Used golf balls? Comments?

[Conrad1953]

[quote name='Ugo DeRosa' timestamp='1309365533' post='3345558']
.....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.
[/quote]

+1 I remember about a year and a half ago buying Srixon AD333s for 5.95 a dozen grade
AAAAA. It was such a good deal I went back for more and they ran out.
Next time I looked they were 8.95 a dozen. Lately I've been buying Z Stars for 17.95 Dz.
grade AAAAA.

The only problem I have is their price on the Bridgestone B330RXS is too high. I wish it would
come down. It's the most expensive ball they sell. Way more than the other urethane balls.

[Blakester]

I've been buying various makes/models of tour-level balls from LBG.com for years - both 4 and 5A. Some have sharpie marks and some have logos. I think it is kind of cool to see what you get. Condition and performance is top-notch as far as I can tell. 4A is really not too much worse than 5A. Just got a dozen ProV1s and ProV1xs last week, actually. Can hardly tell they have been played!

Why pay $45 when you can pay $25?

[borker]

[quote name='bigred90gt' timestamp='1309356629' post='3345028']
The only "proof" came from a magazine,...
[/quote]

WRONG.


Here are other two 3rd party tests. Like I said, every test I have seen (including the two here and Golf Digest one) all showed water getting to the core within 10 days. The only variance among the tests were how much effect there was on the ball.

[url="www.performanceindicator.com/golf/PI_techoverview.pdf"]www.performanceindicator.com/golf/PI_techoverview.pdf[/url]

[url="http://golfballselector.com/golf/generic!viewTechwhitepaper.action"]My linkhttp://golfballselector.com/golf/generic!viewTechwhitepaper.action[/url]

Next time you used, water ball players are standing over a perfect lie 120y approach shot and felt you hit it perfect only to see it land in front bunker or next time sail over the green, have fun wondering if it was your swing or if it was that ball with its inconsistent distance from ball to ball and bucket to bucket.

Also, all of this was already discussed here:

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/469336-i-think-im-done-with-recycled-balls/"]I think I'm done with Recycled Balls[/url]

[sTmGolfer]

I live about 10 minutes from where LGB warehouse is located so I actually go up to their warehouse to buy balls. I ask for 2nd grade balls and they bring me a huge milk crate full of balls. At about $11 a dozen for Bridgestone B-330s that all look brand new, I'm a happy camper. Being able to fish through them is nice because I find balls that are impossible to determine if they've ever been hit.

They also make a one-size fits all golf glove that sells for roughly $7 that is cabretta leather that is AWESOME. Best glove I've ever owned.

[bigred90gt]

[quote name='borker' timestamp='1309400701' post='3347598']
WRONG.


Here are other two 3rd party tests. Like I said, every test I have seen (including the two here and Golf Digest one) all showed water getting to the core within 10 days. The only variance among the tests were how much effect there was on the ball.

www.performanceindicator.com/golf/PI_techoverview.pdf

[url="http://golfballselector.com/golf/generic%21viewTechwhitepaper.action"]My linkhttp://golfballselector.com/golf/generic!viewTechwhitepaper.action[/url]

Next time you used, water ball players are standing over a perfect lie 120y approach shot and felt you hit it perfect only to see it land in front bunker or next time sail over the green, have fun wondering if it was your swing or if it was that ball with its inconsistent distance from ball to ball and bucket to bucket.

Also, all of this was already discussed here:

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/469336-i-think-im-done-with-recycled-balls/"]I think I'm done with Recycled Balls[/url]
[/quote]
Again, check your sources. The first article is incredibly old, as it references wound balls. Materials have changed since the days of wound balls. This study was performed by Performance Indicator. About 5 seconds of effort shows that Performance Indicator is a company that makes materials that are designed to change color when immersed into water, and one of their products are color changing golf balls. Gee, I wonder what THEIR motivation is for the "results" of their study? Also, if you notice, they say they are performing:
Sorption/Desorption of water experiments
Mass Spetroscopy
Infrared analysis
Dynamic Mechanical Analysis
Differential Scanning Calorimetry
And Mechanical Characterization - to include Tensile Strength, Modulus Testing, Ultimate Strain, Hardness, and Resilience testing, all in accordance with ASTM standards.

