I just learned about buying "refinished" balls- the hard way.

[driverwedge]

Should have searched the forum before buying!

So I saw what I thought was a sweet deal on Rockbottomgolf.com: $29.97 for 3 (that's right- 3) dozen "Titlist golf- Pro V1 Near Mint used Refinished Golf Balls". The "Near Mint" got my attention and I glossed over the "Refinished" part. My bad. I was ignorant and have now been schooled.

http://www.rockbotto...CP.A2yAa92Gh8mQ

Shipping was amazingly fast, but I've got a few issues with what I ended up with.

First, you're able to choose Pro V1 or Pro V1x. I chose the X and ended up getting 13 Pro V1s and the rest were x's. Secondly, and probably most important, the "coating" on these things were absolutely nothing like what was originally on them. Certainly NOT urethane. It was this hard, slick, bright white coating that started cracking when you hit it. A lot of them looked like they had a nasty skin condition. I'd put them, maybe one step above really bad range balls and would never put them in play for anything that matters.

I'll take this as a $30 lesson learned, but wanted to let those who are curious about refinished golf balls to research first!

I figured that this was the right forum to post in, but if not, please relocate! Thanks!

Edit: Location of deal.

[blade_man]

I saw this several years ago and as far as I know they they haven't changed! They are not good and may not even be the brand they are suppose to be (like a top flight painted and stamped Pro V1) that is just a guess or thought, I don't know for sure but they sure don't (or didn't) hit like the originals.

[driverwedge]

I agree that they don't hit like the originals. They reminded me of hitting a Top-Flite XL-2000, only it didn't travel nearly as far as the Top-Flite. Uhg. I did see another Titlist logo under the paint of a lot of the ones I got. Shady.

[Bilbo99]

They wont take them back or does shipping negate the point. I am surprised. I have purchased a few nice clubs on there for super cheap.

[xxio]

Are refinished different from refurbished? I had a dozen refurbished ProVs given to me but I left them in the club I was visiting anyway.

[Zeph]

Refinished and refurbished balls are usually balls that have been given a new outer layer coat. Repainted you could say. The problem with these balls is like the OP experienced, the coating does not last very long.

I would recommend you buy recycled balls instead. That's ball that have been played by others, washed and cleaned, then redistributed. They come in different degrees of quality, AA, AAA, AAAAA, Near-Mint, Mint etc. Ranging from being like new (Mint) to having some scuff marks. It varies with the store you buy from what the different degrees mean. I've played AAA+ balls and they hardly looked used, but again, it will depend on where you buy. You can find some really good deals when buying recycled balls. They perform like new, at the cost of less. Some have reported about the odd bad ball, possibly a water ball or something like that, which did not perform as well as the others. Those are a very small amount though, nothing to worry about.

Recommended stores from me are [url="www.lostgolfballs.com"]Lostgolfballs.com[/url] and [url="www.golfnut.com"]Golfballnut.com[/url]

[J13]

You get what ya pay for. Even recycled balls can have issues as most come out of lakes/ponds ect.. you don't know how long they've been in there and neither do they.

[Ezgolfer]

[quote name='J13' timestamp='1286195724' post='2727190']
You get what ya pay for. Even recycled balls can have issues as most come out of lakes/ponds ect.. you don't know how long they've been in there and neither do they.
[/quote]

Yep ,
They are always suspect and play differently .

[Zeph]

 [quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1286196626' post='2727215']
They are always suspect and play differently .[/quote]
Always? Do you have any statistics to back that up? Mine, and a lot of others' experience is that the majority of the balls play exactly the same.

