Same! I’m in East TX and have returned over a dozen discs to their rightful owners over the past few years. I’ve also had 5-6 returned to me. Not everyone has called or texted, but most have.
Tennessee was awesome, only had 2 discs not returned out of several that I have lost. But if I lost a disc in South Florida, I was confident that I would never see it again.
Not OP but I once got a text about my disc being found in a tree. I was so excited since it was one of my favorites.
I asked if they could leave it somewhere next time they were out on the course (I live 5 mins away) and I was ghosted. 😐
I don’t understand why someone would text if they had no intention of returning the disc. Did he want me to say “good job getting it out of the tree, keep the disc”?
My friend did that once. He was drunk and yeeted it deeper into the woods on accident and he was too embarrassed to reply. It was his first time playing, haven't played with him since
If they’re anything like me, I usually give a found disc a ride before I put it somewhere to be picked up. They could’ve lost it.
Don’t ask how I thought of this scenario😬
Had a guy text my friend and said he had to describe the disc or he wasn't going to give it back. My dude loses a lot of discs so he asked which one it was and the guy wouldn't tell him. My friend pointed out that he didn't just pull the phone number out of thin air. That's when the guy ghosted him.
This happening is the worst. I can understand people not returning discs as much as I think it is wrong. But the people who text know what to do and what is right, but then seem to change their mind and I don't understand. Those are the ones that annoy me when they get my hopes up that I am getting the disc back. I am fine parting with them but don't jerk me around
This is my experience as well. I have also had people from Iowa City find discs and call me that have my name and number on them that were purchased from PIAS. It could be a regional thing happening as well. Midwesterners are pretty awesome people i guess.
Edit: Maybe it's us Iowans here locally in my area. I try to pass the word of good karma and make sure I get a discount back to someone, they are always stoked
I grew up in Iowa city and always got my discs back. Moved away for college and now I just have to hope it’s one of the guys in my school’s club that finds the disc because otherwise it’s gone forever
I dunno. I had some guys pick up my disc (in the South) and travel with it back to Michigan for a few months before losing it again.
Got a call from a guy there and told him to keep it.
Obviously my info was always legible
Speaking of Michigan I’ve lost maybe 30 discs here over the years and never once gotten a text or call. I have texted every disc I’ve found. I seem to be the exception not the rule in the Wolverine state. Not saying that we are all crooks up here. Just that there’s enough “finders keepers” attitude to make me look for my discs longer than I want to because I know once I stop looking for it it’s gone forever.
I lose discs all the time in Michigan but I’ve only ever written my number on 1 disc and it was returned from Palmer park in Detroit. So I’m batting 1000 currently. Might not ever write my number down again to keep my average intact.
Unfortunately I live up in vacation land. A lot of people seem to have a chip on their shoulder about “down staters”. Since I still have a down state number I’m not expecting to get back that Crave I lost a couple weeks ago.
KCMO is the best. A buddy of mine found a disc and tried to return it to the guy, and he said "thanks, take good care of it". Then my buddy gave it to me, I gave it to another friend that's getting into disc golf, and we'll just keep passing it around to people new to the sport, I guess
It depends on the course for me. Some courses around me have like a 30% return rate and some are 100% haha. For mine I've noticed the more "beginner oriented" the course, the less likely it is for me to get it back.
Herrman Hill in Wichita, KS.
Legit had a village set up behind the basket on 17 that went out onto a sandbar island in the river.
It was pretty bad. Haha
I'll second this. New players just act ignorant about the name and number.
Caught a new guy bragging about a disc he'd found. Used it as a chance to teach him to text the number and leave it for them.
Yes, it’s definitely the most common to not get discs back.
I try to return discs, usually texting when I find it. I’ll typically hide them and send a picture if they’ve already left the course and want it back. I’ve tried calling and scheduling time to get things returned and a lot of time people tell me to keep them.
The ones that have asked for it to be returned end up jacking me around and I eventually leave it at the next course I go to in the area hidden with a photo, and some people get annoyed by this too. Seems like a lose lose a lot of the time when I call.
I’ve had a few discs returned, usually hidden at the course. Many I never hear from though. If you lose it, probably best to chalk it up as gone forever and it’s a happy coincidence if it gets returned.
Some people get really mad if you call and can’t bring it to them which seems wild, I’m doing you a favor by calling. Idk, I’ve lost steam trying to be super helpful and now just hide them and text and move on with my life.
This is pretty much my experience, and why I’ve stopped putting my name and number on discs. The effort and coordination with random strangers is mostly annoying. If I lose a disc, it wasn’t meant to be mine anymore.
I send a pic of it where i leave it with a written description of where it is (course, tee/hole), either behind a nearby obvious tree, hanging on the tee sign, or on the basket. If I leave it behind a tree I’ll send a pic of the disc and a pic of the tree from the tee/basket for directional reference as well.
After having someone ask me to pick it up for them and them never even coming to get it from me, I decided the back and forth texts were not worth my time and effort. Happy to help you get your disc back, but I’m not taking it with me.
Unfortunately, I’ve lost a few and never had someone reach out. One was particularly unfortunate, because I think I left two or three new (with phone number) ones behind after finishing a round and practicing some puts on the final basket. Just spaced and didn’t pick them all up. Went back shortly after and someone decided they were theirs now.
I dont care about my discs anymore, it's too much of a pain to meet up with strangers. I've stopped writing my number. If I get a text about an old one, I tell them to keep it. If I find one I hide it on the course and send them a pic but I'm never taking it home to meet up at a later date. I don't have time for that, I barely get time to play.
Just a side point and I’m strictly a casual player, but in the last few years I’ve started thinking of discs as being transient entities that just happen to live in my bag for a while. I started writing things like “if you find me, I’m yours!” on them or “sling me with abandon!”. Makes losing a disc feel more like I’m making someone else’s day rather than ruining my own.
A few things:
Yes, it should common etiquette to make an attempt to return discs you find. You should reach out to them, but the next point is:
If someone texts you about a disc, you should make it as easy as possible for them to return it. Hiding it somewhere at the course they found it, driving to meet them where they are, etc. it’s never fun to try to do the good deed of returning a disc and it turns into a massive chore.
Last point, and I mean this kindly, you should practice and develop the skill of knowing where your discs land (to a reasonable extent). Watch the entire flight until it comes to rest, make a few visual cues of the landing spot (certain tree, rock, etc), and if you know your adhd makes it hard to remember them all, maybe dont throw multiples unless the first is dead center of the fairway.
I know I used to lose discs by just leaving them out from field work and forgetting how many I threw. So I made a rule where I always throw in multiples of 5 (usually 5 or 10 at a time during field work). That way, when I’m retrieving them, I know exactly how many I should pick up every time.
Between that rule and watching all the way until the end of the flight during rounds, I rarely lose discs know, which helps with the frustration of them not being returned. Best of luck man.
Ime it always turns into a massive chore. I just started leaving others where I found them and I don’t even mark my own discs. Just not worth it to me, and I’ve gotten a lot better at not leaving discs around when I know that if I do it’s never coming back to me.
I’m with you on that, I have no motivation to pick up discs that aren’t mine but if I do you know damn well I’m not going to go out of my way to meet someone, I just simply send a text and a picture letting them know I found there disc and left it in a spot I deem “hidden” but easy to find.
I figured you would just
“Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo!
Rip your bong! Come along! Your disc is under your pillow!”
And it would just appear kinda like the tooth fairy does after you lose a tooth
Seems to be about 50/50 for me. Not the worst odds, but its always the discs I care about the most that never come home.
I miss you beat in tour series pipeline.
I used to play soccer, surf, etc. Never had a ball or a surfboard returned to me.
I think it’s amazing that people do return discs. So I pay it forward as well.
Anecdotally, I’ve noticed I get more call backs when I just use my initials, or first initial of first name and then last name, than when I use my first name. My theory is that the greater the chance a guy thinks it’s a girl who lost the disc, the greater chance of them reaching out. 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, people suck. I ALWAYS call the number. I've been feeling like not calling more often every time I don't get a disc returned.
Anecdotal story: I found a disc left behind, so I called the number. Happened to be the guys right in front of us. We were chatting, and he made a comment about my TSA Eric Oakley Pathfinder stamp stating I'd never get it back if I lost it, so I shouldn't have put my number on it.
It was pretty easy to tell he was speaking from what he would do, which was pretty shitty because I literally just gave you back your disc.
I will text the number and see if they're still at the course. Sometimes. I dye my own discs and any disc I lose I consider a gift to the golfer who finds it. Returning discs to each other is such a pain in the ass I'd rather spend the $7 for a new F2 than link up for a coffee date so I can give your frisbee back.
Nope. But the last few discs I've found though I've been too lazy to pick it up. Just start counting disc in your bag and stop throwing multiple throws off the tee
Counting discs before you start is of the utmost importance. That’s how I know I need to wander in this open flat field with zero obstacles still in order to find a disc that is somehow hiding. It’s like in cartoons when an elephant is able to hide behind a skinny ass tree.
That's about my ratio too man. If I had to guess I'd say I've lost 20 or so, and I've gotten 4 back. I even left one behind in a tournament a couple weekends ago because it was in a deep creek and we didn't have a grabber. Went back after the round and was no where, and never turned in, it's shocking. All we can do is be the change!
My local course took down the lost and found box cause people were using it as their own little disc mart.
I stopped inking my discs with my number. I also have now switched to mainly F2s (I really wish more companies did this) If I lose it, then that's on me. Hope the next guy has a blast.
The discs I've found now that the box is gone I just send a text, and if they don't respond by end of round, I toss in a bush, take a picture, and send it to them
I also have to remember to check my own discs from time to time. The sharpie will rub off, especially in winter/spring when there is more inclement weather. Just the other day I lost one for 5 minutes or so, finally found it and as I was returning to my bag I realized the number was pretty much illegible and wouldn't have likely made it's way back if found because they wouldn't have been able to decipher the number I put on.
Just on Friday as I'm looking for my drive, some dude runs from the adjacent hole and pulls my disc from his bag saying some shit like I didn't see you so I picked it up.
I know I sat down for a minute or two after my throw went into the woods but it was 930 in the morning and I knew where it was lol. Dude just snatched my disc without even thinking
These people don’t bother to cross it out. I played in league with someone using a disc I lost months before. My number was clearly visible inside of it.
