"Mint" or AAAA vs "Refurbished"?

[lefthack]

I have usually bought mint or AAAA balls for testing, but I saw some Pro V1 refurbished that say that on the side. So what is better, a ball that may have only been hit once or twice, or something that's been repainted?

[rooski]

NEVER buy refurbished balls. Used balls are fine they are just the ones people find in the woods.

 

The refurbished ones are the balls so messed up and old that they sand down like 1/4 of the ball and try to emulate the cover of the original ball. And they don't even get close.

 

I bought them many years back, some of them are so lopsided/waterlogged/etc you can't even hit them more than 200y cause they just fall out of the sky. Awful product, seriously never buy refurbished

Edited November 6, 2021 by rooski

[Jack Pearsall]

he bought a dozen 'mint' used pro v1 and while they looked fine he did not think they performed as well as new ones. Generally, they didn't go as far nor stopped as well.  Your experiences may well be different.

[WasatchBogey]

I’m liking “practice” balls so far. Brand new, virtually same as retail balls, less than half the price, just have “practice” stamped on them.

[JAM01]

Bought some refurbished pro v1s some years ago, everything was wrong about them. Took a hack saw to one and it was a two piece ball that was repainted and stamped Titleist. 

[lefthack]

1 minute ago, JAM01 said:

Bought some refurbished pro v1s some years ago, everything was wrong about them. Took a hack saw to one and it was a two piece ball that was repainted and stamped Titleist. 

 

Ha, I was thinking the very same thing. 🤣 

 

I just got some mint for $12/dozen that look fantastic. I will stick to those I think.

[cgasucks]

21 minutes ago, WasatchBogey said:

I’m liking “practice” balls so far. Brand new, virtually same as retail balls, less than half the price, just have “practice” stamped on them.

 

+1 

I may be in the minority but I like refurbished balls as they offer a lot of value to me and never had performance issues with them.  But for those who insist of hitting balls that are new and want to save some coin buying "Practice" balls is a great compromise.  The only defect is cosmetic (like a little too much paint on the cover) but the inner layers are identical to the regular retail ones. 

 

If it's good enough for the Pros to practice with at the driving ranges at PGA Tour events, it's good enough for you.

[chippa13]

Neither, for the same reason I don't buy used cars. I don't want someone else's mistake.

[grm24]

1 hour ago, lefthack said:

I just got some mint for $12/dozen that look fantastic. I will stick to those I think.

And the downside of "mint" golf balls is that they could have been at the bottom of a water hazard for who knows how long regardless of how the balls appear.

[rooski]

I've just found that for whatever reason, I play the best with balls that I pull brand new from a sleeve and mark myself.

 

Maybe a mental thing, maybe because I focus more so I hit shots that won't lose new balls, or maybe its because I started buying new balls once I started practicing and caring about golf more 🤔

 

I go with Vice Pro Plus though. Paying big 4 $50-60 a dozen is just nuts to me, already makes me sick when I lose a $1.50 ball

 

 

[lefthack]

Well, my usual ball is an Enisis Soft 500 that I got for $10/dozen. I just keep reading all this stuff about the Pro V1 that I had to get some for myself. But I could never in my right mind pay $40+ for a dozen balls. 

 

When I started my ball journey last year I bought a bunch from a Canadian seller on ebay with great luck. But my bag is a mix of new and used balls. I usually lose a ball before I need to retire it. 🤣

 

But these look great, so I'm excited to try them. I have realistic expectations (like none) but it will still be a fun test. 

[phizzy30]

16 hours ago, WasatchBogey said:

I’m liking “practice” balls so far. Brand new, virtually same as retail balls, less than half the price, just have “practice” stamped on them.

Agree.  Those and X-outs are pretty much new balls with cosmetic blemishes on them.  Once upon a time I loaded up on 8 boxes of the Callaway Hex Black X-outs balls for 25 a pop.  One of my smarter golf purchases, lol. 

[JAM01]

Practice, x outs and logo overruns are a good deal. Use to be about half the cost, but seems the discount is less this year. 

[lefthack]

Yeah, I got practice TP5's and they seem nice. I think I will stay clear of the refurbished for fear of buying Pinnacle's with Pro V1 stamped on it. 🤣

[Stanks]

Don't do refurbs. Just don't. Mint and Practice balls are good if you're on a budget. I just put a sharpie over the practice spot if it bothers you.

[monks66]

yes, never use refurbished....

[Abh159]

There was a story today on "the other site" where they tested refurbished ProVs. 

 

Needless to say the results weren't positive. You can check it out for yourself, but overall you're looking at a significant distance loss, lower ball flight, and decreased spin all throughout the bag. 

 

It also showed that refurbished balls were almost all larger in size compared to new balls just do to the fact that they repaint them to make them appear new again. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Abh159

[lefthack]

5 hours ago, Abh159 said:

There was a story today on "the other site" where they tested refurbished ProVs. 

 

Needless to say the results weren't positive. You can check it out for yourself, but overall you're looking at a significant distance loss, lower ball flight, and decreased spin all throughout the bag. 

 

It also showed that refurbished balls were almost all larger in size compared to new balls just do to the fact that they repaint them to make them appear new again. 

 

Yeah, I just saw that. Kind of crazy, but it makes sense. I would also be interested if they cut them open to see if they are actually Pro V1's. 🤣

[Londo]

14 hours ago, lefthack said:

 

Yeah, I just saw that. Kind of crazy, but it makes sense. I would also be interested if they cut them open to see if they are actually Pro V1's. 🤣

There was a Callaway that you could faintly see the old logo through the repainting job and another one they cut open DEFINITELY was not a a Pro V1

[lefthack]

2 hours ago, Londo said:

There was a Callaway that you could faintly see the old logo through the repainting job and another one they cut open DEFINITELY was not a a Pro V1

 

Yeah, the idea of repainting just seems like a bad idea to me. They might look the part  😀

[xkilgorextroutx]

4 hours ago, Londo said:

There was a Callaway that you could faintly see the old logo through the repainting job and another one they cut open DEFINITELY was not a a Pro V1

 

Was just going to mention that. Saw the tweet with the pic of the "Pro V1" where the Callaway logo was pretty visible under the paint. I'll buy used or X-out, but never refurb for a lot of the reasons they mentioned.

[kwcsports]

I buy used AAA or better and have never had any issues. Other than looking like they've been hit a few times, I cannot tell any performance differences from new ones. Refurb are sh*t, stay away from them. 

[Moby]

I buy practice TP5, never had an issue with them.