Golf course concessions own the golf balls

To: Matmail: The City of San Diego owns how many golf balls? — A. Pismo Clam, La Jolla

Okay, I’ll bite. My answer is zero, but something tells me Senor Clam is already preparing his “Gotcha, Matt!” letter. The city does own two golf courses (Torrey Pines and the course at Morley Field in Balboa Park), but the pro shops at both are operated as concessions. The concessionaires, not the city, own the balls. I’ve tried to cover all other possibilities: If you shank a drive into the bed of a park and rec department truck or through the mayor’s window, does the city then own the ball? Do we hand out America’s Finest City golf balls to lure sister cities or major corporations? Not that I can tell, though I was definitely hoping to find a secret municipal stash.