Thoughts on lost discs

[Allan_Richardson]

Very new to the sport and forums here, so Hello fellow DG'ers from around New England. It seems to me that there is a fair amount of players out there who think nothing of picking up someone else's disc and adding it to there own collection without feeling any kind of guilt. I know that even after playing for only about 6 months my bag and its contents have come to quite an expense considering its only plastic. I have found and returned several discs to their rightful owners and can say that it feels almost as good as the rare birdie on the scorecard. It seems that every time I do return that misguided disc to its owner there is always a comment like "I lost that disc at a different hole a very long time ago" or best one yet is the person who said " In eight years of playing DG you are only the second person to return a disc to me." Today my son lost his favorite star leopard and he was heart broken because deep down inside he knows that we are the minority who actually call that number on the back side of the disc and that he will likely not see that disc again and with it the memory of shopping at marshall street and that first day throwing his shiny new star leopard all the fun we had together as a family playing pyramids for the first time. Any one else have similar experiences? What are the odds of getting a disc back? I guess in time we will be so good that we never loose any and wont spend hours beating the bushes for those discs because we know that in reality we most likely will never see it again.. So i guess the next time you find a disc and are feeling torn on what to do, Please think of the young child who love the sport and loves that disc and how happy they will be to get it back in their bag.. See you all out on the courses... Ill be that guy in the bushes looking for my disc.

[Jeff Wiechowski]

It all boils down to respect.
Does the person that finds the disc have any toward the sport and other people's property?

I hope your sons disc finds its way back.

[Titan_Bariloni]

I have bins of L and F disc here from tully all been called and no call back..literally 1000 of them

so as much as I do feel your pain...theflip side of coin is some do call and nobody cares enough to get them...and yes I can't always hand drop off to say CT or blah blah...

I set people I know or contacted aside and they are semi safe for LIFE in my garage..granted some get lost in the shuffle and then reappear later date...currently I have lost Dave R's and Kyle S...pulled them out and now cant find them anywhere

well anyways the disc I have had for years are now able to be handed out per order of rangers at Tulllz to kids and such

I have plenty of star leopards and would glady give one to your son....single strike the name and put Tully Lake Donated disc on it....it might show your son that hey things go full circle in life in some cases..often in the case of Disc returns..just takes time

just send me a pm/post or call/text 413 230 2185

welcome to the forum and Nefa
hope to cya out there

where is your home course BTW?

[Titan_Bariloni]

correct cookie..also relates to respect for ones own property in the case I mentioned of DG'er taking some due process in picking up disc once called

[Allan_Richardson]

Thanks guys for great replies. I imagine this topic comes up from time to time and it nice to know there are others who try to do the right thing... I am sure that more do make the call than it would seem. I didn't intend any disrespect from my post, I suppose just starting a constructive thread to remind others that the effort it takes to make the call is what counts. And I have a disc now that is waiting for pickup. The owner knows I have it and its sitting on the shelf waiting for him. He hasn't come to get it yet but I'm sure someday he will. If not, then I guess I'll start filling a box up. Titan asks whats my home course. Well, I'm lucky enough to live in Northeastern CT. 10 Min from pomfret rec. nice little midrange course quick and fun to play. Also 10 min from West Thompson lake (Great course). So I guess those would be my home courses.. Tried Webster for the first time today and have played Wickham and Pyramids. Went and spectated GHdGO and the final round of the Vibram.. seems like New England is a hot bed for great courses though and plan to play them all! Thanks for the offer on the Leopards I may take you up on it , but will give it some time to see if it comes home. Hated giving up on it. I'm that guy who come hell or high water will not leave a disc but that little bugger sure was illusive.

[Dave Jackson]

Hi Allan,
Come play Maple Hill. If for no other reason, we have the most effective lost and found in disc golf.
It seems People like to return found discs when playing Maple Hill because of how many they get back from the lost and found.

It's definitely not a perfect system but very effective to say the least.

The course is ok too.

[Jim Bobka]

Al, if you and your son ever make it up to Barre Dam and lose a disc, and I find it, it's still yours. Plenty of respect here. (just make sure if you play in summertime and the grass is high, watch carefully where the disc flies off to)

I also have found a box of plastic, some in the old river, some in a field or bush here or there..... Have called enough numbers, some not working, some never respond, some moved on. Tried my 'best', given time, energy, etc. Many, however, have been double marked, so it's always a question mark in my mind: is this the real owner, or has the original owner been blackmarked? Can't judge, but I have my doubts.

It is not a rewarding task, to say the least. But I feel it's still worth my effort, due to respect.

So we press on.

Good luck, happy searching, and keep the love of the game first. There are plenty of discs your son will fall in love with, believe me. --jimbo

ps. Give him a 169 Shark. Maybe two of them.......they like to swim deep.

[Brad Dahle]

Definitely a bummer to lose a disc, worse when you don't think you will ever get it back. Stay positive and do your part like you did. I believe in karma on some level. I have made the effort every single time I have ever found a disc to get it back to its owner. Many I have lost I got back and a few I have not. Unfortunately the person who just throws it in their bag and doesn't give it a second thought would not care if it belonged to a child or not.
A week ago or so I went back to FDR, my home course, to look for a disc I lost a couple of days before. I wore long pants knowing where my disc was was full of prickers and pretty nasty. I happened on a guy looking for his disc on the same hole. He had shorts on, so I told him I would go in and give it a look. I found his disc in about 5 min. He happened to be visiting from Arizona so I invited him to come back later in that day to join us for doubles, which he ended up doing. He was also stoked I found his disc, especially being that he lived so far away. I then went to look for my disc for almost 40 min and no luck.

