Jump to content
2024 Houston Open WITB Photos ×

Changing the game forever - how long till we get a ball we can't lose?


pktaske

Recommended Posts

Goodbye 5 hour rounds. This would change the game without changing the game. The biggest avoidable time sink in golf right now is looking for balls. Just pocket it where water is in play.

 

Whats the roadblock right now? Cost? Balance? Golf ball makers (ie-'the tire that never wears out')? Or possibly just the technology (impact too extreme, signal too weak, size to big, etc). 

 

Or maybe this already exists?

 

If someone says just hit it in the fairway, I will report them 🙂.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bluetooth golf balls already exist, can’t say how good they are.

 

essentially, I agree though. They aren’t legal for tournament use, it’s the first equipment rule I’d change. In 10 or 20 years I’d guarantee we will all be using them, why not just get on with it? 

  • Like 1

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would imagine both cost and performance are significant reasons. First of all to put some sort of Wifi/Bluetooth transmitter, antennas, sensors etc inside a ball will take up valuable real estate, so it will impact how the ball compresses and performs. Not to mention whether the repeated hits would actually affect the performance of the device, which it could unless you protected the board, which would take up even more space. Balls are pretty small. 

 

Secondly cost. Even if you didn't lose the ball, you'd wear down the cover. You'd still probably only use the ball for 1-3 rounds. 

 

Considering the added cost, which would probably be 2-3$ a ball at a minimum if done in very high volumes, it's probably not worth it.

  • Like 2

Srixon ZX5 w/PX Hzrdus Red 60

Srixon ZX 15 w/PX Hzrdus Red 70

Tour Edge C723 21* w/PX hzrdus black 80

Titleist T150 4-AW w/PX LZ 6.0

Titleist Jet Black 54/60 with PX LZ 6.0

Deschamps Crisp Antique 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI here is an article on a company trying to do this from a couple of years ago. The article references a lot of what i mention above. 

 

They wanted to charge 25$ a ball. But it seems like they were targeting this at LM/testing markets. 

 

You could get the cost well under 25$ a ball if you so desired in high volumes. But again i don't really see the point

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikmatuszewski/2017/10/10/forget-a-smart-golf-ball-you-cant-lose-oncore-has-genius-ball-that-runs-50-per-sleeve/?sh=10165656306c

Srixon ZX5 w/PX Hzrdus Red 60

Srixon ZX 15 w/PX Hzrdus Red 70

Tour Edge C723 21* w/PX hzrdus black 80

Titleist T150 4-AW w/PX LZ 6.0

Titleist Jet Black 54/60 with PX LZ 6.0

Deschamps Crisp Antique 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Players who lose a lot of balls should be playing used golf balls until their skills improve.

 

One of our regular foursome tends to lose about 4 balls a round on average, he buys 5A in bulk from one of the lost golf ball sites, cost him 48 cents a piece shipped.  He plays Chrome Soft and TM Project a.

 

I'll look for a ball all of about a minute tops, if I hit it that bad I deserve to lose it, or maybe the ball was 'defective' 🙂

  • Like 3

2021 Bag Update:

 

Epic Max LS - MMT 60S

Epic Flash 5 Wood

Epic 3/4 Hybrids

Apex '21 Irons 5-7  MMT95 TT

Apex Pro '21 Irons 8-A  MMT95 TT

PM Grind Slate Wedges 58/64

Odyssey Exo Mini 7s

B330 XS Yellow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would a big golf company not want you to lose balls?

  • Like 4

Titleist TSR3 8* / Fuji Ventus Black TR 6X               

Titleist TSR2+ / Fuji Ventus Black TR 7X               

Callaway UW / Fuji Ventu Black 8X

Edel SMS iron 4-5 / DG TI X100 /////  SMS PRO irons 6-PW / DG TI X100

Edel SMS 50V, 54T, 60T / DG TI S400/ BGT ZNE 130

Edel PROTO




 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you never mark it I guess you are less likely to lose it! 😉
Seriously, most balls I see disappear are OB or in penalty areas (hey, I used the term). Really not a lot of time spent looking for balls. I’ve been behind plenty of groups in my life of players who know just where their ball is going and play well who can rack up 5 hour rounds. 

Edited by Hawkeye77
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Dr. Block said:

Top Golf balls have some manner of chip in them. They are pretty weak as far as range balls go. I'm sure there are other factors accounting for their lazy performance, but they are chipped. 