One thing you may find peculiar (i know I do) is that their "results" of their "research and analysis" included absolutely no results from any of the tests. Their "results" are simply to say that balls absorb water. WOW. Show me the results of the baseline tests performed on new balls, and show me the results of the tests performed on each sample at each varying stage of water immersion, and I certainly hope there is more than 1 of each.

The 2nd article is from another company who most assuredly takes ad dollars from ball manufacturers.

I've never had a 120 yard approach shot come up short or fly the green because of anything other than bad contact or a bad swing. I instantly know the difference between a good/bad swing and good/bad ball contact. If I make good contact, it will fly the proper distance.

If YOU dont want to use used balls, fine, dont, but dont try to convince anyone else with BS articles (spun out by companies with vested interests in people buying new balls from them, or their customers) that there is anything wrong with mint quality used balls, because it is simply not true.

[Houstonhacker]

I recently received 50 5A Callaway Tour I(s) balls from LGB, and they seem fine to me. The price was definitely right. I can't justify the cost of a premium ball otherwise. My guess is that most of the 5A balls have only been hit once.

Count me among the skeptics of golf balls absorbing enough water to degrade their performance to an extent that could be measured. Even allowing for the possibility of some tiny amount of surface absorption, would the water not evaporate?

I want to thank the previous owners of my Callaways for paying full boat for the privilege of being the first to lose them.

[Jasarii]

I recieved my shipment of a 50 ball bucket from LGB today. I ordered the AAAA Taylormade TP Red LDP. Of the 50 balls, 15 of them had VERY VERY small play mark on them OR the remains of a very light sharpie ppen mark/dot. The other 35 balls were mint!!! I could not even tell they had been played before...not even sure why the were not marked as AAAAA.

[cristphoto]

[quote name='Houstonhacker' timestamp='1309454359' post='3350436']
I recently received 50 5A Callaway Tour I(s) balls from LGB, and they seem fine to me. The price was definitely right. I can't justify the cost of a premium ball otherwise. My guess is that most of the 5A balls have only been hit once.

Count me among the skeptics of golf balls absorbing enough water to degrade their performance to an extent that could be measured. Even allowing for the possibility of some tiny amount of surface absorption, would the water not evaporate?

I want to thank the previous owners of my Callaways for paying full boat for the privilege of being the first to lose them.
[/quote]


I buy new balls or play balls I find on the course. As stated earlier great deals can be found on new balls that takes some of the value away from the used balls. For example I've recently stocked up on the Taylor Made Pentas (but 2 dozen, get a free dozen). That works out to $26.66 per dozen. I just cheked out LostGolfBalls.com and they have used best quality Pentas for $24 per dozen (plus shipping). For this particular comparison the new balls would appear to be a much better deal. I have no idea about water seeping into the balls but I would probably be concerned about balls retrieved from ponds that were frozen over the winter. I'm in Maryland and our winters are moderate compared to nothern areas but the ponds do freeze up and I can't help but think that can't do the ball any good. The problem is nobody knows how long or under what condition the used balls experienced.

[cardia10]

Since everyone hits it 300 here anyway, what is 2 or 3 yards distance loss anyway!

[Golfer_LD]

I buy new balls or play balls I find on the course. As stated earlier great deals can be found on new balls that takes some of the value away from the used balls. For example I've recently stocked up on the Taylor Made Pentas (but 2 dozen, get a free dozen). That works out to $26.66 per dozen. I just cheked out LostGolfBalls.com and they have used best quality Pentas for $24 per dozen (plus shipping). For this particular comparison the new balls would appear to be a much better deal. I have no idea about water seeping into the balls but I would probably be concerned about balls retrieved from ponds that were frozen over the winter. I'm in Maryland and our winters are moderate compared to nothern areas but the ponds do freeze up and I can't help but think that can't do the ball any good. The problem is nobody knows how long or under what condition the used balls experienced.
[/quote]

It may be a better deal for that particular ball, but the ball I am most interested in are the Srixon Trispeed. Even with Dicks buy 2 get 1 free I still would only get 3 dozen for just under $65 after tax. I just check LostGolfBalls.com and they are selling a 50 ball tub of the 5A Srixon Trispeed for $34.95. If I work the site right, buy using the FRIEND coupon code (10% off) and the free shipping over $75, i can get 100 Srixon Trispeeds and a dozen Trispeed Tours for just over $76 dollars. Which is less than 70 cents a ball. I agree that the deal TM Penta may be a better deal...but the Trispeed would blow new balls out of the water (pun intended).

