A set of golf clubs is probably listed among a person's most valuable possessions, yet owners often overlook proper care for their clubs.
Back in April, Salt Lake resident David Stringham came out of a crowded clubhouse at the Old Mill Golf Course only to find that his clubs, valued at nearly $3,000, were missing.
"I thought I had forgotten to take them out of my car," Stringham said. It wasn't long before he found his clubs had been stolen right off the rack where he left them when he went inside to pay his green fees.
"Losing their golf clubs, to people who golf a lot, is like taking their first-born kid," he said.
Jerry Brewster, head professional at the Old Mill Golf Course, said that despite security measures already in place, theft remains an issue because golfers don't keep a close eye on their own clubs.
"It's the same mentality that goes with your skis at a resort and your luggage at the airport. You don't just throw them down and walk away," he said. "There's an idea people have had in the past and being able to leave things," he said. "But there's always been an element of (theft) around."
Following several incidents of suspected golf-club thefts, Old Mill operators removed bag racks outside the clubhouse and replaced them with signs telling patrons to stay with their clubs at all times.
"We've posted signs, there are cameras and there are video-surveillance notification stickers on windows, yet people still leave their clubs," Brewster said. He said his clubs were stolen at a private golf course in Park City when he propped them up in a hallway next to the restroom."It's a roll of the dice, someone can always come along and take them," he said.
Unlike country clubs, municipal golf courses don't have the resources to continually guard bag racks. Such scrutiny seems to do the trick, however, as the Alpine Country Club in Highland hasn't had a set of clubs stolen there in six years.
Lenna Learned, Alpine's manager, said the location offers a club storage area and a cart boy who'll take clubs from storage directly to golfers, all for a fee. She credits the clientele at the course for low incidences of crime.
"It's a mix of our location, the fact that it is a private club and our neighbors," she said.
Retail golf shops are also getting hit as manufacturers are putting out shinier, more powerful and more popular clubs.
"It's the latest and the greatest that they're taking," said Blair Williams, a local golf shop manager. He said thieves probably zero in on bags with fancy head covers popping out the top.
"If you see one of those in a bag, chances are the whole set is a pretty good set," he said.
Calloway's Big Bertha used to top lists on eBay and fill the shelves at pawnshops. The club of choice right now, Williams said, is the TaylorMade R7, which retails for up to $800. When the R7 debuted, he said several heads were cut off in the store and taken from the shop, eliciting a loss of thousands of dollars.
Williams' shop offers a unique trade-in option, which he believes entices thieves to steal clubs and exchange them for store credit.
"A good number that come in could be stolen," he said.
Some manufacturers have started putting serial numbers on their clubs, a tactic that aids in tracing them. The serial numbers are inscribed by an electronic needle which penetrates the metal, making it easy to recognize when someone has tried to sand it off. The problem with serial numbers is still one of neglect, Williams said. "People don't write them down or keep track of them."
Courses and golf shops aren't the only ones losing out on the popular game. A set of clubs left in the back seat of a car, in an open garage or at the baggage claim at the airport quickly becomes an invitation for any willing thief, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Darren Carr.
"They know golfers leave their clubs unattended, they know they're expensive a lot of the times and they know they can get a lot of money for them," he said. The issue of golf-club thefts, he said, remains steady and has prompted several sting operations in which police have tried to catch would-be thieves at golf-course clubhouses.
"Just like everything, you have to be vigilant and get that attitude and be protective of a very significant investment," he said. The idea of not leaving any high-priced portable equipment unattended is something Carr said "people need to get in their heads."
He said thieves know golf clubs are a popular commodity, especially during the summer months.
"It's not the technology, it's money," Williams said. "They're not stealing them to use, they're stealing them to sell." Golf clubs are a quick sale, mostly because everyone is looking for a deal, he said.
Stringham's clubs were actually found at a pawn shop a couple of weeks after they disappeared. The 29-year-old man who stole them was charged in 3rd District Court with six counts of theft for stealing three different sets of golf clubs from three different golf courses in April. Because of the value of the clubs, several of the charges turned out to be felonies.
"We need to change how things are done," Brewster said. "We're used to getting there and going golfing. It may be an inconvenience for golfers to check in first, but that is what we recommend."
E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com