Later that evening at doubles a friend of mine comes off the course after his round and hands me back my lost disc. I also lost yet another one that same evening in roughly the same place. Certainly happy to get one of them back. The next day I get a text from someone who found my 2nd lost disc. I have them both back in my bag. So karma, who knows. But I'll go with yes.

[Allan_Richardson]

@ Dave Sure will be playing Maple Hills, but golds are many many drives away! also kudos to the work you did for Vibram Open. the Course was everything i expected and then some. And I saw the truck loads of discs back from the Abyss. Imagine once a year how many people sent one for a swim! Still laughing about the spoons thing.
@ Jim Sounds alot like Thompson with the different stages of growth and keeping yopur eyes on the misguided disc. Hope to play all the Dams seems there are a few.
@ Brad Great story and sure is nice to know that the roots of the DG community are good people that help out the other good people around them.

[Shannon Leclerc]

Just wait until you finally beat down a nice TURN Disc and no one returns it

[Rob Breckenridge]

For me Returning found disc is like being kind to strangers, doing a good deed etc, it is not headline breaking news and I don't want a pat on the back for it either, it is simply the right thing to do and feels good to do it. Glad to see you are mentoring your boy on the fine art of respect for others and oneself. If you are ever in Keene, NH, hit me up, I have a course in my backyard, I'd love to give you and your son a tour.

[Allan_Richardson]

Nice. a course in the backyard... I probably would play till it became painful.

[Kevin Silvia]

I have decided what I'm doing w/found discs from now on, after three successful experiences w/found discs.

Hide the disc right on the course, in some place where discs don't land. Hide it well, be creative. Send the owner a photo of the hiding spot and description by text.

This accomplishes a lot of things, not the least of which is having to meet up or carry someone else's plastic around. And it's better than just leaving it there, which I've also done.

I got back my long lost beloved Star Roadrunner today from a guy nice enough to call me .. I recommended the hide method, and I retrieved it two days later. It was like a badazz game of hide & seek.

That same day I hid another guy's Blizzard Ape, hoping he gets it and hollers back.

[Jim Bobka]

Word. I've done the same, and it works.

[Brock_Pitzer]

yeah, i'm 0-6 with lost discs at wrightsville beach, newbies think a found disc is their luck and toss it in their bag. i know how good it feels to get one back, so is it fun to return one.

cool maui story: i toss my purple hula girl destroyer too far, lands in the ocean. i offer my buddy's kids a few bucks if they snorkel to get it. no luck. ONE YEAR later, i get an email from a dude in Pennsylvania. Says he was scuba diving off the maui coast, found the disc and put it in his gear bag. forgot about it; while prepping for his annual dive trip, finds the disc still in his bag, mails it back to me no charge. thank you kind stranger !

[Troy Dietrich]

Nice. I lost a disc in the ocean in Costa Rica....maybe I shouldn't give up hope on it

[Jeff Wiechowski]

Nice. I lost a disc in the ocean in Costa Rica....maybe I shouldn't give up hope on it

Maybe I shouldn't give up hope for that disc that "fell off" the ferry on the way to the Vineyard Social a few years back.

[Erik Zarazinski]

I've lost all hope for my lost ones... I've got at least 4 (that I can remember- 2 glides, a boss, and an eagle) in the water at Maple hill...

Just checked the list after a 'truckload' were removed from the water...

not one of them mine...

[jim tufts]

when I find a lost disc I pee on it. it is then mine.

[Mike Scorzato]

Sometimes people even list the discs they have on NEFA but then don't call, text, e-mail, or PM the owner. :idk:

[Jack Bradley]

I've had discs come back years after I've lost them. Had one returned to me recently that was five years gone. It was a white Wolf that I lost in snow (yup, white), it was the very first disc I ever lost.

[Allan_Richardson]

Glad to see this thread is still going, some real good ideas here and many people doing the right thing. We haven't got the leopard back yet, but if we couldn't find it in our search, it may be a while before anyone happens across it. I guess the best approach is don't loose it to begin with. Imagine if every drive landed nicely on the center of the fairway.

[Kevin Silvia]

Another thought I have - don't be discouraged by how few people seem to do the right thing. Keep calling them numbers.

Tonight I finally got a hold of the fella whose putter I picked up at Webster. He told me I was the very first call he's ever gotten on a lost disc.


Sadder still, I hear that more than I would like. I told the guy not to let that stop him from calling, neither. He wasn't too keen on the hide and seek game though, wants to meet up instead. Which is fine, returning a disc is almost as fun as getting one back.

[Ken Hannan]

Imagine if every drive landed nicely on the center of the fairway.

Wouldn't have found your green Mambo if my drive on 10 at West T went the way it was supposed to on Saturday

[Steve Solbo]

I keep every disc I find.







































Until I turn it over and see if it has a name and number on the back, plus, I get calls about old plastic all the time, if I don't throw that disc anymore, I just tell the person to keep it, sometimes, it pays to just call. Most people if the disc is worth something to them will give you something for it's safe return, or tell you to keep it if it's a non-thrower for them anymore or a disc that takes to much effort to get back.

[Justin DeVico]

I very much enjoy getting someone their disc back...I've actually gotten a few good golfing partners out if the deal as well.

[Allan_Richardson]

Imagine if every drive landed nicely on the center of the fairway.

Wouldn't have found your green Mambo if my drive on 10 at West T went the way it was supposed to on Saturday

Thanks Ken. First disc I lost and even went back a 2nd day to look for it. Will be sure to meet up with you soon!