[bigred90gt]

[quote name='Golfer_LD' timestamp='1309522307' post='3355234']
It may be a better deal for that particular ball, but the ball I am most interested in are the Srixon Trispeed. Even with Dicks buy 2 get 1 free I still would only get 3 dozen for just under $65 after tax. I just check LostGolfBalls.com and they are selling a 50 ball tub of the 5A Srixon Trispeed for $34.95. If I work the site right, buy using the FRIEND coupon code (10% off) and the free shipping over $75, i can get 100 Srixon Trispeeds and a dozen Trispeed Tours for just over $76 dollars. Which is less than 70 cents a ball. I agree that the deal TM Penta may be a better deal...but the Trispeed would blow new balls out of the water (pun intended).
[/quote]

I agree. The people who are arguing for the "deals" available on new balls seem to forget that not everyone plays the same ball they do. I personally cannot stand the Penta. It is to the point that if I find one in the woods, I will leave it. Those balls, in my opinion, are pure garbage, so while yes, $26.66/doz for them may be a good deal to those who like them, I wouldnt pay $5/doz for them new.

Different strokes for different folks. I buy a ton of balls from them, all 5A mint, and have NEVER had ANY issues with the quality of ANY ball I've got from them. NONE of them flew inconsistent distances, and they ALL performed exactly as new balls, but for a fraction of the price. As I've said time and again, if someone does not want to play used balls from places like LGB, fine, dont, but dont try to put out BS to try to convince others that new balls are superior in performance, because it is simply not true.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

I would just like to thank those of you who spend the money to buy the overpriced 'new' balls fearing that the near mint balls are somehow the cause of you coming up short and sticking it in the bunker. I have to thank you for hooking that brand new ball in the woods and allowing me to buy that ball for a third of the price you spent on it.

I feel Budweiser needs a Bud Light real men of genius ad thanking the man who buys a dozen balls at $40 and hacks them OB on the first hole.

[DoubleTap]

[quote name='cardia10' timestamp='1309482528' post='3353500']
Since everyone hits it 300 here anyway, what is 2 or 3 yards distance loss anyway!
[/quote]

300? Pfft, with my 7 iron. I just pickup walnuts from my yard and use those. It's the only way I can keep from flying the end of the fairway

[lightgrip]

Never had a problem with LGB. The balls I have bought from them performed for me just like new. Great service IMO also.

[caad4rep]

I bought 150 Nike Tour D AAAA balls earlier this year. After receiving them I sorted them and found that about 100 were brand new and about 50 had minor scuffs. I was thrilled! I'd buy from them again.

[ktkn]

Everybody always talks about buying recycled balls Near Mint. Doesn't anybody out there buy the AAA?

[bagger05]

I've bought from them before and will again. The 5As are like brand new. Many of the 4As are on par with the 5As but have more ball markings on them. The 3As make for good practice balls. Fantastic value.

[nickrut]

[quote name='ktkn' timestamp='1310030128' post='3371142']
Everybody always talks about buying recycled balls Near Mint. Doesn't anybody out there buy the AAA?
[/quote]


I buy the AAAs because I can't justify the higher prices considering I can't tell much of a difference. Most balls are in very good shape. I've nevrer regretted getting AAAs and I've been through about 200 balls at this point.

[jeffrey r]

[quote name='ktkn' timestamp='1310030128' post='3371142']
Everybody always talks about buying recycled balls Near Mint. Doesn't anybody out there buy the AAA?
[/quote]

AAA's have generally been discolored to me, which just rubs me the wrong way visually, and I have more concerns about where they've been and how long they've been there. I feel better with AAAA and AAAAA and am willing to pay a premium for those (often not all that much), but to each his own.

[GolfinVan]

For those who are buying 100 or more balls at a time - how long does it take you to go through them all?

LGB might be a good deal when you buy in bulk like this, but it looks like the shipping costs for buying a dozen or two just kill all of the savings otherwise.

[boon44]

[quote name='GolfinVan' timestamp='1310058957' post='3372104']
For those who are buying 100 or more balls at a time - how long does it take you to go through them all?

LGB might be a good deal when you buy in bulk like this, but it looks like the shipping costs for buying a dozen or two just kill all of the savings otherwise.
[/quote]

Not exactly answering your "how long" question but I have a couple golfer buddies who have gotten addicted to my lostgolfballs.com action. When I go to order I know what balls they like and I tell them what the AAAA deal is on that ball and they usually want me to get them at least 3 dozen. Combine their order(s) and mine to hit the magic $75.00 order free ship and life is good. One of my good friends loves golf but is still a little wild shall we say. Everytime he hooks/slices into the woods/water (which can be frequent)he says out loud "Thank God for Lostgolfballs.com!!".

