I got back to the hotel I wanted to take my wallet out of the bag. It wasn’t there. I looked in each pocket and had my wife do the same. It wasn’t there. I thought about calling the club but didn’t want to embarrass them. A few months later I put a bottle of water into the water pocket but it didn’t fit. I looked into that pocket and lo and behold there was my wallet.


I hope you did something similar and that you will be surprised in the future.

[Jim Sherma]

I had my wallet disappear out of my bag at a course once. Pretty sure it didn’t jump out of a zipped pocket but who knows. Ended up getting turned in thankfully. All cards were in it but around $300 got taken. Happy not having to deal with the cancelling credit cards, silver lining I guess.

[Thomas Dai]

Check under your headcovers. What you think is there might not be there when you next pull a headcover off.
atb

[Matt Frey, PGA]

Check under your headcovers. What you think is there might not be there when you next pull a headcover off.
atb

Check the bottom of your bag too...I had a similar experience on a trip in New York, and it turned out I had a hole in my golf ball pocket, which is where my rangefinder (and nearly a dozen golf balls) fell through. I thought I dropped it.

[John Foley]

Check all your zippered pockets very closely. I thought I lost my wallet when playing at Sweetens. Had the maintence guy drive me around to look but never found it. Went through the bag half a dozen times. 6 weeks later I'm looking at the bag and see somethign odd. Had a pocket on the seam which the zipper tab was stuck to so I never saw it. Unzipped it and there it was.

[David Amarnek]

On my first visit to St. Andrews, my brother and I shared a room at a small hotel near the first tee.  I had left to meet up with a friend and have a few drinks.  My brother took an Ambien and fell asleep not realizing he didn’t lock the door.  I came back later that evening and found the door slightly ajar, but didn’t think too much of it.  I woke up early the next morning and decided to take a stroll around town and when I returned, my brother was livid telling me (and the hotel manager) that his wallet was stolen with quite a large amount of cash.  My brand new Leica camera was gone as well.  I’ve never had another problem on subsequent visits there or anywhere else in the UK.

[Pete_Pittock]

Lost my wallet and phone. Despite obsessive checking and 50 rounds of golf they suddenly appeared in my golf bag,


Long time ago  was at Sawgrass CC and there was a par 3 with the A1A close behind. The cart path widened at the back right and
i watched the foursome in front. A pickup truck stoppped, two men jumped out and all four bags were gone in less than a minute.
Shouted to no avail, which may have distracted the golfers

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

I've never owned a putter cover because I'm forgetful, but decided to buy one after my one and only play at NGLA.


I get back home and play my first round back at a friends club. I throw it in the cart basket to start (busted - I wasn't walking) and when we finish 18 I leave it in there. I wake up the next morning realizing my mistake and call the club to see if they found it. No luck. Call a few days later, still nothing. I finally go there and dig through their bucket of lost items. Gone for good.


What kind of scumbag at a private course steals another guys putter cover, especially from a world renowned course? You'll never get to use it at the club in fear you run into the rightful owner. And say you do use when not at the course, or display it at your home -


"Wow, tell me about playing National Golf Links"
"Oh I didn't, just stole it from some guy"


Nothing like losing a Rolex though. Sorry Will

[Kalen Braley]

My only surprise is that this kind of stuff doesn't happen more often.

Golf bags have always been an easy target, with clubhouses and pro shops banning bringing them in, often left alone for several minutes at a time (or longer).  Combine that with peeps letting their guard down as they look to leave their worries at home and enjoy a day on the links and its easy pickings for even the dumbest of petty theft yucksters...

[Mark Kiely]

Just over a year ago, I checked in to the La Quinta Mountain & Dunes clubhouse, got set up on my cart and went to putt for a few minutes. Came back and my whole cart was gone -- clubs, bag, wallet, keys, camera bag. The staff leaped into action very impressively, but for a good 15 minutes or so, had no luck. I only had my phone and my putter, so right when I was about to use my banking/credit card apps to stop the cards, they realized some idiot mistook my cart and bag for his rental set. I was so relieved, I didn't even check the bag, but when I was on the first hole another employee drove out to me to return a couple more clubs this guy had taken out of the bag and hadn't put back.


So everything worked out in the end, but it was very frightening and frustrating for a while. They did mention they had video of their staging area and had already asked whoever handles that to start reviewing the tapes. Too bad that's not true in Will's case.

[Peter Flory]

Here is a weird story from a golf trip that I took a couple years ago.  It's unintentional theft.