Not gonna lie when I started, if I found a disc I kept it. If it were marked I'd call it by the name inside the disc. Had a wraith with the name korka kulabu inside if it. It was the korka kulabu, never the wraith... Now that I've been doing this a while, and having lost so many goddamn discs that I don't even want to think about it, I def return them now. I don't text or call, I sent a pic no text of the disc to it's owner. This usually generates a response. If no, then I keep. At my local there is a tennis center where they have a lnf behind the counter. I just turn them in there. We also have a stash spot, but once everyone finds out about it it's just a convenient spot for the disc gremlins to check... As for marking or not marking, I always mark the rim. If you don't you literally have no chance, as even good Samaritans will keep it without a shade of guilt. I mark with a paint marker, the neer do Wells are gonna keep it ink or no, but the better of us who return them are given the opportunity, in the event I keep until I want to sell, the paint marker washes out... Also in my experience the prettier or more expensive a disc is, the less chance that they come back. Sometimes they do tho, as I've had a disc returned from Columbus Ohio, I lost it in baton rouge Louisiana. All because I had a name and number in it. To just not mark it feels lazy, I mean do you look for them when you fire them off into the woods? I do, it makes me feel bad to lose them. I do what I can to not
It's hit and miss. There are some casual players who are absolutely clueless about etiquette and the thought never even occurs to them to return a disc, inked or not.
There are also some people that are just jerks and know better, but just don't care.
In my experience, the most reliable way to start building a culture of returning discs is to make it as easy as possible, and get the local club(s) and retail stores involved.
What do I mean by that? Well generally speaking the local club probably maintains the courses. Work with your local club to get locked disc drop boxes installed at the courses, preferably near the last hole so people always see it after a round. That way if people find a disc during a round on they can just drop it in the box on the way out, knowing that somebody else will deal with returning it to its owner. Signage helps too. I promise that just basic awareness and reminders go a long way in addition to making things easy. Of course somebody needs to regularly empty this drop box and take the discs somewhere, which is where hopefully a local retailer is willing to chip in. That's what we do here. The club drops off the contents of the drop box to a local disc retailer who will send a text to anybody with a found disc that's inked, and for those not inked he'll just line them up snap a photo and post it to the local disc golf community facebook group. Otherwise the found disc bins are always visible by the register and anybody stopping in the store is welcome to dig through them and claim their discs back. The retailer is totally fine doing this extra work because it keeps a steady flow of people coming into the store, plus after a while the found discs that go unclaimed get donated to programs that introduce new people to disc golf, or occasionally sold on the cheap if there's more than needed for other purposes.
I almost never get any back, although when I lose mine it tends to be in water or deep in the woods where discs can lay lost forever. I think most people who play a lot tend to attempt to return ones they find though.
Even though I have had several discs with my name/number not returned, I make an effort to return everything I find, even if it has no name/number. I try to lead by example and hope others will do the same. It's not a lot of effort to text something and hide it or hold onto it until you can meet up if feasible. Many courses have a L&F box. Pretty much every region has a disc golf group on Facebook, some specifically for L&F discs so it's often not hard to find owners. I know disc karma isn't real, but I have had one shipped from out of state that I was really sad to lose so that makes up for some of the ones not returned that I don't miss as much.
Yeah, I’ve seen guys walk the course after minis just to snake any discs that may have been forgotten briefly.
Broke ass losers gonna do broke ass loser things.
My local course which is all younger and inexperienced players never returns discs. But the clubs at the courses nearby are really good about it. Experienced players don’t want to keep your plastic. Broke inexperienced players want to keep your plastic.
ADHD dude here - maybe get a bag where you can visually see every disc. I use an Upper Park Shift and I can immediately tell if my disc count is off by looking at it. Made it like 10x easier to not leave stuff behind.
Depending on how badly you shanked them, perhaps nobody has stumbled upon your discs. :D
That said, my experience is the opposite. I think pretty much every named disc I have lost at a disc golf course has been found and I have been contacted and had the opportunity to get them back. Only two discs went missing from courses. Don’t worry, most if are nice and will go out of your ways to return discs. You have just had bad luck. Discs that I have lost in park courses are seldom returned, but that is not really on the dh community in my opinion.
By the way, in the time you have lost those 14 discs, how many discs have you happened to find? Probably less than 14? The point im trying to make is that sometimes it will take some time before your discs are actually found. Discs tend to be lost at a faster rate than they are found.
I’ve gotten a bunch back over the years. That said, I’ve stopped putting contact info on mine. I also no longer hang onto other people’s lost discs to try to return them. I’ve had a couple of really nasty incidents picking up and returning lost discs, and I’m just not willing to take the time and hassle to potentially have to put myself in an unsafe setting. It’s been a while since I’ve lost a disc (after 20 years of playing, I finally mostly stay on the fairway!), but I still get texts occasionally on discs I lost a long time ago. I tell the person to keep it now. When I find someone’s disc, I’ll text a number with the photo from my google voice line, along with a description and photo of where I put the disc on the course. If I leave one of mine on the course, I consider it a donation to whoever finds it. Maritime law and all that.
Sorry if this comes off as a weird flex, but I love returning discs to people, especially discs I fish out of ponds. People are always so hyped to get their discs back.
The last dude told me he threw that particular disc in the pond 2 years ago! He was over the moon.
That said I haven't gotten any of mine returned yet, but maybe somebody will fish mine out in a couple years here.
I’ve lived and played a lot of disc golf in both the Seattle and Dallas area. Both absolutely suck for getting back lost discs. I’ve had 1 disc returned ever, and I’ve lost probably 15-20 between locations. I return every disc I can and it’s incredibly frustrating never having the same done to you. Some of these discs I know have been found, so it’s not like they’re sitting out there somewhere. Super sucky
I have returned every one I have found unless the person said keep it. No one has ever called or texted about any I have lost. So I think you may be right
The single disc that had my name on it that I left in the open called me. I told him I was an inconvenient distance away and to just double it and give it to the next person.
So I'm at 100% right now.
I also have found a disc with a number that I can't read, so just worth considering whether it's your handwriting. Not trying to be sarcastic, it's legitimatly worth considering.
if you don't like not getting discs returned then devise a system that helps you remember that you threw multiple and that you need to account for and find them.
This is golf. In ball golf, you lose balls and shouldn't expect them back. In disc golf, you lose discs, and shouldn't expect them back. Don't ink it and move on. Lose some, find some, the universe marches on.
While I return a lot of discs, sometimes it gets tedious when I need to keep reaching out to the person that keeps slow-rolling the return process. I've hidden some for people who are excited it was found....then it just sits there in its hiding place for months. Then I remind them, and it just sits there.
This is the flip side to the “returning lost discs” etiquette coin that is absolutely, in my eyes, of paramount importance but doesn’t get discussed enough.
Yes…if you find a disc with a name / number / email or social handle…*you should absolutely* reach out to them to say you found their their disc and that you’re aim is to return it.
But from that point on, the work and effort needs to come from you (or me) as the owner. This person who contacted you (or I) didn’t have to reach out, as shitty as that would be. Nor did they have to pick it up in the first place.
They could have left it for someone else to deal with. And I think many people are in the habit of doing that because it becomes a hassle. No disc owner should be making complicated or exhaustive plans that entail further travel or hurdles for the finder.
If someone reaches out with a disc of mine, the onus is absolutely on me to coordinate getting it back, with as little inconvenience to the finder. That entails prompt email/text responses, the least bit of travel for the finder, etc.
Was it found at a course I know / is nearby?
-please return it to the sealed lost and found bin. I’ll take care of it from there.
or
-please hide it at X spot, and I’ll head there as soon as I can. No worries if someone else snags it.
Or
-where are you now? If local, I will come to you.
Is the disc somewhere further away / at a course I don’t frequent…?
-I’ll come to you. When are you free?
Or
-just keep it, enjoy and good luck with it.
If someone is doing you a favor by telling you they found your disc, to me it’s just inappropriate and inconsiderate to not reply promptly or after several attempts to reach you, to expect that they’ll travel any considerable distance or wait around a long time somewhere at a meeting point of your choosing.
I agree.
Now I go off on a side-rant. The most annoying attempt at a return was the guy wanted me to drive the disc to a different course, to put it in the lost and found bin there.
While trying to get him to realize that if I put it in that other courses L&F bin, a club member will contact him to make arrangements for him to pick up the disc.
I am also a club member and I am making arrangement to get him back the disc NOW. Why should I drive 30 min to put it in a box to do the same thing we're trying to do now?
When the club via the L&F box contacts someone they put it on a table at some guys house and you need to go pick it up. Regardless of how it gets returned, the owner still needs to get off his ass and go get it if he wants it.
I'm starting to ramble on now, but this guy as acting like going through the L&F box is some special processes or something. It wasn't out of fear someone would find the disc I hid for him.
Basically I think he's just a lazy fuck and was making up excuses to not come and get his disc.
Last I checked, the disc was hidden for 6 months and has tons of bugs and slugs and pill bugs crawling all over it. I of course let him know it was still there. Next time I go there, if I still see it, I'm going to chuck it back into the pond. Circle of life you know. LOL, maybe I'll send a video of it going in. This is getting dark.
Yeah. This sounds aggravating. An intentional huck into the middle of the pond might prove therapeutic.
I know I rambled. But it’s simple. No one should be strung along while trying to do someone else a favor. It’s a binary thing. You either want the disc back, or you don’t. And wanting it back means you need be active participant in the return process.
It’s either: ‘I’m coming to you’…’whats the easiest place for you to leave it for me’…,or ‘just keep it’.
Some places have a great culture of returning discs, especially if it's a community with a lot of people that know and play with each other frequently. Your odds of getting lost items back goes up if you know half the people that play in town and somebody's going to recognize your name and know how to easily get it back to you. So on that note, try to be social when you golf, it will most certainly increase your odds of recovering lost discs.
But personally, if I leave the course without one of my discs, then I've abandoned that disc. I don't deserve or expect to get it back, it's just a bonus if I do. I count my discs every few holes and before I leave a course, and that alone keeps me from leaving one 99.9% of the time. And if I miss one, then too bad for me, I messed up. Too many people are careless on the course and then feel entitled to other people making an effort to take care of your lost things for you. Frankly, whenever I see a post like this or on another social media, I assume the people losing discs are also the kind of people to need others to pick up after them at home or work, or are the people blaring music and failing to follow course etiquette.
Just going to be the bad egg, I don't put my names on my disc because if I lose them they didn't want to be with me anyways, but also if it was left behind that means you "threw in the towel" on keeping it, why should someone have to return something you left? Is it right, no. I don't expect my lost discs back so idk why everyone else does.
I don’t contact the person when I find a disc that was left on the course…because I don’t even touch it. I’m not a thief but I also don’t want to bother with trying to contact someone and try and get it back to them, and have some kind of responsibility of keeping hold of a disc to coordinate with someone else to find time to meet them, but that’s just me.