 

Top golf balls use RFID chipsets and have RFID readers scattered throughout the range. It's a tad different technology and i may be wrong but the latest tech may only be able to tell you when you're in the same area as your ball and not exactly locate it....i might be wrong on that. RFID chipsets are a bit smaller than other wireless bands as they are pretty basic, often used in things like passes when you go through the border etc. 

 

There's probably ways you could do this in a ball and keep it fairly basic. I was thinking of maybe Ultra-Wideband (UWB) which is used in people trackers now and is a fairly new technology

 

That being said, my original point about it being too expensive and relatively pointless still stands

 

 

Srixon ZX5 w/PX Hzrdus Red 60

Srixon ZX 15 w/PX Hzrdus Red 70

Tour Edge C723 21* w/PX hzrdus black 80

Titleist T150 4-AW w/PX LZ 6.0

Titleist Jet Black 54/60 with PX LZ 6.0

Deschamps Crisp Antique 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^^^ A friend of mine was stricken with macular degeneration, and as he lost his sight, his kids found balls and a device to help him find his ball.  No idea what was in the ball, but he had a device on his belt that beeped as he got close to the ball.  The faster the beeps, the closer to the ball.  The ball was dead, and the proximity requirement made the whole thing useless, but it was a try.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Snap hooking a drive is just an excuse for me to go look for over balls lmao. I usually end up in the positive, even if I don't find mine. 

 

(Only do this when you have time, kids)

Callaway Mavrik Driver

Titleist TS2 4w

Titleist TS2 7w

Mizuno MP20 MB 4-W

Vokey SM8 50*

Vokey SM8 55*

Taylormade HiToe 60*

Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Bad9 said:

The OP vastly overstates the amount of time spent in a round looking for lost balls IMHO. Guys using carts poorly, guys grinding over putts like they are putting to win The Open and gnerally not being ready to play when its their turn are far more a factor in slow play.

At a private club in members times, lost balls are the main cause of groups losing position.

 

in pro tournaments it’s that or rulings that take forever.

 

as usual with golf there’s no joined up thinking. I’m certain it’s one reason beginners give up, there’s no other sport which has so much avoidable faff.

 

legalise the technology and see how much money you can save by not having to keep rough below 3”, for example..

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

 

Top golf balls use RFID chipsets and have RFID readers scattered throughout the range. It's a tad different technology and i may be wrong but the latest tech may only be able to tell you when you're in the same area as your ball and not exactly locate it....i might be wrong on that. RFID chipsets are a bit smaller than other wireless bands as they are pretty basic, often used in things like passes when you go through the border etc. 

 

There's probably ways you could do this in a ball and keep it fairly basic. I was thinking of maybe Ultra-Wideband (UWB) which is used in people trackers now and is a fairly new technology

 

That being said, my original point about it being too expensive and relatively pointless still stands

 

 


image.png.fcbeef80f2a0ad31283000a0c962829e.png
 

That would be me when it comes to science and most things technological. I agree with the last part, though. It all, to me, seems like another example of the technology driven creating a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. 

 

Edited by Dr. Block
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Bad9 said:

The OP vastly overstates the amount of time spent in a round looking for lost balls IMHO. Guys using carts poorly, guys grinding over putts like they are putting to win The Open and gnerally not being ready to play when its their turn are far more a factor in slow play.

You obviously have not been playing with people outside your circle...or you play with good players. Every round I play on a public course there's people looking for a ball.  EVERY HOLE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not going to happen anytime soon.  SOTA passive system is UHF RFID.  The distance limit for those is ~12 m.  Limited usefulness.  Active systems need batteries.  Teeny, tiny batteries really don't exist and devices to convert kinetic heat to energy for a short time could theoretically be designed, but the development would be costly (if practical), might interfere with performance, and likely could never be cost effective to produce with current technology.  The business case for such a ball would be dubious at best.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Not going to happen anytime soon.  SOTA passive system is UHF RFID.  The distance limit for those is ~12 m.  Limited usefulness.  Active systems need batteries.  Teeny, tiny batteries really don't exist and devices to convert kinetic heat to energy for a short time could theoretically be designed, but the development would be costly (if practical), might interfere with performance, and likely could never be cost effective to produce with current technology.  The business case for such a ball would be dubious at best.

