Used golf balls? Comments?

[Golfer_LD]

Good, bad, and ugly

I've been using Nike Mojo's now for a few years because they are dirt cheap (2 dozen for $20 = $0.83 a ball). That being said, the Mojo's are really not the best ball...to say the least. They have little feel and i've recently started to balance them (using the Maltby salt water process) and I found that there out of 24, only 1 was perfectly balanced. I balanced a dozen of my dad's Calloway Big Bertha Diablo and out of 12 only 1 wasn't perfectly balanced. So, needless to say I am looking to upgrade the quality of ball I am playing. That being said, I really don't want to spend much more than a $1 a ball. I've heard of lostgolfballs.com and was hoping to hear about some first hand experiences. Are there any scratches or scuffs? Are they all clean...meaning no weird coloration or stains? Do they have logos on them? Are they pre-marked with somebody else's sharpie? All comments are welcome...and coupon codes haha.

Lostgolfballs.com

[tbowles411]

It depends on what grade you choose. If you choose their 5A (most expensive), you'd be hard pressed to find anything with that grade aside from a logo or MAYBE a sharpie ball mark. If you're choosing their 4A, you will probably have a ball mark of some kind, and maybe a slight ding...MAYBE. After that, it's a crap shoot. I've never had an issue with buying from them. If you want as close to a new ball, get their 5A grade. Most expensive, but you're getting half off of a almost brand new box of balls.

[jabrch]

If you get the AAAAAs, they may have a logo on them. They may have another player's marker markings...but I have bought over 1000 from them - and only got ONE that I didn't consider MINT-LIKE.

LGB does a great job with their grading. I know of someone who had an issue once with 6 out of 100 their AAAA balls. He called them - they shipped him a dozen the next day to replace them.

These are good folks to work with.

[nickrut]

I usually buy the AAAs and typically find they have nothing wrong with them that would make me hesitant to play them. They aren't perfect but aren't bad. If you're nervous I'd look at hte AAAA's.

[txhacker]

I used to buy from them a lot, the 5A Callaway Tour i. During one round I felt like I was hitting it solid but the ball was going nowhere and wild, took a look at the ball after a double bogey and there was a big smiley face on it---a big cut. I stopped buying after that. The balls are definitely cheaper and the 3A-5A look great, but you never know how long some of these balls have been in the water.

[Longdriver295]

[quote name='txhacker' timestamp='1309269707' post='3341826']
I used to buy from them a lot, the 5A Callaway Tour i. During one round I felt like I was hitting it solid but the ball was going nowhere and wild, took a look at the ball after a double bogey and there was a big smiley face on it---a big cut. I stopped buying after that. The balls are definitely cheaper and the 3A-5A look great, but you never know how long some of these balls have been in the water.
[/quote]


Any Ball will cut!

[FrankRizzo]

Never had an issue buying balls from them and for the price, can't beat it.

[felit0]

How do you guys feel about losing performance from balls that have been submerged in water? I read somewhere that the core gets damaged internally and loses performance.

[jsanatx]

I've never heard of the majority of their golfballs being waterballs. I think you can probably tell really quick if they were waterballs. I've bought for them before and never had a problem. Some sharpie marks and some logos, but i don't mind. the only problem i've had is that i have to pay taxes, i live in Texas and they are based out of Houston.

[bigred90gt]

Who here thinks water will permeate the rubber or plastic used on a golf ball cover?

[DoubleTap]

I've bought plenty from them, and always been happy. The 'economy' balls are always delivered a little higher than the rating would make you believe ... 'tour' balls seem to be right on with the ratings. For example, bought some AAA Callaway HX Hot Bite and they all looked brand new, but AAA Pro V1 had some marks and scrapes.

[Jasarii]

If you go with the AAAAA, you'll be hard pressed to see and marks. Usually they just have a logo. The AAAA, you may have a very minor mark, or pen mark that did not wash away fully. Worth the $ no doubt.

[poops]

Anyone have any current coupons?

[Jasarii]

Search coupons for lostgolfballs.com. Go to the couponcraze one. $5 off coupon

[Golfer_LD]

Thanks for all the feedback...i also found a coupon. put in "friend" in the coupon code, its for 10%

[FrankRizzo]

Found various coupons here -> http://www.couponmeup.com/coupons/s942/LostGolfBalls_com.htm

[RJRJRJ]

Stick with 5A if youre picky. They look very close to new, put if you get really picky, youll find slight flaws. I found 6 of my 100 that I thought were not acceptable, and they sent me replacements. If you shop smart and buy enough to get the free shipping + a good coupon, the deals can be pretty amazing. If you are just buying a dozen or two balls, the deals are mediocre.

My 5A had some sharpie marks (most come off with some acetone), and some logos (doesnt bother me...no need to mark my ball).

[borker]

[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1309277341' post='3342198']
Who here thinks water will permeate the rubber or plastic used on a golf ball cover?
[/quote]

Doesn't matter what other here think, it has been tested and proven water will penetrate. While every test I have seen shows some penetration, they all vary in the amount and to what effect it had on the ball.


Do a simple test yourself if you have doubt. Put some red food coloring in some water and drop your favorite ball into this for a few days or weeks. Enjoy your new off-pink golf ball. You can make your own yellow balls this way using dye.

My experience with LGB.com was documented in another thread. Bottom line, I will not be buying from them in future. Their idea of "mint" is wildly different than what I reasonably think it should be.

[bamoore07]

Lostgolfballs.com has been my source for discontinued models whenever my favorite goes out of production. Last summer I stocked up on TP Reds, and haven't needed more yet this season. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more through them, as this ball is perfect for my game and the courses I play. I'm actually surprised anyone has found their expectations regarding the quality of balls have not been met.

