This blog serves as a moral compass for nobody.
Still, I like to think most disc golfers attempt to return lost discs.
If you find a frisbee with somebody’s name and number on it, shoot ‘em a quick text to see if you can make a day. And if reuniting a wayward flier with its rightful owner becomes more complicated than it’s worth, forget about it. All you can do is try – move on with your life.
There IS a situation, however, in which you find a lost, inked disc and just pocket it …
That’s how I see it, at least.
See if you agree.
After throwing deep in the drink, you have two options:
- Door No. 1 – Let Mother Nature claim the disc as her own.
- Door No. 2 – Summon your inner Michael Phelps and go after it.
“Deep” is the keyword in this scenario.
I’m not talking about a disc on the edge of a body of water. Instead, I’m referring to the kind of shank that’s so bad, you might need scuba gear to go after it – waist-level water, at a minimum.
Should you choose to enter the agua to retrieve your disc and find another, congrats …
It’s yours.
I don’t care if it’s got a name, number, social security digits or a drawn map with detailed instructions on how to get the thing back to its home: If you like the mold, bag that puppy.
You shed the socks and shoes. You waded through mud, muck and potentially disease-ridden filth. You braved the threat of unknown fish, snakes and leeches. And it was you who signed off on playing the rest of your round cold, wet and uncomfortable. Regardless of whether or not you find the actual frisbee that got you in the water in the first place, to the senseless go the spoils.
Some disc golfers refer to this as “maritime law.”
Call it whatever you want – it’s the right way to do things.
By the way, as a FIRM believer in the above, I take things a step further …
If somebody goes swimming for my disc and calls to return it, I tell them to keep it. And if it’s a disc I genuinely need back in my bag, without a moment’s hesitation, I’ll offer up a few bucks.
They’re well-deserved.
Don’t take somebody else’s discs – this includes if they’ve been misplaced.
There are exceptions, however …
This is one of them.
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This is a horrible take. Regardless of where it’s found, if it has a name and number on it shoot that person a text. You could be stealing someone’s most prized disc and you have no idea how much effort they spent or plan to spend looking for it. Most likely you’ll be told to keep it or be given something as a reward. The only time it’s OK to straight up keep a disc you find is if it is unmarked.
You even refer to a scenario, where someone calls you to return a disc from a lake that you “need back in your bag”. If everyone just keeps what they find you never get that. Also imagine a situation where we both lose different discs we would love to have back in our bags to the water on the same hole. If we find each others and text we both leave winners, but if we just kept the other person’s neither of us is happy with the find. Don’t be greedy and everyone will be better off for it.
I don’t know about this one. I mean, I see where you are coming from, but I kindof disagree. If you are one of those people that goes diving just to find plastic, I say it is a risk you are taking. And for goodness sake, a lot of the people will tell you to just keep it anyway, and then they know what happened to it. I say call.
To be fair, calling isn’t evil …
It just doesn’t feel like it’s necessary.
But you’re right: In that situation, many times, you’ll be hit with a “just keep it.”