[jzyg]

I was turned on to them this year and bought multiple dozens (of different brands since I am looking for a real ball for me since I am more serious about my game now) and I went with the second highest grade (4A if I believe) and they were almost all perfect (some pen marks and logo's) only about 5% were some kind of surface mark. And those were so very minor they won't affect my game, yet :-). Highly recommend them. You can't go wrong, as they seem to have the best price, selection, quality and customer service around the net!

[lander215]

I've been buying from LGB for a few years now, never had any issues with them and I only buy the top quality. This year they had the Nike One Tour's in a 100 bucket, so I bought them first of the year. I still have about 3 dozen left. The only problem is I don't go searching for a ball if it strays because I figure for a buck, it's not worth the hassle.

I admit I didn't read every post here, but to those that say water permeates the golf ball, simple test would seem to be a weight comparison? If the ball is within the weight tolerance, what does it matter?

[tuffy]

You guys that always receive balls in better than expected condition are lucky. I just received 50 AAAA t-reds that I wouldn't grade AA. I ordered 50 tour d from them a year or so ago and about 40 of them were of the condition promised so I was satisfied considering the price. I could care less about sharpie marks or logos but scuffs and the the badly discolored balls shouldn't make it above AAA. Sorry for the rant.

[poops]

[quote name='tuffy' timestamp='1311114049' post='3405568']
You guys that always receive balls in better than expected condition are lucky. I just received 50 AAAA t-reds that I wouldn't grade AA. I ordered 50 tour d from them a year or so ago and about 40 of them were of the condition promised so I was satisfied considering the price. I could care less about sharpie marks or logos but scuffs and the the badly discolored balls shouldn't make it above AAA. Sorry for the rant.
[/quote]


Have to agree with you. Last week, I received 50 4A Pro V's. Everyone here always talks about how the balls are better than stated. Not in my case... Most of the balls I got were more like 3A or worse... Like tuffy said above, I don't mind logos or sharpies but, when I see scuffs on AAAA balls, that's kind of unexpected. I'll probably give it another try and see what happens...

[fore_life]

I think the type of ball you order seems to effect the quality of the ratings. I've ordered close to 500 balls from them now, and Callaway balls seem to come in the worst condition, while srixon and bridgestone are in the best condition. FWIW, I always buy 4A or 3A, in bulk. Last year I bought 200 nike one blacks and 100 platinum's,t hen I bought 100 nike tour d's and 100 srizon z-urc. The Tour D's were the best condition of them all.

[RJRJRJ]

If you arent happy, id give them a call or email. Id bet theyll be willing to make it better. They were great when I had a problem.

On a side note, ths is why ill really only order 5A. It seems like anything lower is open to too much interpretation about exact condition.

[Macklessdaddy]

just received 60 cally tour I(s) and 59 looked new although ten had company logos and 1 had a tiny scuff so I was very pleased for 13.95 a dozen and I spent 75 so free shipping


I did order the AAAAA

[ironmikey12]

[quote name='fore_life' timestamp='1311116720' post='3405674']
I think the type of ball you order seems to effect the quality of the ratings. I've ordered close to 500 balls from them now, and Callaway balls seem to come in the worst condition, while srixon and bridgestone are in the best condition. FWIW, I always buy 4A or 3A, in bulk. Last year I bought 200 nike one blacks and 100 platinum's,t hen I bought 100 nike tour d's and 100 srizon z-urc. The Tour D's were the best condition of them all.
[/quote]

I tend to agree. I bought AAA RX's and 11 of the 12 were easily AAAA if not mint. The AAAA e6's were also amazing. I do find, however, that the colored balls hide cart path marks better, so I've gotten a few AAAA balls that should have received lower grades, and would have if they were a standard white cover.

Many time my callaway tour i's were missing urethane and the proV's weren't always up to snuff.

I have basically cast aside tour balls in favor of the e6, so LGB is perfect for me.

[byronk]

Just got my second 50 ball bucket from them, 4A. This time it was E6's and out of the 50 only a couple had minor scuffs and most are like new, just like the first 50 I ordered a few months ago.