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Possible Counterfeit Golf Balls


bzielinski

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Recently purchased some 5A Titleist balls on Ebay.

Ordered 48 yellow AVX, every ball looked like they were fresh from package, no player marks, not even the slightest nick or scuff. Every Ball had the same number. When i questioned the vendor he said if I was nervous I could return the balls. Wwhich I did .

Bought some of the new Yellow Prov 1X from another vendor. Again every ball looked just like brand new, No player marks or any evidence that had ever  been hit.

Cut one open and tweeted image it to #finditcutit and also to @titleist.

Both vendors claim THEY do not repaint or rebrand either of these orders. It is my suspicion that they are buying new yellow unbranded balls and having the Titleist logo and info applied. Both vendors have over 1000 positive feedback.

I have emailed Titleist with the vendor info for them to investigate.

Bud

 

 

 

 

 

 

Titleist Yellow Pro V1X.jpg

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just curious who were the ebay sellers

Left Hand orientation

:taylormade-small:SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft 

Cobra  Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft
:ping-small:  410  Hybrids 22*, 26*

Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts 

:titelist-small: SM7 54* Wedge

:ping-small: Glide 3.0  60* Wedge

:odyssey-small: O Works putter

:ShotScope: V3
:918457628_PrecisionPro:NX9-HD

:CaddyTek: - 4 Wheel 

EZGO TXT 48v cart
:footjoy-small: - too many shoes to list and so many to buy

:1590477705_SunMountain: And  BAG Boy

Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 

2020 Official Teste:SuperSpeed: Beginning Driver Speed  - 78

2019 Official Tester :ping-small:  410 Driver

2018 Official Tester :wilson-small: C300

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1 hour ago, jlukes said:

eBay is probably the last place I'd by golf balls 

Right? Especially if buying something like refurbished/found balls. 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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4 minutes ago, bzielinski said:

Have given Titleist the names and will post them after they have a chance to look into this

Why not post save others from potentially making same mistake 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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23 hours ago, bzielinski said:

OK the vendors were "clearchoice"  and "lostgolfballsretail"

Interesting - I  order 5A Titleist balls direct  from Lostgolfballs.com. Not sure if this is the same as Lostgolfballsretail on ebay. Your post and their having the same number on them intrigued me so I went ahead and cut one of the ProV1X's that I just ordered from them. You can see in the pic that it conforms to the quality of what I'd expect a ProV1X to look like.  Note I order the 2019 version @$27/doz which is more expensive than the ones on ebay that I looked at. 

IMG_6342.JPG

Left Hand orientation

:taylormade-small:SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft 

Cobra  Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft
:ping-small:  410  Hybrids 22*, 26*

Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts 

:titelist-small: SM7 54* Wedge

:ping-small: Glide 3.0  60* Wedge

:odyssey-small: O Works putter

:ShotScope: V3
:918457628_PrecisionPro:NX9-HD

:CaddyTek: - 4 Wheel 

EZGO TXT 48v cart
:footjoy-small: - too many shoes to list and so many to buy

:1590477705_SunMountain: And  BAG Boy

Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 

2020 Official Teste:SuperSpeed: Beginning Driver Speed  - 78

2019 Official Tester :ping-small:  410 Driver

2018 Official Tester :wilson-small: C300

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looks like it's the same company. Did any of the balls you rec'd looked they had ever been hit or have any player marks ?

note the reply from the vendor in one place it says lostgolfballsretail and at the end lostgolfballs

New message from: lostgolfballsretail Top Rated Seller(89,825PurpleShooting Star)

Bud,
Thank you for reaching out to me about this. You are correct, by law Refinished/Refurbished golf ball must have that written on the golf ball. I can confirm that these golf balls have not been refinished, as we do not refinish AVX Yellow golf balls, and all of our refinished golf balls have Refinished written on them. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks!

Thank You For Using LostGolfBalls!

 
 

and in the return authorization

 

Mr. Zxxx

The attachment to this email is a prepaid return shipping label. If you could please print it out, attach it to the box and drop it off at your nearest FedEx facility, that will complete the return process. Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything further. Thanks!

 

Best Regards,

Matthew Campbell
E-Commerce Customer Relations Supervisor
866.639.4819 Ext.276
MatthewC@LostGolfBalls.com



12505 Reed Rd Ste150~Sugar Land TX, 77478

 

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No marks on them - they were in pristine condition. Note I have bought refinished balls in the past from another source and after 18 holes they were pretty beat up. The ones i bought (2019 Pro V1x's) had no marks even after playing multiple rounds. You can also  see from my pic that they were of better quality than the pic you had in your original post. 

I think their response about returns speaks volumes as to their credibility. 

