North East: Crow crime wave continues

Crows have been accused of stealing balls from Headingley golf club, in the latest incident relating to feathered culprits.

Last month we reported on how crows were accused of stealing balls from Gloucester’s Minchinhampton club, and now it appears the crime wave has spread to Yorkshire.

John Hall, club secretary at Headingley, said the thefts had become a “very regular occurrence”, with balls being targeted on the first, second and 18th holes.

He explained that he thinks the crows are mistaking the balls for eggs, which crows will steal to eat.

‘They may consider balls to be an egg and steal them’ The RSPB has advised players to use fluorescent balls instead of white ones and Hall added: “This time of year we are not playing any competitive golf so it doesn’t really affect anybody. The competition season starts at the end of April, so hopefully the situation will sort itself out.”

If a ball is taken by a crow, the rules state it must be played from where it originally lay, without penalty. If the ball is not immediately recoverable – due to being in a crow’s nest, perhaps – then a spare ball may be substituted.

Don’t forget to email us with your rules queries and we’ll get England Golf expert Toby Thorne to answer them in an upcoming edition of the magazine. Email [email protected] with your questions.

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