My buddy and I fly from Chicago to Naples to meet up with some guys for a few days of golf.  We get our clubs at the baggage claim and head straight to Veranda CC in Ft Myers. 

We get there and pull everything out of the car and the guy that I was with realizes that he took the wrong golf travel bag from the baggage claim.  He calls the phone number on the contact information and the guy that answers says that he is on his way to play at Veranda CC and thought that he had his clubs with him.  5 minutes later, they pull into the parking lot and it turns out that the other guy took my friend's bag by mistake as well. 

So, they switched bags and all was good.

There are a lot of golf courses in the area, so the odds that they were playing the same course at the same time and that the other guy also took the wrong bag without noticing is really remote. 

[Brad Tufts]

Totally sucks Will...hopefully it will turn up via the serial #!


I feel like if you play long enough, something happens like all the stuff mentioned.


I left a putter next to a practice green when I was 13 at one of the best clubs in MA, was picked up by my dad, realized I left the putter about 10 mins later, turned around, and it was gone.  Asked the shop and called several times the next week and they never found it.  Wilson 8813.


I've also seen a buddy's full travel bag go missing and never be seen again, after we both watched it go down the belt with a tag at the airport.  Now I will follow anyone that doesn't put mine on a belt and I will stand next to an oversize cart until someone takes it into a secure area.  Not that it would've saved my friend's bag (which went into a secure area)...but I hate how the oversize handling differs at each airport, and often involves an unattended cart near the door where cars pull up.


I'm very likely generally to bring my stuff from the 18th green right to my car where it can be locked up.  I also never put my wallet in my golf bag...although my phone/keys/watch generally go there during a round.

[jeffwarne]

Totally sucks Will...hopefully it will turn up via the serial #


I...but I hate how the oversize handling differs at each airport, and often involves an unattended cart near the door where cars pull up.


I'm very likely generally to bring my stuff from the 18th green right to my car where it can be locked up.  I also never put my wallet in my golf bag...although my phone/keys/watch generally go there during a round.

The airport thing is frustrating(different procedures everywhere), and if you hang around to watch when you see something potentially arwy, you often get barked at to move along. Every time I've had a bad feeling(unsecure area, sloppy attendants,stacks of unattended oversize luggage , my clubs have gone missing(2 sets stolen/disappeared forever and multiple times sent to wrong airport to arrive late or never).
Most recently I spent 4 days(10 plus hurs) chasing my clubs online and via phone(the right hand had no idea what the left hand was doing), only to have to send my daughter to the airport to "steal" them off the luggage belt before they were rerouted back to where I originally landed.(that was their plan-3 days after I had left that city)
Two days later I got a Twitter message telling me my clubs would be delivered to my home(even though they and I were already back in NY)
I've goten to the point where I'm surprised when they arrive.

[Thomas Dai]

Do folks who regularly travel by air have a prized set of clubs that they keep at home and a spare less prized set they take on trips?
If clubs etc are lost or damaged in transit does receiving financial compensation require a prolonged squabble with the airline/airport? Also is compensation usually on a ‘new for old’ basis or some other cost wise?
Atb

[Jesse Kodadek]

Thomas, in answer to your last question, the liability amounts are set by US regulation for domestic flights and the max is currently $3,800 per passenger (not per item), but it is subject to depreciation. So you do not necessarily get true replacement cost coverage. Even worse, international flights are capped at ~$1,800. Obviously, $1800 is not going to cover the cost of a replacement bag/clubs/whatever else is jammed in your Club Glove. https://www.transportation.gov/lost-delayed-or-damaged-baggage

[ward peyronnin]

Myself I dont know how to do this but should we consider setting up a go fund me page for Will as it is the Christmas season?

[John Kavanaugh]

Myself I dont know how to do this but should we consider setting up a go fund me page for Will as it is the Christmas season?

Please, it's not like it was a Pepsi.

[Joe Bausch]

Myself I dont know how to do this but should we consider setting up a go fund me page for Will as it is the Christmas season?

Please, it's not like it was a Pepsi.

Gahd I luv Southern Indiana humor!

[Will Spivey]

Myself I dont know how to do this but should we consider setting up a go fund me page for Will as it is the Christmas season?

Please, it's not like it was a Pepsi.

John,


You're correct. It was a Coke...

[Paul Jones]

Will,


I am sad to read this thread.  When I travel, I wear a watch that I do not take off, even when I play golf and also bring an old rangefinder as those tend to get lost/go missing. 


I have had items stolen from me also while traveling and usually only keep enough cash on me for 2 days.