In the evening we take the dogs for a walk on the golf course behind us.  We avoid any active players but it does leave us with long lovely evening strolls on green grass.

A wonderful evening tonight but a bit cooler so as we walked along there were no players on the course which allowed us to walk down the middle of the fairways.

We were returning home on the 5th hole which is a great par 5 that wraps around a water hazard in a long curve.  Thousands of balls have been lost into the water or the fringe over the years including at least 2 dozen of my Petro-Canada balls.

As there were no players we wandered along the fringe looking for some of the balls that I have donated over the years.  I found a half dozen golf balls but very disturbing, two of them were range balls.

Now for those of you that do not play golf, range balls are what you rent at the practice driving range to warm up before you play.  Etiquette of golf is that you never steal or use range balls on the course.  Range balls are marked with black lines and the theory is that if you are ever caught playing one you are thrown off the course and banned for life.

There is a concept of marginal players to use what is referred to as a water ball on a tough hole.  A par three that is 150 yards over water to a small green will make the normal player reach into his bag to play a banged up Precept ball he found earlier instead of the expensive Callaway he has been playing.  So no surprise that on the par 5 fifth hole with a reputation of eating poor drives that someone would reach for a Water Ball.

But it has to be the ultimate of poor propriety to use a range ball.  I cannot imagine watching someone trying this and not making comment.  The fact that I found 2 balls at different areas on the hole means that some people are really really cheap.  You pay $70 for a round why would you do this?

Still I remember when I was young and losing a golf ball was a major problem.  But even then I would never use a range ball.