Lost Disc - Your opinion

[fiveonomo]

So you are playing one day and you come across a disc that had obviously been lost. On the back of the disc it is clearly marked with name, PDGA #, and a phone number. What do you do?

1) Make an effort to return it?

2) Keep it as your own?

I am trying to post this as a poll, I hope it works. There is no in between, return it or keep it? I know what I do, just want to know what everyone else does. Thanks.

 

[iDisc]

it is a JOE SCHMOE with just a number on it then i keep it and color over the number. im sorry to any of you that think what i do is wrong. nobody would return a star destroyer to me. but if a pdga number is on it then i will return it if they come to me

 

[adam423]

I'll at least make an attempt to return it, pdga# or not. Its the whole golden rule/karma thing, where if I ever lose a disc, I'd want that person to make an attempt to get it back to me.

 

[Doktor John]

Whenever I find a disc with a phone number on it, I call the number and try to get it back to the person...I have often left a disc at the hotel I'm staying for the person to pick up...I figure what goes around, comes around...

 

[ghova]

I make one attempt to call, and usually either tell the person i will leave it at the course somewhere, usually a message board or something, or they dont answer and i leave it anyway. but usually they just tell you to keep it. It is a pretty big hassle to mail it to someone or something for 10bucks of plastic

 

[sidewinding]

There are way too many scenarios for this to be a yes or not question. This will open up a bigger can of worms than all of John1969's threads combined.

 

[shirfan]

it is a JOE SCHMOE with just a number on it then i keep it and color over the number. im sorry to any of you that think what i do is wrong. nobody would return a star destroyer to me. but if a pdga number is on it then i will return it if they come to me

You're not sorry, and you're a disc thief. An elitist one at that. Don't make lame excuses about PDGA numbers, you are a disc thief.

 

[Innovadude]

I believe in some places (certain state parks) not informing the park you found it and attempting to return it or leave information about it would be illegal, under found property.
Some people aren't PDGA members, but they are still DISC GOLFERS!
So what if you don't get yours back, the reason you don't is because people LIKE YOU don't return them.
On my trip this year, I have lost near 20 marked discs now, gotten about 8 call backs, received a few already in the mail and told several to just keep it, thanks for calling.
I have found 30-40 discs, only a handful with even a name or phone #, and returned all but about 2 of those where the phone number was no longer valid or they never called me back. I often just leave a voicemail, explaining I will leave it under the trash can at hole #7, or whatever, since I am from out of town. Last month in NM I found one, called the guy while playing, left him a voicemail that it would be under the bush behind hole #11, covered in dust so no one else would spot it. He called back 5 minutes later to thank me and went to pick it up that day.
I will send you the shipping back for my disc, if it is DX I usually say thanks for calling you deserve it so keep it for DX, but I appreciate and wish to be called anyways.

 

[fiveonomo]

No, no can of worms........not anything more than what it says. Dont read into it, answer the question.

You find a disc that is marked with a phone number, PDGA # and a name.

Do you attempt to return it?

Do you keep it?

It is one or the other. Pretty simple and clear. If you are undecided I would say you would probably keep it. If you have to think about it, than it will be hard to return it once you have found it and it is in your hand, especially if no one else is looking.

It is a simple question? Keep it or give it back?

 

[Shank]

it is a JOE SCHMOE with just a number on it then i keep it and color over the number. im sorry to any of you that think what i do is wrong. nobody would return a star destroyer to me. but if a pdga number is on it then i will return it if they come to me

You can use alcohol and remove the ink most of the time.

I guess I can not answer the poll. I just leave them where they are. I have my own disc and know/like how they fly. I have actually came back the next day to look for a disc I had lost and found it. I can only hope that is what happens when I leave them, although, probably not.

 

[PhattD]

it is a JOE SCHMOE with just a number on it then i keep it and color over the number.

Who is the Joe guy and why don't you like him?

nobody would return a star destroyer to me.

I would. And I have given star plstic back. There s a guy at my local course that pays $2 for discs with names and then if you see your disc you pay him the $2 and get your disc back.

but if a pdga number is on it then i will return it if they come to me

Not to pile on but "If they come to you" ??? How would they know you have their disc? Isn't that the same as keeping it?