Left Hand orientation

:taylormade-small:SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft 

Cobra  Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft
:ping-small:  410  Hybrids 22*, 26*

Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts 

:titelist-small: SM7 54* Wedge

:ping-small: Glide 3.0  60* Wedge

:odyssey-small: O Works putter

:ShotScope: V3
:918457628_PrecisionPro:NX9-HD

:CaddyTek: - 4 Wheel 

EZGO TXT 48v cart
:footjoy-small: - too many shoes to list and so many to buy

:1590477705_SunMountain: And  BAG Boy

Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 

2020 Official Teste:SuperSpeed: Beginning Driver Speed  - 78

2019 Official Tester :ping-small:  410 Driver

2018 Official Tester :wilson-small: C300

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On 11/4/2019 at 8:55 AM, tony@CIC said:

No marks on them - they were in pristine condition. Note I have bought refinished balls in the past from another source and after 18 holes they were pretty beat up. The ones i bought (2019 Pro V1x's) had no marks even after playing multiple rounds. You can also  see from my pic that they were of better quality than the pic you had in your original post. 

I think their response about returns speaks volumes as to their credibility. 

like you the 48 balls I rec'd were pristine, just like they just fell out of the sleeve.

So how many people do you think it would take to find 48 totally unmarked YELLOW Prov V1x (remember they just started making the yellow ones this this year).

Isn't it more plausible that these are brand new balls from some manufacturer that are branded as Pro V1x ???

The return policy works in their favor to hold complaints. Everyones happy, the customer gets their money back and they get the balls back to sell to some other unsuspecting golfer.

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Thought provoking question especially since there are a number of resellers of used golf balls. I would think the more reputable places probably get many of their balls from the Tour. I know when I was at an LPGA event and watched the ladies play they had stacks and stacks of golf balls. Are those sold later sold to those retailers? Plus think about all the golfers and the number of balls they buy that are then lost. For instance just last week I found 3 brand spanking new AVX balls - 2 white and 1 yellow. If I was patient, I could probably fish through our ponds every week and find an entire summer supply of golf balls. 

Left Hand orientation

:taylormade-small:SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft 

Cobra  Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft
:ping-small:  410  Hybrids 22*, 26*

Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts 

:titelist-small: SM7 54* Wedge

:ping-small: Glide 3.0  60* Wedge

:odyssey-small: O Works putter

:ShotScope: V3
:918457628_PrecisionPro:NX9-HD

:CaddyTek: - 4 Wheel 

EZGO TXT 48v cart
:footjoy-small: - too many shoes to list and so many to buy

:1590477705_SunMountain: And  BAG Boy

Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 

2020 Official Teste:SuperSpeed: Beginning Driver Speed  - 78

2019 Official Tester :ping-small:  410 Driver

2018 Official Tester :wilson-small: C300

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1 hour ago, tony@CIC said:

Thought provoking question especially since there are a number of resellers of used golf balls. I would think the more reputable places probably get many of their balls from the Tour. I know when I was at an LPGA event and watched the ladies play they had stacks and stacks of golf balls. Are those sold later sold to those retailers? Plus think about all the golfers and the number of balls they buy that are then lost. For instance just last week I found 3 brand spanking new AVX balls - 2 white and 1 yellow. If I was patient, I could probably fish through our ponds every week and find an entire summer supply of golf balls. 

Doubt they come from the tour.  When I volunteered at a Symetra event they took the balls from event to event.   LPGA and PGA probably donate to youth golf.   The resellers probably get the balls from the companies that are contracted to clean out the lakes or they have their own staff that dives the ponds.  

https://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/divers-make-living-diving-used-golf-balls-golf-courses

 

 

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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Doubt they come from the tour.  When I volunteered at a Symetra event they took the balls from event to event.   LPGA and PGA probably donate to youth golf.   The resellers probably get the balls from the companies that are contracted to clean out the lakes or he they have their own staff that dives the ponds.  
https://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/divers-make-living-diving-used-golf-balls-golf-courses
 
 

I read about the guy that does this - diving and pulling thousands of balls out in a days time.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Left Hand orientation

:taylormade-small:SIM 2 D Max with Fujikura Air Speeder Shaft 

Cobra  Radspeed 3W/RIptide Shaft
:ping-small:  410  Hybrids 22*, 26*

Cobra Speed Zone 6-GP/Recoil ESX 460 F3 Shafts 

:titelist-small: SM7 54* Wedge

:ping-small: Glide 3.0  60* Wedge

:odyssey-small: O Works putter

:ShotScope: V3
:918457628_PrecisionPro:NX9-HD

:CaddyTek: - 4 Wheel 

EZGO TXT 48v cart
:footjoy-small: - too many shoes to list and so many to buy

:1590477705_SunMountain: And  BAG Boy

Golf Balls: Vice Pro Plus 

2020 Official Teste:SuperSpeed: Beginning Driver Speed  - 78

2019 Official Tester :ping-small:  410 Driver

2018 Official Tester :wilson-small: C300

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12 hours ago, tony@CIC said:


I read about the guy that does this - diving and pulling thousands of balls out in a days time.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Read a few stories about the guys that make pretty good money diving for balls.  They are probably the exception in the business and there are lots of hazards depending on where you are doing the diving....gators, snakes, snapping turtles, etc. 