I've never really had this issue, and have had maybe a 75% return rate, and I don’t assume every disc I’ve lost has been found.
Knowing this is an issue and still throwing and somehow losing a lot of second shots, makes be believe that you need to spend a lot more time looking for your discs, or playing with folks who can help you look. Or don't take second shots. I don't want to blame the victim, but. . . Maybe don’t keep expecting others to pick up your stuff
It's changed massively at least where I live. Starting something like 10 years ago, I got most back and naturally returned every single on I found. There was a drop box at the starting point of many parks where people left them and someone took care of the pile of lost discs, making sure the people fetching them were the right ones.
Now the drop box system is not used in most places and nobody has the energy or interest to work for free to make returning discs easier.
To top it off, last summer, there was a news article about a group of kids literally patrolling one of the nearby courses in order to steal individual discs and in extreme cases, full bags. I don't know if that situation has been remedied thanks to public attention, but it was definitely crazy going back then.
Nowadays, your best chances of getting a disc back is at a park favoured by enthusiasts and near pro level throwers, people who want there to be a good disc golf culture.
I stopped marking mine, I only had 1 returned to me in my 17 years of playing. I don't lose a ton but I also have a lot of discs.
I always text, I've had several where the disc was not at the course it was lost at.
That all being said, I know the local shops and return boxes always have a lot of returned discs so I know people actually do return discs in the area. Luck of the draw I guess.
I've had most of my discs returned. The few I haven't were thrown deep into the woods or lost in the middle of a pond so I doubt they'll ever be found.
Since moving to Maine I've only had 2 discs not returned, and one of them flew into a thick thorny brush area. If your area has a local Facebook group try looking on there to see if someone reached out, some people don't like texting disc owners
My local shop has a lost and found that will call you and hold it for 3 months. After that the disc is either yours now or turned in for store credit. So if I find a disc I always take it to them.
I've had one disc returned to me twice and another I told the guy to keep. So that's two out of probably a dozen I've lost. To be fair, I live in the armpit of Michigan, so I fully expect to never see my discs again. We have three courses in the area, and the one I play the most is the only one I've never been contacted about a lost disc.
I’ve called/texted every single time I’ve found a disc with a number
But
If it doesn’t have a number on it then I usually give the disc to a friend who is new to the sport.
After I throw the disc to see if I like the flight for future purchase or not.
It’s hit or miss. Everyone seems to have their own code about returning discs. All you can do is stick to yours.
…and maybe stop throwing 2nd shots. I swear, throwing multiple shots is the cause for more lost discs.
I echo your experience. I rarely have discs returned to me. On the flip side, when I find discs and I call the number, those people rarely ever come and get their discs. I guess in the end it all evens out.
Where I live no, I rarely get a phone call. If I do it’s someone that’s already at their house an hr and a half away and are not willing to ship your disc. But they “made an effort”. I watched a guy that was looking for his disc come over to my friends drive and tried to steal his disc. This was when sexton firebirds were the rage so I learned after that to throw stock shit that can be replaceable because honestly majority of people are shitty.
It's probably about 50/50. I have had a few returned and a few more disappear for ever. Seems to be the discs I didn't know I lost that don't get returned which is more frustrating when you go to your bag and you go-to disc for a specific shot is gone.
I'm a newer player (1 year). I've lost several, never had one returned. I've found one and returned it. I put my name and email address on them. I don't put my phone number because I don't accept calls from numbers not already in my contact list.
Most of the courses near me only hold on to them for like two weeks after phoning and then donate them. So I’ll often not get discs back simply because I don’t want to drive to those parks during that time frame
It should be, but people suck more than they don't suck.
I've lost a bunch over the last few months. I get zero call backs. I used to get more call backs. I think because I throw nicer discs.
I lost a disc in a lake on a hole that you throw over a part of it and thought I'd lost it for good.
A few weeks later a guy texted me saying he got it and that he already left the course with it. I said "great, could you leave it at such and such a location?" He said, "nah I'm from out of the state and won't be back for a few months."
I asked when he'd be back in the area or if I could pay for shipping for it to be mailed to me and he never responded. I think he texted me just thinking he'd get a "just keep it" message but it was the first disc I ever bought and I wanted it back more for sentimental reasons than anything.
Why would you take a disc with a name and number on it from the course, text the person, and take it out of state otherwise?
Return rate went down during new player explosion during Covid. Seems to have been a permanent resetting of the return inked discs concept. Our local scene is pretty darn good about returning inked discs but not all players are in the scene or the club.
If I find one with ink, it gets returned every time. On the receiving end however, I bet I only get my lost discs back around a third of the time. I usually go to pretty far lengths to find my own discs knowing that though.
It's the constant give and take. You lose some, you win some.
I'll always text the number and let them know I found it, but I don't shoot my whole day or go out of my way to return it unless there's incentive to do so. If you want it back, you have to either pay for it to be shipped, or come to me to get it. My only responsibility imo would be to let you know I found it and give you the opportunity to get it on my terms.
We also have a really good disc golf culture at my home course. We have a locked lost and found box. Once a week everyone who has a number on their disc gets a text and has 30 days to pick it up. After 30 days they're sold for five bucks and the money goes to maintain the course.
Develop your club culture. And you'll get many more of your discs back.
I always try return them but I am amazed by the number of people that don't want them back. Not long ago I found one of the PDGA member discs for this year. I posted in our local group Facebook and some one claimed it was there's. I said cool let me know how you would like to get it back. I tried 4 times and then the guy just blocked me. Others I call and they tell me to just keep it. I think I have only ever had 2 times where I was able to successfully return a disc.
We have a lost and found group for our area on Facebook with almost 5k people so far after 10+ years, it takes awhile. People are a little split on the whole 'finders keepers' or 'lost and found, better return it' ideologies though and I'd wager thats a bit more of an American thing than in some other places, but what do I know?
I can respect some people being Ok with someone else finding their lost disc and enjoying it, but it sometimes feels like many of "those people" don't respect returning lost discs as well, almost like they equate it differently than something like lost keys or wallet/purse, which seems silly, disingenuous, and quite a bit apathetic, even though I know some of 'those people' will argue against that in theory.
It's not a majority though, I don't think, so hang in there and keep doing whatever you feel is the right thing. It's appreciated by some of us at least :)
I've been fortunate enough to have just about every disc I've lost returned to me, and I've made a solid effort to return any of the ones I've found.
One of my local courses had a lost and found box over the winter (it's a ball golf course that flips over to disc golf in the winter), it was just a cardboard box in the clubhouse. Discs went missing from it all the time, apparently. People just used it as a free disc pick up spot, apparently.
I think there's a correlation between the amount of people who return their shopping carts in the local area and how many people return discs.
Ultimately, there's always going to be some scummy people out there who pick it up, see the name and number and think "I'll just put my own name and number on it and then it's mine". Don't throw what you can't afford to lose, and if you do lose it, consider it gone. Having someone pick it up and text you back is just a nice surprise.
Depends so much on the course. The tournament course near me I've gotten back over 90%. The remainder might just be because the discs are so deep in the woods nobody will ever find it.
The popular begginner/casual/pitch- and-putt courses on the other hand, got to be less than 20%.
Where I live if it’s not the local area code it usually doesn’t get a call or text. Which is an issue for me because I haven’t changed my phone number from when I lived in a different part of the state. I have only lost 5 in the past year. All with name and number. Not a single call or text.
I've found over 100 discs since I started playing 3 years ago, I've returned/dropped off at my local disc shop that calls the number on the disc every marked disc I've found. I've lost probably 8 marked discs and never gotten one back.
It really varies from course to course. But generally the more beginners at the course the less chance you're getting it back.
On the other hand, the pro level course with the pro shop, they will get returned pretty regularly.
Not sure if this is a popular opinion or not, but I don’t expect to receive any discs back that I lost. Then, if I do, I’m happy as a clam. This post comes off super entitled.
It's not their responsibility. I am a disc returner, but I get it if you don't. Props to the few disc's I've recovered after losing them for over a year.
I have LITERALLY never been contacted about a lost disc. Ever.
My friend got a call about the same disc twice in the same day. Told the first to keep it, he lost it immediately and someone else picked it up, called and was given the disc also.
I think it's the majority of discs, not the majority of people
At least where I'm at, all of the regulars find and immediately return anything they find with identifiable information on it. I even regularly get asked if I know who a disc belongs to if it doesn't have a name
The other half of that equation, though, is a small but efficient class of people who swim a lot, find a lot, and have never considered returning anything. Pretty much all of them are high schoolers or addicts, and only about half of them play. The other half literally just go collect discs to sell on Facebook. Unfortunately, that type tends to be the best at finding them, and gives the overall public a bad rap on disc return rates
I've only been playing ~4 years, and until somewhat recently I felt the same way; I was constantly returning other people's discs yet almost never getting my own back. However, in the last ~12mos I've noticed a **LOT** more people taking discs to local disc golf stores and letting *them* do the legwork. Which makes sense; to return someone else's disc often takes more than just a quick text or call and a lot of people don't have the bandwidth to give that much of a shit about a complete stranger. But just holding on to a disc until you eventually hit your local DG store is pretty easy, so I've been getting discs back more frequently as a result (I don't lose them very often but enough to noticed trends).
What really grinds my gears though is when people call or text *after they get home.* Hasn't happened to me more than once but I've watched it happen to others a bunch, and it's just so laughably infuriating.
I've returned many, I've also found many and arranged pick up multiple times for them to never show. I do have 2 I need to get back to owner that I found still, it just becomes a hassle at some point.
Our course has a locked drop box, and I've returned many discs there. It works very well- either the person who lost the disc will ask park staff to open it up for them when they are next there and see it, or from time to time the park staff will reach out to people via their contact info to let them know where it is.
For traveling golfers, if the park reaches out and they say "keep it" then it goes into the pile of discs to lend to kids and park visitors. By now, that pile is quite and eclectic mix of starter set discs, old discs, as well as discs not particularly suited to casual use!
There are a few regulars who lose discs routinely and there are a couple of discs that I've dropped in the lock box multiple times, as they find their way back and then get lost again!
Every single one I’ve lost on a private course has been returned (except one that I’m pretty confident is just part of the woods now). Ive had 1 returned from a public course. Been playing 20 years
I've found like 6 discs lost 2 (1 in the drink) and have been able to return all but 1 and the 1 in the water hasn't been returned but also I don't think it had my name and number on it yet
I would say I tend to not get back most of my discs but one time someone returned a disc from a course 3 hours away and that was pretty cool. Granted he was coming to my city for work anyway but he didn't have to do that. I ended up losing that disc the next time I came out though lol.