 

 

If you cant say where your ball is within 12m that’s a whole other problem 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

 

If you cant say where your ball is within 12m that’s a whole other problem 

If you can't find a ball that is within 12 m of where you are standing you also have a problem.  Most lost balls come about from not looking in the right place (ball goes way further, way shorter, or way more offline than you think).

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think of it this way. You're walking through the area in the direction of your lost ball. While the alarm(?) would only sound within x yards  you're actually covering a much larger swath as you walk/ride.

 

Even if you hate the idea of using a ball that can be tracked for you personally, how does this adversely affect or change anything other than positively if someone else decides they would use it?

Edited by pktaske
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Our picks

    • 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Discussion and links to Photos
      Please put any questions or Comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Monday #1
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Monday #2
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #1
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #2
      2024 Texas Children's Houston Open - Tuesday #3
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Thorbjorn Olesen - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Ben Silverman - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jesse Droemer - SoTX PGA Section POY - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      David Lipsky - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Martin Trainer - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Zac Blair - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jacob Bridgeman - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Trace Crowe - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Jimmy Walker - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Daniel Berger - WITB(very mini) - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Chesson Hadley - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Callum McNeill - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Rhein Gibson - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Patrick Fishburn - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Peter Malnati - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Raul Pereda - WITB - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      Tom Hoge's custom Cameron - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Piretti putters - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Ping putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Kevin Dougherty's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Bettinardi putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Cameron putter - 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
      Tony Finau's new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open
       
       
       
       
       
      • 9 replies
    • 2024 Valspar Championship WITB Photos (Thanks to bvmagic)- Discussion & Links to Photos
      This weeks WITB Pics are from member bvmagic (Brian). Brian's first event for WRX was in 2008 at Bayhill while in college. Thanks so much bv.
       
      Please put your comments or question on this thread. Links to all the threads are below...
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 31 replies
    • 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #1
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #2
      2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational - Monday #3
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Matt (LFG) Every - WITB - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Sahith Theegala - WITB - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Cameron putters (and new "LD" grip) - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      New Bettinardi MB & CB irons - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Custom Bettinardi API putter cover - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      Custom Swag API covers - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
      New Golf Pride Reverse Taper grips - 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 15 replies
    • 2024 Cognizant Classic - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #1
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #2
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #3
      2024 Cognizant Classic - Monday #4
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Brandt Snedeker - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Max Greyserman - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Eric Cole - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Carl Yuan - WITb - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Russell Henley - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Justin Sun - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Alex Noren - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Shane Lowry - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Taylor Montgomery - WITB - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Jake Knapp (KnappTime_ltd) - WITB - - 2024 Cognizant Classic
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Super Stoke Pistol Lock 1.0 & 2.0 grips - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      LA Golf new insert putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      New Garsen Quad Tour 15 grip - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      New Swag covers - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Jacob Bridgeman's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Bud Cauley's custom Cameron putters - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Ryo Hisatsune's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Chris Kirk - new black Callaway Apex CB irons and a few Odyssey putters - 2024 Cognizant Classic
      Alejandro Tosti's custom Cameron putter - 2024 Cognizant Classic
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
        • Like
      • 2 replies
    • 2024 Genesis Invitational - Discussion and Links to Photos
      Please put any questions or comments here
       
       
       
      General Albums
       
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Monday #1
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Monday #2
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #1
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #2
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #3
      2024 Genesis Invitational - Tuesday #4
       
       
       
       
      WITB Albums
       
      Rory McIlroy - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Sepp Straka - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Patrick Rodgers - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Brendon Todd - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Denny McCarthy - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Corey Conners - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Chase Johnson - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tommy Fleetwood - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Matt Fitzpatrick - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Si Woo Kim - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Viktor Hovland - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Wyndham Clark - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Cam Davis - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Nick Taylor - WITB - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Ben Baller WITB update (New putter, driver, hybrid and shafts) – 2024 Genesis Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      Pullout Albums
       
      New Vortex Golf rangefinder - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      New Fujikura Ventus shaft - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods & TaylorMade "Sun Day Red" apparel launch event, product photos – 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods Sun Day Red golf shoes - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Aretera shafts - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      New Toulon putters - 2024 Genesis Invitational
      Tiger Woods' new white "Sun Day Red" golf shoe prototypes – 2024 Genesis Invitational
       
       
       
       
       
      • 22 replies

×
×
  • Create New...