Here is a quote from a research done on recycled golf balls:
[quote]In our sample, bench testing on factors such as compression, weight, roundness and cover hardness and our ballistics testing on flight characteristics (including distance and spin) - indicated no appreciable difference between the highest quality Grade 5A/5A recycled golf balls we sourced and new golf balls.[/quote]
You can find the paper here: http://www.golfballtest.org/?p=410%20target=

[Ezgolfer]

[quote name='Zeph' timestamp='1286196983' post='2727226']
[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1286196626' post='2727215']
They are always suspect and play differently .[/quote]
Always? Do you have any statistics to back that up? Mine, and a lot of others' experience is that the majority of the balls play exactly the same.
[/quote]


I do n't have any stastics . I have bought used balls AAAA from lostgolfball , knetgolf and others intermittently . Even though majority have worked okay , than there are balls in the lots with great looks with an entirely different feel all together . Almost the feel of a golf ball which has spend 5 -6 months on the golf course in sun and rain or in the pond . They feel dead of the putter and are harder than ususal with Irons and driver .
I have stopped buying used balls period . I just can not trust them and therefore used the word suspect . I like to buy new balls using discounts or bulk 4-5 dozens on ebay .

[J13]

If your patient enough I end up getting new balls at 4-5 dozen a clip at the same price if not a little cheaper then AAAAA balls. It's crazy.

[driverwedge]

[quote name='Zeph' timestamp='1286180477' post='2727071']
Refinished and refurbished balls are usually balls that have been given a new outer layer coat. Repainted you could say. The problem with these balls is like the OP experienced, the coating does not last very long.

I would recommend you buy recycled balls instead. That's ball that have been played by others, washed and cleaned, then redistributed. They come in different degrees of quality, AA, AAA, AAAAA, Near-Mint, Mint etc. Ranging from being like new (Mint) to having some scuff marks. It varies with the store you buy from what the different degrees mean. I've played AAA+ balls and they hardly looked used, but again, it will depend on where you buy. You can find some really good deals when buying recycled balls. They perform like new, at the cost of less. Some have reported about the odd bad ball, possibly a water ball or something like that, which did not perform as well as the others. Those are a very small amount though, nothing to worry about.

Recommended stores from me are Lostgolfballs.com and Golfballnut.com


[/quote]

I'd agree that if you're going to get balls that aren't new, go with LGB or any other place you trust. I've had great experiences with LGB and asside from the occational garbage ball, they're pretty good.

[aliikane]

I never buy refinished balls. You never know how old they are and the refinishing process is just a lipstick fix. They balls could of been sitting in a pond for 5 years. Sometimes I will find a good ball and play it. New balls are only way to go.

[storm319]

[quote name='Zeph' timestamp='1286196983' post='2727226']
[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1286196626' post='2727215']
They are always suspect and play differently .[/quote]
Always? Do you have any statistics to back that up? Mine, and a lot of others' experience is that the majority of the balls play exactly the same.

Here is a quote from a research done on recycled golf balls:
[quote]In our sample, bench testing on factors such as compression, weight, roundness and cover hardness and our ballistics testing on flight characteristics (including distance and spin) - indicated no appreciable difference between the highest quality Grade 5A/5A recycled golf balls we sourced and new golf balls.[/quote]
You can find the paper here: [url="http://www.golfballtest.org/?p=410%20target="]http://www.golfballt...p=410%20target=[/url]



[/quote]

LGB, Knet, golfballnut, and most of the other major recycled retailers get 99% of the balls they sell out of water. Personally I have found that balls that have been submerged for an extended period of time do not fly as far. No way to tell if a dozen balls from one of these companies were only in a pond for an hour or several months.

[yichen382]

[quote name='storm319' timestamp='1286229025' post='2728290']
[quote name='Zeph' timestamp='1286196983' post='2727226']
[quote name='Ezgolfer' timestamp='1286196626' post='2727215']
They are always suspect and play differently .[/quote]
Always? Do you have any statistics to back that up? Mine, and a lot of others' experience is that the majority of the balls play exactly the same.

Here is a quote from a research done on recycled golf balls:
[quote]In our sample, bench testing on factors such as compression, weight, roundness and cover hardness and our ballistics testing on flight characteristics (including distance and spin) - indicated no appreciable difference between the highest quality Grade 5A/5A recycled golf balls we sourced and new golf balls.[/quote]
You can find the paper here: [url="http://www.golfballtest.org/?p=410%20target="]http://www.golfballt...p=410%20target=[/url]



[/quote]

LGB, Knet, golfballnut, and most of the other major recycled retailers get 99% of the balls they sell out of water. Personally I have found that balls that have been submerged for an extended period of time do not fly as far. No way to tell if a dozen balls from one of these companies were only in a pond for an hour or several months.
[/quote]

99% of those are out of water?! I was thinking about buying from them but I wouldn't want to spend a dime on water balls. Does anyone know where LGB, Knet, golfballnut, and other recycled retailers get their balls?