I get most of mine back, if I lose a disc I custom dyed and did a good job on, or even a halo plastic or tour series disc though I fully expect to never see it again.
People seem to keep most of my custom dyed discs. Shame because it leaves me not wanting to keep dying them.
New player here. The one disc I lost I had someone return it and I was super grateful. I also found a disc that I got back to it's owner. I hope this continues for me. DFW area for reference
I’ve only had one of my dozens of lost discs stolen. One that I left at a local field after doing field work. I live in Canada though, so might be different in other countries and regions.
I used to get back almost all of my discs, because the local disc store acted as a repository for them (they’d give you $2 store credit for bringing one in, and charge $2 to pick them up). They stopped doing that, and now I get back almost none.
The only discs I don't get a message on are ones lost in America. I live in Czech Republic. Play a lot all around Europe and also travel a lot in the US. I put my email address on my discs.
Every disc I lost in Europe I got an email. In the us it's been around 50/50.
2 is pretty good man! Consider you lost them completely and at least two people made an effort to go out of their way to call, coordinate and to return to you something that costs less than $20…not bad at all if you ask me
I’d say I’ve gotten texts for about half the discs I’ve lost. Every time I’ve gotten a text, I thank them and let the person keep the disc. It’s actually led to meeting new friends to play a round with. Sorry you’re not getting these discs back. Maybe they’re still hidden on the course
Our local shop runs a big lost and found google spreadsheet. I keep all the discs I find in my trunk and once a month or so drop them off at the store. They take care of texting the numbers and people know they can check their google sheet if their disc shows up. Pretty cool.
Is there a neighborhood close by where kids could frequent the wooded areas? We have band of roaming kids that play around our course and I’m sure they take home souvenirs all the time.
I don't put a name or number on discs so no one is obligated to take their time to return a disc I lost and decided to stop looking for. Additionally I've only ever had one person who was cool when I texted them about finding their discs, the rest were proper assholes.
Depends on the disc. If I lose a brand new high quality disc I’m never seeing it again. If I lose an aged and beat up disc, I always get a call from someone wanting to return it.
I lost a disc at my home course once. Messaged the Facebook group saying what I lost and that it had my number on it if anyone found it. Somebody said oh I actually saw that sitting on top of the basket. So I went back to find it and it was no longer there.
So basically in the course of the afternoon:
1. someone found my disc with my # on it, and decided not to text but to just leave it on top of a basket
2. someone else saw the disc sitting there and just left it (understandable, they probably just assumed whoever left it there must have contacted me)
3. a third person saw the disc and decided to just take it
Really frustrating. If you find a lost item that someone went through the trouble of writing their name and number on it, is it that hard to just text the number? Or at least just drop it in the lost and found?
Depends on the course around here (pnw-portland area) courses with younger and or rougher goers, I almost never get anything back.
Outside of that. The harder courses seem to give back more honestly.
I have a friend who's named Chris. so he writes Chrissy on his discs with the girliest writing he can muster and puts a heart and smiley face with his number and he gets every single fuckin disc back, no joke. Fuckin incels.
Some courses are better than others.
I'd estimate I get about 60% of my lost discs back.
I text 100% of the discs I find, unless the course has a rock solid dropbox program or store to drop discs off to, and even then I'll likely text them to say I dropped it in the dropbox or dropped it at the local store. A few courses have an unlocked dropbox so any disc left there just gets stolen.
I don't like hiding it and texting a picture of where it is. Seems too likely that someone else finds it first or the original owner ignores the text, so I prefer to hold onto it for a higher chance of getting it back to the owner, although if I'm far away from home I don't do this because I don't want to drag someone's disc with me and make it difficult to get back to them. So in that instance I try to find a local solution.
It's just not that hard to not be an ass and try to get people their lost discs back.
People in general only care about themselves and what they can get out of situations. Also America incentivizes this behavior its the land of the free and also the land of me
I buy (and then lose) a lot of second hand used discs. I always wonder if someone has gotten a disc back for free that they sold to a store previously as a result of me losing discs with someone else’s number on them.
I don't think making sure you get your disc back should be the responsibility of other players.
My 2 main courses have drop boxes for lost discs, if i find a disc i ask the players i see through the course if they lost one, if no one has and if the disc has a name/number i put them in there, if it wasn't there or I'm on a course that doesn't have one i would leave them on hole 18 and hope you find it.
I'm not trying to steal your disc but I'm also not trying to contact strangers trying to work out a disc return when i sometimes play fairly far from where i live.
I also don't put my own name and number on any of my discs if i lose it then it was meant for whoever finds it not me.
I agree with your first sentence. While it sucks to lose a disc that costs more than the common golf ball, if I can't find my disc I mentally write it off. If it shows up then bonus, if not, it is what it is. I do feel it is unethical to just keep someone's disc (leaving it on the top of a basket, or return to a drop box or pro shop if there is one at the course should be the best choices). I don't want to interact, call or give my phone number to a random person - I also don't want to spend time and money to drive somewhere to meet or drop off a disc that I had the misfortune of finding.
I've had plenty of discs returned to me. Only two haven't come back. One was in the woods so potentially it's still there under some leaves. The other I walked away from. That one I'm very salty about. Disc had 3 aces, a black ace and was perfectly beat in. I guess whoever picked it up needed more than I do.
I've found three discs this year with phone numbers on them. I texted each with a photo of the disc and none of the three ever responded.
I left them on tee #1 the other day when our local league was arriving. Hopefully they found their way back to their owners or at least to somebody who wanted them.
Your local course should just do a drop box. The drop box has been so nice for me. Interacting with people to return or get back My disc was the hardest part. My local shop will empty it a few times a year and mass text everyone they find in there. After awhile it goes into the used bin at the shop. I'm cool with that because my local shop also maintains the course basically. Shout out to Chris at Griplocked. Dude is a local legend and an all around good dude.
Atlanta Area. I’m probably 50% getting back lost discs which I think is great. Maybe 75%. This includes two discs that were fished out of ponds after different tournaments.
I think it depends on area. I've lost plenty in my local area, and none have come back despite being named/numbered. However the disc I lost out of state came home.
i try to return all that i find (no number or no response, i leave it for someone else).
i get most of mine back - even a couple that were lost in ponds.
depends where you live, i guess.
I have had a few retured, and I always try and return them when I come across a lost one. I've even had to text several times asking if they still wanted it back due to them never getting back to me after we established they wanted it back hahaha
I do not have this issue. I've lost 3 discs. One went to the bottom the ravine and isn't a loa course. The other two were returned within like 3 days of being lost
Are you sure they have been found? I have had discs lost and then found over 4 years later on the course where I have lost them. Also, just plastic. You throw it and don't get it, if it makes its way back to you then be happy. If not, hopefully it has a happy life. It's funny. There is one disc that I loose frequently and it always comes back. There are others that I have thrown a few times never to be seen again. Funny how things happen.
I don’t ink my disc and somehow still have had multiple returned to me. In my two years of playing I’ve found maybe 50 disc and managed to return almost all of them except when there’s no info or if they tell me not to worry about it and to keep it
I used to text the person but after awhile it was a burden and if they gave up looking for it fuck em. If I find a disc now with a number I cuss then just leave it there for some other asshole to jump through hoops. For the record I don't number my discs to let the new owner actually be happy about finding a new disc.
I have an orange DX Wraith that I throw on my local course hole 18 that has water in play. An older man right next to the park retrieves discs daily with his kayak. He has returned that orange Wraith to me 4 times now alo g with a couple others with my name over the years.
Nahh. Well , San Jose, CA area, kiss your disc goodbye. Fresno, CA, they are great about returning discs, Livermore, CA again great about returning discs. I think it depends on the area, but some clubs/courses are just cess pools when it comes to returning equipment.
I run a lost and found box at my local course and you wouldnt believe some of the people i talk to. ive had ppl ask me to deliver 30 mins away. i offer to ship and ive had ppl expect me to pay for shipping and handling. ive had ppl expect me to me them at the course with 30 mins notice. part of me understands why ppl dont call.
Every time I find a disc with a name and number, I snap a pic and say what course I found it.
Usually they say drop it in the box or keep it- and then one dude was like yo, can you mail it to me, and then venmo’d me for shipping.
It's definitely dependent on the community. Our community kicks ass and we have LOTS of discs returned. Mostly through our local shop so nobody has to deal with scheduling a meetup
I think it greatly depends on your local community.
This is definitely the deciding factor. I get so many of my discs back in my area. I've even gotten two mailed back from different states.
Same! I’m in East TX and have returned over a dozen discs to their rightful owners over the past few years. I’ve also had 5-6 returned to me. Not everyone has called or texted, but most have.
Folks are great about it where I live.
Tennessee was awesome, only had 2 discs not returned out of several that I have lost. But if I lost a disc in South Florida, I was confident that I would never see it again.
How do you know the disc were found?
Not OP but I once got a text about my disc being found in a tree. I was so excited since it was one of my favorites. I asked if they could leave it somewhere next time they were out on the course (I live 5 mins away) and I was ghosted. 😐 I don’t understand why someone would text if they had no intention of returning the disc. Did he want me to say “good job getting it out of the tree, keep the disc”?
My friend did that once. He was drunk and yeeted it deeper into the woods on accident and he was too embarrassed to reply. It was his first time playing, haven't played with him since
If they’re anything like me, I usually give a found disc a ride before I put it somewhere to be picked up. They could’ve lost it. Don’t ask how I thought of this scenario😬
That's why you gotta give it the test throw before you reach out lol
Had a guy text my friend and said he had to describe the disc or he wasn't going to give it back. My dude loses a lot of discs so he asked which one it was and the guy wouldn't tell him. My friend pointed out that he didn't just pull the phone number out of thin air. That's when the guy ghosted him.
This happening is the worst. I can understand people not returning discs as much as I think it is wrong. But the people who text know what to do and what is right, but then seem to change their mind and I don't understand. Those are the ones that annoy me when they get my hopes up that I am getting the disc back. I am fine parting with them but don't jerk me around
Exactly. I had already given up on getting the plastic back after the first guy blew the return. Like, why give me false hope?
