Everyone has probably wondered this... (lost disc)

[allsport1313]

As the title suggests, my dilemma may be a common occurrence in the sport of disc golf, so please forgive me if there is already a standardized procedure in place.

I am new to the sport, but already my trunk has stockpiled with discs, discs that do not belong to me. Some of these discs have been successfully returned to their owners, while the majority of them(10+) can't seem to find their way home. After several attempts at contacting their owners(minimally a text, call, then voicemail), I am at a loss for what to do. A lot of these I have been holding on to for a month or more. Up until now I have refrained from throwing them for fear of scuffing or even losing a disc that is not mine.

Which brings me to the core of my question: When do these become my discs? A few of them I am just itching to throw, but I want to know what you guys would do. What have you done in the event of an abandoned disc? If and when it does transfer ownership, do I cross out their name and their number? Do I leave it hoping I run into them some day? How do I deal with these existential crises?

Thanks for any advice!

[ferretdance03]

The experts over at dgcr would live to help you with this dilemma. As for me- I try to refrain from telling someone else what their morals should be.

Me personally- if they've been called/text/emailed and haven't responded in a few weeks the disc is stowed in the back of the truck until it is given away to a new player.

[dgdave]

I found a Champ Sidewinder from the 717 yesterday here in Oklahoma. He was very nice on the phone.

[chickenonabun]

I don't know why you would be afraid to throw it, if they haven't responded and you've made a good effort I would say it's yours.

[ferretdance03]

I found a Champ Sidewinder from the 717 yesterday here in Oklahoma. He was very nice on the phone.

We're generally a friendly bunch, us semi-Amish. Except for that Solt, he's a dick.

[allsport1313]

I am not too sure why I don't just throw them. Maybe I'll hit up a football field tomorrow

[Mad Scientist]

If you made an effort to contact the previous owner, that's all you can do. After that, if you don't get any kind of response you shouldn't feel bad about keeping it. it's not your responsibility to search high and low for the owner, or hold onto the disc because MAYBE someday you'll find them. Try and contact them, give them a reasonable amount of time, and then go about your business. I wouldn't ask any more of someone if they found my disc.

[turso]

My routine is usually to call them twice, if they don't answer, the disc is mine.

[JR]

Is there a return box or a club house or something like that in the courses where you found discs? If not you could ask the local club if they are interested in setting one up.

[Mark Ellis]

I read this thread then went out to play a league round. With this on my mind, of course, I found a disc on a course, a beat up ESP Nuke. It has no name or number on it but it has markings: E@. Or at least something that looks roughly like this.

I asked the guys in my group and afterwards some of the locals if they recognized the marks but no one did. I asked the local disc peddler as well. He had no insight. I have not thrown it yet but what if it is a semi-magical disc (a perfect flip disc, which an ESP Nuke might be) in my hands? If it made it into my tournament bag at what point does it become mine even if the original owner surfaces?

My thought is that if the original owner ever claims it, he still has the right to it but I can offer to buy or trade for it. But what if it stays in the bag for a couple years and changes over time and through my efforts it ripens into the most valuable disc in my bag? Can someone reclaim it (in a an extreme hypothetical example) in the middle of the final round of the World Championships?

The marking on the disc are small. At what point can I ethically take a sharpie out and black it out? (Actually, I don't black out anything on my discs, I don't like how it looks) Would it be safer never to throw it just to avoid the potential trouble? But if I give it to a kid, am I just transferring the issue to someone else?

What if the situation were somewhat different? I buy or trade for a used disc from someone. It has several names already on it, including his. Later an earlier singer says he is the original owner and wants it back. Years ago I bought a used CE Teebird from a guy for market value ( so not cheap). It had a tiny, faded marking on an interior rim I didn't notice at the time of the sale. Later an acquaintance claimed it and showed me the marking. I offered to return it for what I paid for it. He refused and just took it. I figured it was his disc and I should have paid more attention when I bought it but I have refused to do business with the acquaintance since.

One of the discs I am always on the lookout for is a 1st Run Z Tracker (red Players Cup edition or the protos in the same plastic). I have new ones but a broken in one is much more valuable to me. Whenever I run into one they invariably have a bunch of names written on them ( which is how they got broken in). So the multiple ownership issue is unavoidable when I pick one of these up.

[Steve]

When I end up with discs like those I sell whichever ones I don't want to throw and keep the rest. I found a stool recently and decided to carry it around and use it till I found its owner. Three months later someone claimed it was theirs and it worked out.

[Codester101]

What if you found a disc with no name or number, but someone claims it was theirs? If they tell you the hole it was found on would you give it to them? What if they had pics of the disc on their phone?

[andrew]

I also dislike throwing discs I've found, even if I've tried and failed to contact the owner. But if it's a good disc I get over it. I refuse to buy discs at PIAS with markings unless there are suddenly 10 or so with the same markings (I love when someone gets rid of their stash of some disc I like!), because I think it's bs that they don't try to contact the owner before or when purchasing it- 'cause I know the same guy walks in there every Monday morning with a stack of discs... PIAS told me they'd only return a disc to an owner if there had been a police report filed on the disc (eyeroll emoticon)

[Crosseyed0811]

My problem is how do you return a disc that has a name you know but now way of contacting them? I have this story with 3 disc. One disc I found at the USDGC last year before the tournament really started. Star Archon on hole 14 almost in the parking lot with no one around. I picked it up. Looked at it and it had the name "Sam" in the disc with nothing else. Being that this was at the USDGC I figured I needed to do whatever it took to figure out who's disc it was because I figured the owner was in town for the tourney and it would be much easier to return before the tourney was over. I looked and it was a tourney disc. I looked up the tourney and found one Sam. Looked up that Sam's PDGA number and sure enough he was to play in the USDGC. I looked him up on Facebook ("Sam" turned out to be Sam Ferrans) and I was able to track him down and get the disc to him. He later even sent me a message asking for my address and sent me 3 discs as thanks for returning his 1.

Now I have 2 other discs, one with "PAPA 10099" in the disc (Obviously Scott Papa, wanna think its a z-xpress?) and the other an X Wasp with Robbie Bratten's signature and PDGA number. I'd love to get these back to them if they wanted them, but how in the world would I get in touch with them and return their disc?

[JR]

Robbie and Scott are with Discraft so that could help scooter here is a friend of Robbie so perhaps PM him. I haven't went through the PDGA site that diligently so i can't say if you can contact them through there.