[aaronsnow]

I've used recycled golf balls for years and couldn't be happier. Contrary to the previous poster's comments, I haven't noticed any difference in playability. The only difference I've noticed is that I don't get a knot in my stomach when my $1 ball goes into the woods or water hazard.

[FATC1TY]

Someone care to explain how the hard urethane will absorb water?

I'll be waiting while you make up an excuse.. The sun and heat, along with the cleaning agents and machines to clean the balls will do more harm than the pond water alone.

I've bought balls that were dull from lost golf balls. Probably water balls, but I could tell the wear was from scrubbing and faded print from the sun and again, the cleaning agent and machines wearing it out. They work all the same, just uglier. I use them for shaggin' and for chipping/pitching practice at the range.

[doof_dizzler]

I've never purchased any type of used balls. I look for sales on premium balls, and play a mid-range ball (~$30/dozen) most of the time. By this time of year, I just play balls I've found as they are very easy to lose in the leaves, even in the fairway. No point in losing perfectly good balls I paid for when I have a couple 5 gallon pails full of balls I've found over the course of the season.

[URStillAway]

[quote name='FATC1TY' timestamp='1286326712' post='2730421']
Someone care to explain how the hard urethane will absorb water?


[/quote]

Golf Digest did a test. Summary - once they are in the water they do not perform as well.

It does seem hard to imagine water being absorbed by the ball but I guess it must.


http://forum.ottawagolf.com/showthread.php?t=9079

[FATC1TY]

[quote name='WCGC72BE9' timestamp='1286335487' post='2730707']
[quote name='FATC1TY' timestamp='1286326712' post='2730421']
Someone care to explain how the hard urethane will absorb water?


[/quote]

Golf Digest did a test. Summary - once they are in the water they do not perform as well.

It does seem hard to imagine water being absorbed by the ball but I guess it must.


http://forum.ottawagolf.com/showthread.php?t=9079
[/quote]


That test was 5 years old, and they used balata covered balls. Todays URETHANE balls will be affected significantly less. Sure the test shows something happened, but in a matter of eight days, it wouldn't have done much of anything.

I've got a Tour Balata in a fish tank at my house. I tried to see if it would take on water, or fish poop, or something.. wrote the weight on the ball, and it's been in there for 3 years now.. It's ugly as hell, but guess what. It's the same size and weight.

[storm319]

[quote name='FATC1TY' timestamp='1286373172' post='2731067']
[quote name='WCGC72BE9' timestamp='1286335487' post='2730707']
[quote name='FATC1TY' timestamp='1286326712' post='2730421']
Someone care to explain how the hard urethane will absorb water?


[/quote]

Golf Digest did a test. Summary - once they are in the water they do not perform as well.

It does seem hard to imagine water being absorbed by the ball but I guess it must.


[url="http://forum.ottawagolf.com/showthread.php?t=9079"]http://forum.ottawag...read.php?t=9079[/url]
[/quote]


That test was 5 years old, and they used balata covered balls. Todays URETHANE balls will be affected significantly less. Sure the test shows something happened, but in a matter of eight days, it wouldn't have done much of anything.

I've got a Tour Balata in a fish tank at my house. I tried to see if it would take on water, or fish poop, or something.. wrote the weight on the ball, and it's been in there for 3 years now.. It's ugly as hell, but guess what. It's the same size and weight.
[/quote]

They also used 2-piece surlyn covered balls that were effected as well. I agree that Balata would likely be more effected by water than urethane but at the same time urethane would likely be more effected than surlyn due to its harder nature. Do I take that study as fact? No, but in my experiences I have noticed a difference (maybe not as much as the study did).

The point is if you cant tell a difference continue to buy balls from these companies.