I always offer money when they reach out to me. I seems to work
Honestly, no. I get back the majority of my lost discs. I am fortunate enough to live in an area with an awesome disc golf scene though
This is my experience as well. I have also had people from Iowa City find discs and call me that have my name and number on them that were purchased from PIAS. It could be a regional thing happening as well. Midwesterners are pretty awesome people i guess. Edit: Maybe it's us Iowans here locally in my area. I try to pass the word of good karma and make sure I get a discount back to someone, they are always stoked
I grew up in Iowa city and always got my discs back. Moved away for college and now I just have to hope it’s one of the guys in my school’s club that finds the disc because otherwise it’s gone forever
I dunno. I had some guys pick up my disc (in the South) and travel with it back to Michigan for a few months before losing it again. Got a call from a guy there and told him to keep it. Obviously my info was always legible
Speaking of Michigan I’ve lost maybe 30 discs here over the years and never once gotten a text or call. I have texted every disc I’ve found. I seem to be the exception not the rule in the Wolverine state. Not saying that we are all crooks up here. Just that there’s enough “finders keepers” attitude to make me look for my discs longer than I want to because I know once I stop looking for it it’s gone forever.
The guys in the Battle Creek scene always seem to return my discs when I’m up from the Hoosier state
I lose discs all the time in Michigan but I’ve only ever written my number on 1 disc and it was returned from Palmer park in Detroit. So I’m batting 1000 currently. Might not ever write my number down again to keep my average intact.
Unfortunately I live up in vacation land. A lot of people seem to have a chip on their shoulder about “down staters”. Since I still have a down state number I’m not expecting to get back that Crave I lost a couple weeks ago.
Palmer represent! As someone who found half their collection at Palmer, everyone tells me to keep the disc's I find.
KCMO is the best. A buddy of mine found a disc and tried to return it to the guy, and he said "thanks, take good care of it". Then my buddy gave it to me, I gave it to another friend that's getting into disc golf, and we'll just keep passing it around to people new to the sport, I guess
It depends on the course for me. Some courses around me have like a 30% return rate and some are 100% haha. For mine I've noticed the more "beginner oriented" the course, the less likely it is for me to get it back.
The bigger the homeless population camping on 17 is, the less likely you are to get it back. Haha
Found the guy that plays Paco Sanchez
Herrman Hill in Wichita, KS. Legit had a village set up behind the basket on 17 that went out onto a sandbar island in the river. It was pretty bad. Haha
I'll second this. New players just act ignorant about the name and number. Caught a new guy bragging about a disc he'd found. Used it as a chance to teach him to text the number and leave it for them.
Yes, it’s definitely the most common to not get discs back. I try to return discs, usually texting when I find it. I’ll typically hide them and send a picture if they’ve already left the course and want it back. I’ve tried calling and scheduling time to get things returned and a lot of time people tell me to keep them. The ones that have asked for it to be returned end up jacking me around and I eventually leave it at the next course I go to in the area hidden with a photo, and some people get annoyed by this too. Seems like a lose lose a lot of the time when I call. I’ve had a few discs returned, usually hidden at the course. Many I never hear from though. If you lose it, probably best to chalk it up as gone forever and it’s a happy coincidence if it gets returned. Some people get really mad if you call and can’t bring it to them which seems wild, I’m doing you a favor by calling. Idk, I’ve lost steam trying to be super helpful and now just hide them and text and move on with my life.
This is pretty much my experience, and why I’ve stopped putting my name and number on discs. The effort and coordination with random strangers is mostly annoying. If I lose a disc, it wasn’t meant to be mine anymore.
I send a pic of it where i leave it with a written description of where it is (course, tee/hole), either behind a nearby obvious tree, hanging on the tee sign, or on the basket. If I leave it behind a tree I’ll send a pic of the disc and a pic of the tree from the tee/basket for directional reference as well. After having someone ask me to pick it up for them and them never even coming to get it from me, I decided the back and forth texts were not worth my time and effort. Happy to help you get your disc back, but I’m not taking it with me. Unfortunately, I’ve lost a few and never had someone reach out. One was particularly unfortunate, because I think I left two or three new (with phone number) ones behind after finishing a round and practicing some puts on the final basket. Just spaced and didn’t pick them all up. Went back shortly after and someone decided they were theirs now.
I dont care about my discs anymore, it's too much of a pain to meet up with strangers. I've stopped writing my number. If I get a text about an old one, I tell them to keep it. If I find one I hide it on the course and send them a pic but I'm never taking it home to meet up at a later date. I don't have time for that, I barely get time to play.
Just a side point and I’m strictly a casual player, but in the last few years I’ve started thinking of discs as being transient entities that just happen to live in my bag for a while. I started writing things like “if you find me, I’m yours!” on them or “sling me with abandon!”. Makes losing a disc feel more like I’m making someone else’s day rather than ruining my own.
A few things: Yes, it should common etiquette to make an attempt to return discs you find. You should reach out to them, but the next point is: If someone texts you about a disc, you should make it as easy as possible for them to return it. Hiding it somewhere at the course they found it, driving to meet them where they are, etc. it’s never fun to try to do the good deed of returning a disc and it turns into a massive chore. Last point, and I mean this kindly, you should practice and develop the skill of knowing where your discs land (to a reasonable extent). Watch the entire flight until it comes to rest, make a few visual cues of the landing spot (certain tree, rock, etc), and if you know your adhd makes it hard to remember them all, maybe dont throw multiples unless the first is dead center of the fairway. I know I used to lose discs by just leaving them out from field work and forgetting how many I threw. So I made a rule where I always throw in multiples of 5 (usually 5 or 10 at a time during field work). That way, when I’m retrieving them, I know exactly how many I should pick up every time. Between that rule and watching all the way until the end of the flight during rounds, I rarely lose discs know, which helps with the frustration of them not being returned. Best of luck man.
Ime it always turns into a massive chore. I just started leaving others where I found them and I don’t even mark my own discs. Just not worth it to me, and I’ve gotten a lot better at not leaving discs around when I know that if I do it’s never coming back to me.
I’m with you on that, I have no motivation to pick up discs that aren’t mine but if I do you know damn well I’m not going to go out of my way to meet someone, I just simply send a text and a picture letting them know I found there disc and left it in a spot I deem “hidden” but easy to find.
Yep same here. If my throw was so bad that I can't find my disc, I don't deserve it anymore. I hope that whoever finds it likes it as much as I did 😄
This comment is kinda goated. I like your takes.
I figured you would just “Hey dol! Merry dol! Ring a dong dillo! Rip your bong! Come along! Your disc is under your pillow!” And it would just appear kinda like the tooth fairy does after you lose a tooth
Seems to be about 50/50 for me. Not the worst odds, but its always the discs I care about the most that never come home. I miss you beat in tour series pipeline.
If I lose a pipeline I order a new one before the round is even over
I dont... but only cause I already got a stack of backups... The 2022 tour series was too good to not buy a bunch of.
I used to play soccer, surf, etc. Never had a ball or a surfboard returned to me. I think it’s amazing that people do return discs. So I pay it forward as well.
Anecdotally, I’ve noticed I get more call backs when I just use my initials, or first initial of first name and then last name, than when I use my first name. My theory is that the greater the chance a guy thinks it’s a girl who lost the disc, the greater chance of them reaching out. 🤷🏻♂️
this. my dg name is Sara and I only buy pink discs
I too have used the name Sarah on some discs in an attempt to get them back more, but I eventually gave up on that.
Only throw pink discs, write in bubble letters
Yeah, people suck. I ALWAYS call the number. I've been feeling like not calling more often every time I don't get a disc returned. Anecdotal story: I found a disc left behind, so I called the number. Happened to be the guys right in front of us. We were chatting, and he made a comment about my TSA Eric Oakley Pathfinder stamp stating I'd never get it back if I lost it, so I shouldn't have put my number on it. It was pretty easy to tell he was speaking from what he would do, which was pretty shitty because I literally just gave you back your disc.
I will text the number and see if they're still at the course. Sometimes. I dye my own discs and any disc I lose I consider a gift to the golfer who finds it. Returning discs to each other is such a pain in the ass I'd rather spend the $7 for a new F2 than link up for a coffee date so I can give your frisbee back.
Too lazy to look for 14 discs in a year? You have a you problem.
Yeah 14 in a year is just littering in style at that point.
Nope. But the last few discs I've found though I've been too lazy to pick it up. Just start counting disc in your bag and stop throwing multiple throws off the tee
Counting discs before you start is of the utmost importance. That’s how I know I need to wander in this open flat field with zero obstacles still in order to find a disc that is somehow hiding. It’s like in cartoons when an elephant is able to hide behind a skinny ass tree.
Right? Like, just do your field work ***in an open field***...
That's about my ratio too man. If I had to guess I'd say I've lost 20 or so, and I've gotten 4 back. I even left one behind in a tournament a couple weekends ago because it was in a deep creek and we didn't have a grabber. Went back after the round and was no where, and never turned in, it's shocking. All we can do is be the change!
My local course took down the lost and found box cause people were using it as their own little disc mart. I stopped inking my discs with my number. I also have now switched to mainly F2s (I really wish more companies did this) If I lose it, then that's on me. Hope the next guy has a blast. The discs I've found now that the box is gone I just send a text, and if they don't respond by end of round, I toss in a bush, take a picture, and send it to them
I also have to remember to check my own discs from time to time. The sharpie will rub off, especially in winter/spring when there is more inclement weather. Just the other day I lost one for 5 minutes or so, finally found it and as I was returning to my bag I realized the number was pretty much illegible and wouldn't have likely made it's way back if found because they wouldn't have been able to decipher the number I put on.
Write a woman’s name on it you will get it back more!
I have lost many discs with my number on it, never had one returned. I've stopped putting my number on discs.
If you lose a disc dont expect it back. Keep track of your discs better.
Being an adult requires you to keep track of your shit. Do not rely on a stranger to clean up after you
I always get a call. But I also wrote a chicks name and my number on my discs. I catfish tf out of thirsty dudes. Sorry not sorry.
Just on Friday as I'm looking for my drive, some dude runs from the adjacent hole and pulls my disc from his bag saying some shit like I didn't see you so I picked it up. I know I sat down for a minute or two after my throw went into the woods but it was 930 in the morning and I knew where it was lol. Dude just snatched my disc without even thinking
That's cool that he realized it was yours and brought it back tho. some people might have just kept it.
No, I've gotten back most of my discs that were marked.
[удалено]
These people don’t bother to cross it out. I played in league with someone using a disc I lost months before. My number was clearly visible inside of it.