I would definitely recommend ordering your balls through this company, and I see no reason whatsoever to buy new tour level balls when there is a cost effective alternative. In fact, as the balls I have received were hit no more than a few times prior to my playing them, I consider buying new balls a follish waste of money. But hey, maybe that's because I don't have extra money to waste. In my case, buying new would mean playing a lesser ball, which would invariably impact my scores.

[Jasarii]

Well said Bamoore

[DoubleTap]

[quote name='borker' timestamp='1309300526' post='3343410']
[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1309277341' post='3342198']
Who here thinks water will permeate the rubber or plastic used on a golf ball cover?
[/quote]

Doesn't matter what other here think, it has been tested and proven water will penetrate. While every test I have seen shows some penetration, they all vary in the amount and to what effect it had on the ball.


Do a simple test yourself if you have doubt. Put some red food coloring in some water and drop your favorite ball into this for a few days or weeks. Enjoy your new off-pink golf ball. You can make your own yellow balls this way using dye.[/quote]


I'd like to see where it's been proven that water will penetrate a golf ball. Your 'proof' above isn't proof of penetration, it's proof of deposition of the solids in the dye ... totally different.

[w8liftr]

I've been happy with every purchase from them.

[bigred90gt]

[quote name='borker' timestamp='1309300526' post='3343410']
[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1309277341' post='3342198']
Who here thinks water will permeate the rubber or plastic used on a golf ball cover?
[/quote]

Doesn't matter what other here think, it has been tested and proven water will penetrate. While every test I have seen shows some penetration, they all vary in the amount and to what effect it had on the ball.


Do a simple test yourself if you have doubt. Put some red food coloring in some water and drop your favorite ball into this for a few days or weeks. Enjoy your new off-pink golf ball. You can make your own yellow balls this way using dye.

My experience with LGB.com was documented in another thread. Bottom line, I will not be buying from them in future. Their idea of "mint" is wildly different than what I reasonably think it should be.
[/quote]
I'll try this another way, without damage that penetrates the entire thickness of the outer cover, water will not permeate the urethane cover.

The only "proof" came from a magazine, who receives a large amount of ad money from manufacturers of new golf balls, that ran an article about their "testing". That magazine has a vested interest in "proving" that used golf balls do not perform the same as new golf balls.

If you want to know about performance loss, take 2 dozen balls, and put them in a bucket of water for a month or 2. Take those 2 dozen balls, along with 2 dozen new balls and go to an empty field (or a course when no one else is there) and hit all of them off of the tee. Compare the distance. Then pick a comfortable yardage for an approach with a short or mid iron, and hit all of them to the green and compare the difference. I'd be willing to bet there would be no difference in performance. Some would be shorter, some would be longer, but that would be the differences in your swing and ball striking ability.

[Crab Daddy]

There is a bit of an assumption that these balls sit in the water for weeks or months at a time. Does anybody know how often a heavily used course with note-worthy water hazards gets visited by the ball pickers? Many of the balls I have retrieved myself that have sat in water for some time seem to be permanently stained.
I can hardly see how a ball can lose performance if it sat in water for less than a week. And if it can retain and absorb water, can it also not lose water through evaporation?
I would be wary of a company that paints recovered balls, however.

[nickrut]

I'm very hesitant to believe that a golf ball will absorb water unless there is noticeable damage to the cover.

To the guy that suggested that you could dye a ball pink or whatever, what does that prove? Do that experiment and cut the ball in half. If the core of hte ball is pink, I'll believe you. If not, I'll stick with my theory that the dye is merely sticking to the pores that exist in the cover of hte ball (all materials have some level of pores)

[jswaykos]

If I colored my entire ball with a red sharpie, it'd be stained red. Why WOULDN'T the ball be red after soaking in food coloring? Seems like flawed logic to me. I've only ever ordered one 50 ball bucket from LGB and was pleased. MOST looked brand new, no logos or marks. Some had logos, some had players marks but nothing that 'ruined' the ball. Out of the 50, a few (three or four) were less than what I'd call 'mint' but they were certainly playable, and they we're in bad enough condition to warrant a complaint. For my next order, I may just save a few bucks and go with the AAAA quality, because they lose an "A" after a couple holes anyway.

[DoubleTap]

What I can see happening to balls that sit in water isn't them getting water logged somehow, but the 'stuff' in the water ... minerals and chemicals ... would be left on the surface of the ball after the water evaporates. I can't imagine any of that penetrating more than a few microns deep however, so if you're worried about it give them a bath in a diluted calcium remover like CLR. Any of the stuff deposited on the ball could easily be removed I'd think.

That said, I've played hundreds of used balls and never noticed any difference between new ones.

[Ugo DeRosa]

.....better yet, those that think balls from LGB are inferior, please continue to buy your balls at retail.... that just leaves more stock at LGB for the rest of us to buy.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

i just bought NIke ONe Tour D balls for a $1 per ball shipped from them. I also didn't know which grade to choose but took a chance on the near mint AAAA and they are better than expected. They have small pen marks or a few with logos but as far as playability they are near perfect. no scuffs, cuts, or discoloration.

[cristphoto]

I don't play any previously owned balls but if I did I'd be sure to only purchase the newest model available. Since these are virtually all fished out of water hazards I wouldn't trust a ball that's possibly been submerged for a couple years. Besides, right now there are numerous deals on tour quality balls for super cheap prices. Nike One Tour and Tour D - $20; Taylor Made TP Black LDP - 2 dozen for $50; Taylor Made Penta - buy 2 dozen get one dozen free - $39 dozen (equates to $26/dozen). Callaway also has some models that are buy 2 dozen, get 1 dozen free.