I think thief is a bit harsh tho I look at it as a bonus if I get a disc back. And if a disc is important enough for you to fight over don't whip it into the woods and lose it lol.

 

[WillA]

I don't see why a PDGA number should matter. I return anything that can be returned. If you keep discs that you could return then you are stealing plain and simple.

 

[fiveonomo]

I am glad to see this poll is going how I hoped it would. I have found myself in a lost disc situation, and before I attempt to get my disc back I thought I would see what the DG community thought. When I came into the sport 5 years ago I was told that we return disc's if they can be returned and that is what I have always done. Thanks for your time on this poll.

 

[edge3281]

I don't see the point in putting your number on a disc if you don't want it back. I haven't found a disc yet but when I do I will call the person if the number is there. I will assume they want it back if that info is there. For myself if I know how to get a disc back to someone and I don't then it is stealing. If there is no info on the disc then it is now property of the person that found it. Sure it is only 10 bucks but my conscience and peace of mind is worth more than that.

I would want someone to return my disc so I will try to do the same for everyone else.

 

[blang]

I saw a couple of new players on the course today. Both were using found discs. One was a friend of a regular and the regular told him to return the disc. It was mine. I always put my name and number on my discs, but he just got a sharpie and wrote his name really big over mine. The other player put a sticker over the owners name. the other owner was in my group. It really put a bad taste in our mouths for the new players where as we are usually very helpful to new players. I hope they lean quickly.

When you loose a disc, it is probably a disc you like or you would not be using it. It probably has history or it is beat in just right for you. It is not like you can just go to the pro shop and pick up another one.

When you find a disc, it is probably not a disc you will use or you would have already been using it. It is like randomly pulling a disc out of the used disc bin.

It is worth much more to the original owner than the person that found it, therefore you should always give it back.

 

[Nickwells]

You're not a thief if you find a disc that someone has given up on. You're a moron. Someone obvs didn't care enough to keep looking for it. When I lose a disc I think to myself "someone is gonna find this and get just as much use out of it as I just did."

 

[Marv Vega]

I've honestly never found a disc with a number on it but if I did I'd call just for peace of mind. I'll pose another scenario: At Cliff Stevens park there are these kids they call "squids" who essentially dive for discs in the numerous water hazards, then sell them. If they find one in the water with a number would they be obligated to call?

 

[Olorin]

A wise man once said, "Do for others what you would have them do for you."

 

[discinator]

At Cliff Stevens park there are these kids they call "squids" who essentially dive for discs in the numerous water hazards, then sell them. If they find one in the water with a number would they be obligated to call?

This is a good point. I think if someone goes through all of the trouble and effort required to dive for discs then they just earned it, whether it has a name or not. If it were my disc they dredged out of the water I would either offer to buy it back or just let them have it.

If I find one on the course I make an attempt to return it. When the phone numbers are bad or I leave more than a few messages with no return calls I consider it mine. I would expect the same if it were my discthat somebody else found.

 

[ERicJ]

The PDGA rule (802.01.F) for marking discs simply states:

[FONT=verdana,arial]802.01[/FONT] [FONT=verdana,arial]Discs Used in Play[/FONT][FONT=verdana,arial]F. All discs used in play, except mini marker discs, must be uniquely marked in ink or pigment-based marking which has no detectable thickness.[/FONT]

Scribbling your initials on a disc is sufficient to uniquely mark it. So if a person goes through the effort to put their name & phone number on the disc they are indicating they would like it back if found.

If you find such a marked disc, take it, and don't make an effort to contact the owner then shame on you. That's not the spirit on which this sport was founded. You would be better off leaving the disc where it was so the original owner or someone with higher moral fiber than you might find it.

Kudos to those players out there who make a call.

I've had five lost discs returned to me by friends who found them, and one by a stranger who called. I still have 57 more lost ones out there... somewhere.

But 57 is one less than I had yesterday. The water level was low at The LINKS at Quail Valley tonight and I found four discs walking along the edge. The first one I pulled out was one of mine . The other three will be getting calls tomorrow.

ERic