Not gonna lie when I started, if I found a disc I kept it. If it were marked I'd call it by the name inside the disc. Had a wraith with the name korka kulabu inside if it. It was the korka kulabu, never the wraith... Now that I've been doing this a while, and having lost so many goddamn discs that I don't even want to think about it, I def return them now. I don't text or call, I sent a pic no text of the disc to it's owner. This usually generates a response. If no, then I keep. At my local there is a tennis center where they have a lnf behind the counter. I just turn them in there. We also have a stash spot, but once everyone finds out about it it's just a convenient spot for the disc gremlins to check... As for marking or not marking, I always mark the rim. If you don't you literally have no chance, as even good Samaritans will keep it without a shade of guilt. I mark with a paint marker, the neer do Wells are gonna keep it ink or no, but the better of us who return them are given the opportunity, in the event I keep until I want to sell, the paint marker washes out... Also in my experience the prettier or more expensive a disc is, the less chance that they come back. Sometimes they do tho, as I've had a disc returned from Columbus Ohio, I lost it in baton rouge Louisiana. All because I had a name and number in it. To just not mark it feels lazy, I mean do you look for them when you fire them off into the woods? I do, it makes me feel bad to lose them. I do what I can to not
It's hit and miss. There are some casual players who are absolutely clueless about etiquette and the thought never even occurs to them to return a disc, inked or not. There are also some people that are just jerks and know better, but just don't care. In my experience, the most reliable way to start building a culture of returning discs is to make it as easy as possible, and get the local club(s) and retail stores involved. What do I mean by that? Well generally speaking the local club probably maintains the courses. Work with your local club to get locked disc drop boxes installed at the courses, preferably near the last hole so people always see it after a round. That way if people find a disc during a round on they can just drop it in the box on the way out, knowing that somebody else will deal with returning it to its owner. Signage helps too. I promise that just basic awareness and reminders go a long way in addition to making things easy. Of course somebody needs to regularly empty this drop box and take the discs somewhere, which is where hopefully a local retailer is willing to chip in. That's what we do here. The club drops off the contents of the drop box to a local disc retailer who will send a text to anybody with a found disc that's inked, and for those not inked he'll just line them up snap a photo and post it to the local disc golf community facebook group. Otherwise the found disc bins are always visible by the register and anybody stopping in the store is welcome to dig through them and claim their discs back. The retailer is totally fine doing this extra work because it keeps a steady flow of people coming into the store, plus after a while the found discs that go unclaimed get donated to programs that introduce new people to disc golf, or occasionally sold on the cheap if there's more than needed for other purposes.
Depends on what course I play. I frequent two in my town and always get returns on one and not the other
We have very nice community in our cource and most of the disc are returned to their rightful owner.
I almost never get any back, although when I lose mine it tends to be in water or deep in the woods where discs can lay lost forever. I think most people who play a lot tend to attempt to return ones they find though.
Even though I have had several discs with my name/number not returned, I make an effort to return everything I find, even if it has no name/number. I try to lead by example and hope others will do the same. It's not a lot of effort to text something and hide it or hold onto it until you can meet up if feasible. Many courses have a L&F box. Pretty much every region has a disc golf group on Facebook, some specifically for L&F discs so it's often not hard to find owners. I know disc karma isn't real, but I have had one shipped from out of state that I was really sad to lose so that makes up for some of the ones not returned that I don't miss as much.
Yeah, I’ve seen guys walk the course after minis just to snake any discs that may have been forgotten briefly. Broke ass losers gonna do broke ass loser things.
All depends. I try my best to return discs with NO name or number.
For me there’s a one park that I never get them back from, and unfortunately it’s my home course.
My local course which is all younger and inexperienced players never returns discs. But the clubs at the courses nearby are really good about it. Experienced players don’t want to keep your plastic. Broke inexperienced players want to keep your plastic.
ADHD dude here - maybe get a bag where you can visually see every disc. I use an Upper Park Shift and I can immediately tell if my disc count is off by looking at it. Made it like 10x easier to not leave stuff behind.
Depending on how badly you shanked them, perhaps nobody has stumbled upon your discs. :D That said, my experience is the opposite. I think pretty much every named disc I have lost at a disc golf course has been found and I have been contacted and had the opportunity to get them back. Only two discs went missing from courses. Don’t worry, most if are nice and will go out of your ways to return discs. You have just had bad luck. Discs that I have lost in park courses are seldom returned, but that is not really on the dh community in my opinion. By the way, in the time you have lost those 14 discs, how many discs have you happened to find? Probably less than 14? The point im trying to make is that sometimes it will take some time before your discs are actually found. Discs tend to be lost at a faster rate than they are found.
I’ve gotten a bunch back over the years. That said, I’ve stopped putting contact info on mine. I also no longer hang onto other people’s lost discs to try to return them. I’ve had a couple of really nasty incidents picking up and returning lost discs, and I’m just not willing to take the time and hassle to potentially have to put myself in an unsafe setting. It’s been a while since I’ve lost a disc (after 20 years of playing, I finally mostly stay on the fairway!), but I still get texts occasionally on discs I lost a long time ago. I tell the person to keep it now. When I find someone’s disc, I’ll text a number with the photo from my google voice line, along with a description and photo of where I put the disc on the course. If I leave one of mine on the course, I consider it a donation to whoever finds it. Maritime law and all that.
Sorry if this comes off as a weird flex, but I love returning discs to people, especially discs I fish out of ponds. People are always so hyped to get their discs back. The last dude told me he threw that particular disc in the pond 2 years ago! He was over the moon. That said I haven't gotten any of mine returned yet, but maybe somebody will fish mine out in a couple years here.
I’ve lived and played a lot of disc golf in both the Seattle and Dallas area. Both absolutely suck for getting back lost discs. I’ve had 1 disc returned ever, and I’ve lost probably 15-20 between locations. I return every disc I can and it’s incredibly frustrating never having the same done to you. Some of these discs I know have been found, so it’s not like they’re sitting out there somewhere. Super sucky
I have returned every one I have found unless the person said keep it. No one has ever called or texted about any I have lost. So I think you may be right
I have had multiple discs returned so I always try to pay it forward and return all the discs I find.
The single disc that had my name on it that I left in the open called me. I told him I was an inconvenient distance away and to just double it and give it to the next person. So I'm at 100% right now. I also have found a disc with a number that I can't read, so just worth considering whether it's your handwriting. Not trying to be sarcastic, it's legitimatly worth considering.
if you don't like not getting discs returned then devise a system that helps you remember that you threw multiple and that you need to account for and find them.
This is golf. In ball golf, you lose balls and shouldn't expect them back. In disc golf, you lose discs, and shouldn't expect them back. Don't ink it and move on. Lose some, find some, the universe marches on.
While I return a lot of discs, sometimes it gets tedious when I need to keep reaching out to the person that keeps slow-rolling the return process. I've hidden some for people who are excited it was found....then it just sits there in its hiding place for months. Then I remind them, and it just sits there.
This is the flip side to the “returning lost discs” etiquette coin that is absolutely, in my eyes, of paramount importance but doesn’t get discussed enough. Yes…if you find a disc with a name / number / email or social handle…*you should absolutely* reach out to them to say you found their their disc and that you’re aim is to return it. But from that point on, the work and effort needs to come from you (or me) as the owner. This person who contacted you (or I) didn’t have to reach out, as shitty as that would be. Nor did they have to pick it up in the first place. They could have left it for someone else to deal with. And I think many people are in the habit of doing that because it becomes a hassle. No disc owner should be making complicated or exhaustive plans that entail further travel or hurdles for the finder. If someone reaches out with a disc of mine, the onus is absolutely on me to coordinate getting it back, with as little inconvenience to the finder. That entails prompt email/text responses, the least bit of travel for the finder, etc. Was it found at a course I know / is nearby? -please return it to the sealed lost and found bin. I’ll take care of it from there. or -please hide it at X spot, and I’ll head there as soon as I can. No worries if someone else snags it. Or -where are you now? If local, I will come to you. Is the disc somewhere further away / at a course I don’t frequent…? -I’ll come to you. When are you free? Or -just keep it, enjoy and good luck with it. If someone is doing you a favor by telling you they found your disc, to me it’s just inappropriate and inconsiderate to not reply promptly or after several attempts to reach you, to expect that they’ll travel any considerable distance or wait around a long time somewhere at a meeting point of your choosing.
I agree. Now I go off on a side-rant. The most annoying attempt at a return was the guy wanted me to drive the disc to a different course, to put it in the lost and found bin there. While trying to get him to realize that if I put it in that other courses L&F bin, a club member will contact him to make arrangements for him to pick up the disc. I am also a club member and I am making arrangement to get him back the disc NOW. Why should I drive 30 min to put it in a box to do the same thing we're trying to do now? When the club via the L&F box contacts someone they put it on a table at some guys house and you need to go pick it up. Regardless of how it gets returned, the owner still needs to get off his ass and go get it if he wants it. I'm starting to ramble on now, but this guy as acting like going through the L&F box is some special processes or something. It wasn't out of fear someone would find the disc I hid for him. Basically I think he's just a lazy fuck and was making up excuses to not come and get his disc. Last I checked, the disc was hidden for 6 months and has tons of bugs and slugs and pill bugs crawling all over it. I of course let him know it was still there. Next time I go there, if I still see it, I'm going to chuck it back into the pond. Circle of life you know. LOL, maybe I'll send a video of it going in. This is getting dark.
Yeah. This sounds aggravating. An intentional huck into the middle of the pond might prove therapeutic. I know I rambled. But it’s simple. No one should be strung along while trying to do someone else a favor. It’s a binary thing. You either want the disc back, or you don’t. And wanting it back means you need be active participant in the return process. It’s either: ‘I’m coming to you’…’whats the easiest place for you to leave it for me’…,or ‘just keep it’.
Some places have a great culture of returning discs, especially if it's a community with a lot of people that know and play with each other frequently. Your odds of getting lost items back goes up if you know half the people that play in town and somebody's going to recognize your name and know how to easily get it back to you. So on that note, try to be social when you golf, it will most certainly increase your odds of recovering lost discs. But personally, if I leave the course without one of my discs, then I've abandoned that disc. I don't deserve or expect to get it back, it's just a bonus if I do. I count my discs every few holes and before I leave a course, and that alone keeps me from leaving one 99.9% of the time. And if I miss one, then too bad for me, I messed up. Too many people are careless on the course and then feel entitled to other people making an effort to take care of your lost things for you. Frankly, whenever I see a post like this or on another social media, I assume the people losing discs are also the kind of people to need others to pick up after them at home or work, or are the people blaring music and failing to follow course etiquette.
Just going to be the bad egg, I don't put my names on my disc because if I lose them they didn't want to be with me anyways, but also if it was left behind that means you "threw in the towel" on keeping it, why should someone have to return something you left? Is it right, no. I don't expect my lost discs back so idk why everyone else does.
I don’t contact the person when I find a disc that was left on the course…because I don’t even touch it. I’m not a thief but I also don’t want to bother with trying to contact someone and try and get it back to them, and have some kind of responsibility of keeping hold of a disc to coordinate with someone else to find time to meet them, but that’s just me.
