A ball retriever preferably for retrieving golf balls from a water hazard. The disclosed retriever includes a stationary support mounted at the end of a handle which can be of a telescoping design to extend the retriever a considerable distance into the hazard. The stationary support pivotally mounts two capturing arms which are continuously biased towards each other with a spring. A trigger mechanism having a cup-shaped end element contacts a target golf ball and releases a latching member, freeing the two capturing arms for movement in response to the biasing spring. This biasing action encloses the capturing arms about the target golf ball so that it can be withdrawn from the water hazard.