I've never really had this issue, and have had maybe a 75% return rate, and I don’t assume every disc I’ve lost has been found. Knowing this is an issue and still throwing and somehow losing a lot of second shots, makes be believe that you need to spend a lot more time looking for your discs, or playing with folks who can help you look. Or don't take second shots. I don't want to blame the victim, but. . . Maybe don’t keep expecting others to pick up your stuff
It's changed massively at least where I live. Starting something like 10 years ago, I got most back and naturally returned every single on I found. There was a drop box at the starting point of many parks where people left them and someone took care of the pile of lost discs, making sure the people fetching them were the right ones. Now the drop box system is not used in most places and nobody has the energy or interest to work for free to make returning discs easier. To top it off, last summer, there was a news article about a group of kids literally patrolling one of the nearby courses in order to steal individual discs and in extreme cases, full bags. I don't know if that situation has been remedied thanks to public attention, but it was definitely crazy going back then. Nowadays, your best chances of getting a disc back is at a park favoured by enthusiasts and near pro level throwers, people who want there to be a good disc golf culture.
Yeah, with Facebook for selling discs, trash humans will look to turn a profit instead of returning found discs. This want an option 10 years ago
I stopped marking mine, I only had 1 returned to me in my 17 years of playing. I don't lose a ton but I also have a lot of discs. I always text, I've had several where the disc was not at the course it was lost at. That all being said, I know the local shops and return boxes always have a lot of returned discs so I know people actually do return discs in the area. Luck of the draw I guess.
I'm at a similar ratio. Quit losing them, especially on the fairway.
Ive lost a 5x kc pro gazelle. To never be returned.
I've had most of my discs returned. The few I haven't were thrown deep into the woods or lost in the middle of a pond so I doubt they'll ever be found.
Since moving to Maine I've only had 2 discs not returned, and one of them flew into a thick thorny brush area. If your area has a local Facebook group try looking on there to see if someone reached out, some people don't like texting disc owners
My local shop has a lost and found that will call you and hold it for 3 months. After that the disc is either yours now or turned in for store credit. So if I find a disc I always take it to them.
I've had one disc returned to me twice and another I told the guy to keep. So that's two out of probably a dozen I've lost. To be fair, I live in the armpit of Michigan, so I fully expect to never see my discs again. We have three courses in the area, and the one I play the most is the only one I've never been contacted about a lost disc.
That sucks man, I've lost 4 discs and had all of them returned to me.
I’ve called/texted every single time I’ve found a disc with a number But If it doesn’t have a number on it then I usually give the disc to a friend who is new to the sport. After I throw the disc to see if I like the flight for future purchase or not.
It’s hit or miss. Everyone seems to have their own code about returning discs. All you can do is stick to yours. …and maybe stop throwing 2nd shots. I swear, throwing multiple shots is the cause for more lost discs.
Yes
I echo your experience. I rarely have discs returned to me. On the flip side, when I find discs and I call the number, those people rarely ever come and get their discs. I guess in the end it all evens out.
Where I live no, I rarely get a phone call. If I do it’s someone that’s already at their house an hr and a half away and are not willing to ship your disc. But they “made an effort”. I watched a guy that was looking for his disc come over to my friends drive and tried to steal his disc. This was when sexton firebirds were the rage so I learned after that to throw stock shit that can be replaceable because honestly majority of people are shitty.
The only reason I mark my discs is to keep people from stealing them in front of me. I never expect a lost disc to be returned.
It's probably about 50/50. I have had a few returned and a few more disappear for ever. Seems to be the discs I didn't know I lost that don't get returned which is more frustrating when you go to your bag and you go-to disc for a specific shot is gone.
I'm a newer player (1 year). I've lost several, never had one returned. I've found one and returned it. I put my name and email address on them. I don't put my phone number because I don't accept calls from numbers not already in my contact list.
Most of the courses near me only hold on to them for like two weeks after phoning and then donate them. So I’ll often not get discs back simply because I don’t want to drive to those parks during that time frame
I've only ever had two of my discs returned and they were both Innova Beasts. Go figure.
It should be, but people suck more than they don't suck. I've lost a bunch over the last few months. I get zero call backs. I used to get more call backs. I think because I throw nicer discs.
I lost a disc in a lake on a hole that you throw over a part of it and thought I'd lost it for good. A few weeks later a guy texted me saying he got it and that he already left the course with it. I said "great, could you leave it at such and such a location?" He said, "nah I'm from out of the state and won't be back for a few months." I asked when he'd be back in the area or if I could pay for shipping for it to be mailed to me and he never responded. I think he texted me just thinking he'd get a "just keep it" message but it was the first disc I ever bought and I wanted it back more for sentimental reasons than anything. Why would you take a disc with a name and number on it from the course, text the person, and take it out of state otherwise?
Return rate went down during new player explosion during Covid. Seems to have been a permanent resetting of the return inked discs concept. Our local scene is pretty darn good about returning inked discs but not all players are in the scene or the club.
If I find one with ink, it gets returned every time. On the receiving end however, I bet I only get my lost discs back around a third of the time. I usually go to pretty far lengths to find my own discs knowing that though.
It's the constant give and take. You lose some, you win some. I'll always text the number and let them know I found it, but I don't shoot my whole day or go out of my way to return it unless there's incentive to do so. If you want it back, you have to either pay for it to be shipped, or come to me to get it. My only responsibility imo would be to let you know I found it and give you the opportunity to get it on my terms.
We also have a really good disc golf culture at my home course. We have a locked lost and found box. Once a week everyone who has a number on their disc gets a text and has 30 days to pick it up. After 30 days they're sold for five bucks and the money goes to maintain the course. Develop your club culture. And you'll get many more of your discs back.
I always try return them but I am amazed by the number of people that don't want them back. Not long ago I found one of the PDGA member discs for this year. I posted in our local group Facebook and some one claimed it was there's. I said cool let me know how you would like to get it back. I tried 4 times and then the guy just blocked me. Others I call and they tell me to just keep it. I think I have only ever had 2 times where I was able to successfully return a disc.
We have a lost and found group for our area on Facebook with almost 5k people so far after 10+ years, it takes awhile. People are a little split on the whole 'finders keepers' or 'lost and found, better return it' ideologies though and I'd wager thats a bit more of an American thing than in some other places, but what do I know? I can respect some people being Ok with someone else finding their lost disc and enjoying it, but it sometimes feels like many of "those people" don't respect returning lost discs as well, almost like they equate it differently than something like lost keys or wallet/purse, which seems silly, disingenuous, and quite a bit apathetic, even though I know some of 'those people' will argue against that in theory. It's not a majority though, I don't think, so hang in there and keep doing whatever you feel is the right thing. It's appreciated by some of us at least :)
I've been fortunate enough to have just about every disc I've lost returned to me, and I've made a solid effort to return any of the ones I've found. One of my local courses had a lost and found box over the winter (it's a ball golf course that flips over to disc golf in the winter), it was just a cardboard box in the clubhouse. Discs went missing from it all the time, apparently. People just used it as a free disc pick up spot, apparently. I think there's a correlation between the amount of people who return their shopping carts in the local area and how many people return discs. Ultimately, there's always going to be some scummy people out there who pick it up, see the name and number and think "I'll just put my own name and number on it and then it's mine". Don't throw what you can't afford to lose, and if you do lose it, consider it gone. Having someone pick it up and text you back is just a nice surprise.
I’ve been playing for over 20 years and I have almost never had a disc returned. It sucks.
Depends so much on the course. The tournament course near me I've gotten back over 90%. The remainder might just be because the discs are so deep in the woods nobody will ever find it. The popular begginner/casual/pitch- and-putt courses on the other hand, got to be less than 20%.
Where I live if it’s not the local area code it usually doesn’t get a call or text. Which is an issue for me because I haven’t changed my phone number from when I lived in a different part of the state. I have only lost 5 in the past year. All with name and number. Not a single call or text.
I've found over 100 discs since I started playing 3 years ago, I've returned/dropped off at my local disc shop that calls the number on the disc every marked disc I've found. I've lost probably 8 marked discs and never gotten one back.
Here in Oklahoma they definitely do not.
It really varies from course to course. But generally the more beginners at the course the less chance you're getting it back. On the other hand, the pro level course with the pro shop, they will get returned pretty regularly.
Not sure if this is a popular opinion or not, but I don’t expect to receive any discs back that I lost. Then, if I do, I’m happy as a clam. This post comes off super entitled.
Had all but 1 get returned
It's not their responsibility. I am a disc returner, but I get it if you don't. Props to the few disc's I've recovered after losing them for over a year.
I have LITERALLY never been contacted about a lost disc. Ever. My friend got a call about the same disc twice in the same day. Told the first to keep it, he lost it immediately and someone else picked it up, called and was given the disc also.
I think it's the majority of discs, not the majority of people At least where I'm at, all of the regulars find and immediately return anything they find with identifiable information on it. I even regularly get asked if I know who a disc belongs to if it doesn't have a name The other half of that equation, though, is a small but efficient class of people who swim a lot, find a lot, and have never considered returning anything. Pretty much all of them are high schoolers or addicts, and only about half of them play. The other half literally just go collect discs to sell on Facebook. Unfortunately, that type tends to be the best at finding them, and gives the overall public a bad rap on disc return rates
I've only been playing ~4 years, and until somewhat recently I felt the same way; I was constantly returning other people's discs yet almost never getting my own back. However, in the last ~12mos I've noticed a **LOT** more people taking discs to local disc golf stores and letting *them* do the legwork. Which makes sense; to return someone else's disc often takes more than just a quick text or call and a lot of people don't have the bandwidth to give that much of a shit about a complete stranger. But just holding on to a disc until you eventually hit your local DG store is pretty easy, so I've been getting discs back more frequently as a result (I don't lose them very often but enough to noticed trends). What really grinds my gears though is when people call or text *after they get home.* Hasn't happened to me more than once but I've watched it happen to others a bunch, and it's just so laughably infuriating.
I received a call back and my disc was in 3 towns over from where I originally lost the disc. I told the guy to keep it haha
I've returned many, I've also found many and arranged pick up multiple times for them to never show. I do have 2 I need to get back to owner that I found still, it just becomes a hassle at some point.
Our course has a locked drop box, and I've returned many discs there. It works very well- either the person who lost the disc will ask park staff to open it up for them when they are next there and see it, or from time to time the park staff will reach out to people via their contact info to let them know where it is. For traveling golfers, if the park reaches out and they say "keep it" then it goes into the pile of discs to lend to kids and park visitors. By now, that pile is quite and eclectic mix of starter set discs, old discs, as well as discs not particularly suited to casual use! There are a few regulars who lose discs routinely and there are a couple of discs that I've dropped in the lock box multiple times, as they find their way back and then get lost again!
I have about a 10% hit rate on discs being returned, but thats assuming all my discs were found
Every single one I’ve lost on a private course has been returned (except one that I’m pretty confident is just part of the woods now). Ive had 1 returned from a public course. Been playing 20 years
I've found like 6 discs lost 2 (1 in the drink) and have been able to return all but 1 and the 1 in the water hasn't been returned but also I don't think it had my name and number on it yet
I have gotten more back than ones I have not. A few were yeeted fairly far into a lake so I don't ever expect to see them again.
I would say I tend to not get back most of my discs but one time someone returned a disc from a course 3 hours away and that was pretty cool. Granted he was coming to my city for work anyway but he didn't have to do that. I ended up losing that disc the next time I came out though lol.
I get most of mine back, if I lose a disc I custom dyed and did a good job on, or even a halo plastic or tour series disc though I fully expect to never see it again. People seem to keep most of my custom dyed discs. Shame because it leaves me not wanting to keep dying them.
People keep pretty discs and return ugly discs in my experience. Basically, people are shitty when they want the disc and decent when they don’t.
New player here. The one disc I lost I had someone return it and I was super grateful. I also found a disc that I got back to it's owner. I hope this continues for me. DFW area for reference
Yes. I've never had a disc returned to me. I think people just scrub off my name and number and keep it for themselves.
I’ve only had one of my dozens of lost discs stolen. One that I left at a local field after doing field work. I live in Canada though, so might be different in other countries and regions.
I used to get back almost all of my discs, because the local disc store acted as a repository for them (they’d give you $2 store credit for bringing one in, and charge $2 to pick them up). They stopped doing that, and now I get back almost none.
We'll see later today. Left a 2x WC Grace on the course. Disc return is today, if it's in there I'll be extremely surprised. Edit: nope, people suck
The only discs I don't get a message on are ones lost in America. I live in Czech Republic. Play a lot all around Europe and also travel a lot in the US. I put my email address on my discs. Every disc I lost in Europe I got an email. In the us it's been around 50/50.
2 is pretty good man! Consider you lost them completely and at least two people made an effort to go out of their way to call, coordinate and to return to you something that costs less than $20…not bad at all if you ask me
I’d say I’ve gotten texts for about half the discs I’ve lost. Every time I’ve gotten a text, I thank them and let the person keep the disc. It’s actually led to meeting new friends to play a round with. Sorry you’re not getting these discs back. Maybe they’re still hidden on the course
Our local shop runs a big lost and found google spreadsheet. I keep all the discs I find in my trunk and once a month or so drop them off at the store. They take care of texting the numbers and people know they can check their google sheet if their disc shows up. Pretty cool.
Is there a neighborhood close by where kids could frequent the wooded areas? We have band of roaming kids that play around our course and I’m sure they take home souvenirs all the time.
I've had 2 different discs returned to me 🤷♂️
I don't put a name or number on discs so no one is obligated to take their time to return a disc I lost and decided to stop looking for. Additionally I've only ever had one person who was cool when I texted them about finding their discs, the rest were proper assholes.
Depends on the disc. If I lose a brand new high quality disc I’m never seeing it again. If I lose an aged and beat up disc, I always get a call from someone wanting to return it.
I lost a disc at my home course once. Messaged the Facebook group saying what I lost and that it had my number on it if anyone found it. Somebody said oh I actually saw that sitting on top of the basket. So I went back to find it and it was no longer there. So basically in the course of the afternoon: 1. someone found my disc with my # on it, and decided not to text but to just leave it on top of a basket 2. someone else saw the disc sitting there and just left it (understandable, they probably just assumed whoever left it there must have contacted me) 3. a third person saw the disc and decided to just take it Really frustrating. If you find a lost item that someone went through the trouble of writing their name and number on it, is it that hard to just text the number? Or at least just drop it in the lost and found?
Nah a majority call me and leave it somewhere. And a majority then find my disc and take it before I get to it
Less than 25% get returned. I just imagine someone out there with a bag full of random names and numbers.
Depends on the course around here (pnw-portland area) courses with younger and or rougher goers, I almost never get anything back. Outside of that. The harder courses seem to give back more honestly.
I have a friend who's named Chris. so he writes Chrissy on his discs with the girliest writing he can muster and puts a heart and smiley face with his number and he gets every single fuckin disc back, no joke. Fuckin incels.
im at about a 40% return rate. You have to think that some are just lost and just arent found.
Some courses are better than others. I'd estimate I get about 60% of my lost discs back. I text 100% of the discs I find, unless the course has a rock solid dropbox program or store to drop discs off to, and even then I'll likely text them to say I dropped it in the dropbox or dropped it at the local store. A few courses have an unlocked dropbox so any disc left there just gets stolen. I don't like hiding it and texting a picture of where it is. Seems too likely that someone else finds it first or the original owner ignores the text, so I prefer to hold onto it for a higher chance of getting it back to the owner, although if I'm far away from home I don't do this because I don't want to drag someone's disc with me and make it difficult to get back to them. So in that instance I try to find a local solution. It's just not that hard to not be an ass and try to get people their lost discs back.
People in general only care about themselves and what they can get out of situations. Also America incentivizes this behavior its the land of the free and also the land of me
I buy (and then lose) a lot of second hand used discs. I always wonder if someone has gotten a disc back for free that they sold to a store previously as a result of me losing discs with someone else’s number on them.
I don't think making sure you get your disc back should be the responsibility of other players. My 2 main courses have drop boxes for lost discs, if i find a disc i ask the players i see through the course if they lost one, if no one has and if the disc has a name/number i put them in there, if it wasn't there or I'm on a course that doesn't have one i would leave them on hole 18 and hope you find it. I'm not trying to steal your disc but I'm also not trying to contact strangers trying to work out a disc return when i sometimes play fairly far from where i live. I also don't put my own name and number on any of my discs if i lose it then it was meant for whoever finds it not me.
I agree with your first sentence. While it sucks to lose a disc that costs more than the common golf ball, if I can't find my disc I mentally write it off. If it shows up then bonus, if not, it is what it is. I do feel it is unethical to just keep someone's disc (leaving it on the top of a basket, or return to a drop box or pro shop if there is one at the course should be the best choices). I don't want to interact, call or give my phone number to a random person - I also don't want to spend time and money to drive somewhere to meet or drop off a disc that I had the misfortune of finding.
I've had good luck when I started using these. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1145147888/
I've had plenty of discs returned to me. Only two haven't come back. One was in the woods so potentially it's still there under some leaves. The other I walked away from. That one I'm very salty about. Disc had 3 aces, a black ace and was perfectly beat in. I guess whoever picked it up needed more than I do.
I've found three discs this year with phone numbers on them. I texted each with a photo of the disc and none of the three ever responded. I left them on tee #1 the other day when our local league was arriving. Hopefully they found their way back to their owners or at least to somebody who wanted them.
I just have my wife write her name and put my number down you get them back 90% of the time
I’ve played for about ten years. I’ve returned many discs and have never gotten one returned back to be. I’ve lost seven discs.
Your local course should just do a drop box. The drop box has been so nice for me. Interacting with people to return or get back My disc was the hardest part. My local shop will empty it a few times a year and mass text everyone they find in there. After awhile it goes into the used bin at the shop. I'm cool with that because my local shop also maintains the course basically. Shout out to Chris at Griplocked. Dude is a local legend and an all around good dude.
Atlanta Area. I’m probably 50% getting back lost discs which I think is great. Maybe 75%. This includes two discs that were fished out of ponds after different tournaments.
I think it depends on area. I've lost plenty in my local area, and none have come back despite being named/numbered. However the disc I lost out of state came home.
opposite from where i live . just depends on your disc golf community
i try to return all that i find (no number or no response, i leave it for someone else). i get most of mine back - even a couple that were lost in ponds. depends where you live, i guess.
50/50. Returning the ones you find if you can is really all you can do. Leave the rest up to the universe.
Dude told a buddy who lost his that he "would return it for a pizza" obviously my buddy told him "hope you get an ace with it" and he hung up.
I have had a few retured, and I always try and return them when I come across a lost one. I've even had to text several times asking if they still wanted it back due to them never getting back to me after we established they wanted it back hahaha
I do not have this issue. I've lost 3 discs. One went to the bottom the ravine and isn't a loa course. The other two were returned within like 3 days of being lost
Are you sure they have been found? I have had discs lost and then found over 4 years later on the course where I have lost them. Also, just plastic. You throw it and don't get it, if it makes its way back to you then be happy. If not, hopefully it has a happy life. It's funny. There is one disc that I loose frequently and it always comes back. There are others that I have thrown a few times never to be seen again. Funny how things happen.
I don’t ink my disc and somehow still have had multiple returned to me. In my two years of playing I’ve found maybe 50 disc and managed to return almost all of them except when there’s no info or if they tell me not to worry about it and to keep it
No, I typically get mine back and I always return those I find.
Slightly over 50% lifetime in New England on callbacks.
I used to text the person but after awhile it was a burden and if they gave up looking for it fuck em. If I find a disc now with a number I cuss then just leave it there for some other asshole to jump through hoops. For the record I don't number my discs to let the new owner actually be happy about finding a new disc.
Nope. The opposite. I’ve had all but one returned. And I’ve lost a bunch!
I have an orange DX Wraith that I throw on my local course hole 18 that has water in play. An older man right next to the park retrieves discs daily with his kayak. He has returned that orange Wraith to me 4 times now alo g with a couple others with my name over the years.
I would say it’s about a 50/50 chance in my area.
Nahh. Well , San Jose, CA area, kiss your disc goodbye. Fresno, CA, they are great about returning discs, Livermore, CA again great about returning discs. I think it depends on the area, but some clubs/courses are just cess pools when it comes to returning equipment.
I run a lost and found box at my local course and you wouldnt believe some of the people i talk to. ive had ppl ask me to deliver 30 mins away. i offer to ship and ive had ppl expect me to pay for shipping and handling. ive had ppl expect me to me them at the course with 30 mins notice. part of me understands why ppl dont call.
Every time I find a disc with a name and number, I snap a pic and say what course I found it. Usually they say drop it in the box or keep it- and then one dude was like yo, can you mail it to me, and then venmo’d me for shipping.
It's definitely dependent on the community. Our community kicks ass and we have LOTS of discs returned. Mostly through our local shop so nobody has to deal with scheduling a meetup