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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Allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment.  Wouldn't it be worth spending a little extra on new balls to avoid this sort of thing?  In my opinion it is.  That way you only need to worry about quality control at the factory.  I understand the desire to save money on golf balls by buying used/refurbished especially if you lose them really fast (we've all had THOSE rounds).  I've done bought refurbished ProV1s from Walmart a couple times.  I played a few rounds with them but just use them for short game practice now.  Stocking up during good sales like the buy 3 get one free sales that have become a mainstay still gets you a pretty good price all things considered.  Those are my thoughts.

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On 11/1/2019 at 9:35 AM, jlukes said:

eBay is probably the last place I'd by golf balls 

 

... I have bought golf balls on eBay but only new balls from reputable sources with plenty of feedback. That said, I would never buy used balls, especially on eBay. As always, if a deal seems too good to be true it almost assuredly is. 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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  • 1 year later...
9 hours ago, TDMmatrix said:

I sell on ebay and i hand check every ball for authenticity and quality ... u can trust ebay vendors 

u can trust ebay vendors

And this is your first post?

Driver: :titelist-small: TSI3 - 10*, Hzrdus Smoke 6.0 Stiff

Driver: :taylormade-small: Stealth Plus - 10.5*, Oban Kiyoshi Purple O4Flex-65 Grams Purred
3 Wood: :taylormade-small: SIM - 15*, Graphite Design Tour AD DJ5 Stiff
Hybrid: :titelist-small: TS3 - 19*, Hzrdus Smoke 6.0 Stiff
Irons: :titelist-small:  5 - PW T150, with Nippon Zelos 7 Reg, 4 iron - U505 with Project X HZRDUS Black Stiff

Wedges: :titelist-small: Vokey SM 8 - 50*, 60* Standard Wedge Shafts

Wedge: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 3 MG3 56* S200 shaft

Putter:  :scotty-cameron-1: Studio Select Newport 1.5        
Putter:  :scotty-cameron-1: Phantom X 5.5
Ball: :titelist-small: Pro V1x

 

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1 hour ago, GaDawg said:

u can trust ebay vendors

And this is your first post?

 

... 🤣 

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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Personally, I have had great experiences on eBay buying and selling so far with ~40 or so transactions. I'm sure I will have a bad one eventually but if you are slightly selective about picking your spots (avoid prices that are too good to be true, no/little seller history, bad reviews, only stock photos) you can find some really good deals! Also, I tend to message most sellers before bidding/buying too.

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With the 5A the could possibly be an old prototype ball...hope to hear what Titleist has to say....personally, just do not purchase items off of eBay......there is always a rotten apple in every barrel...especially if you are purchasing from overseas.....

 

 

Driver - TSi3 10.75* - Fujikura Speeder 661 TR

Fairway - TSi2 14.25* - Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 6.1 

Fairway - TSR1 17.0* - Fujikura Vista Pro 65S

Hybrid - TSR1 20.0* - Fujikura Atmos Red Tour 75  

Hybrid - TSR1 23.0* - Fujikura Atmos Red Tour 75

Irons - T350 (2023) - 6-48W - True Temper AMT Red 95g-107g

Wedges - Vokey SM9 - 52.08F, 56.10S - True Temper AMT Red 94 

**  GolfPride MCC +4 Midsize Grips  (all woods/irons/wedges)

Putter - 2023 Scotty Cameron Super Select Squareback 2 35" 

**  Superstroke 1.0 Pistol Grip  

Golf Ball - TITLEIST - Prov1s (2023)                                                         

Golf Bags - TITLEIST  - Cart 14 (black), Mid Size Tour (black/white)

Golf Glove - FootJoy (StaSof), Shoes, Apparel and Outerwear        

Rangefinder - Bushnell Pro XE

 

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1 minute ago, ChuckZ said:

With the 5A the could possibly be an old prototype ball...hope to hear what Titleist has to say....personally, just do not purchase items off of eBay......there is always a rotten apple in every barrel...especially if you are purchasing from overseas.....

 

 

... I have found eBay to be safe if you only deal with US sellers that have tons of positive feedback. I broke that rule once with a new P760 4 iron from someone with about 20 positive feedbacks and it turned out to be counterfeit. It was priced reasonably and the pictures looked good. He refused to issue a refund and eBay stepped in and refunded my money.  

Driver:     :taylormade-small:  Qi10 10.5* ... Ventus Red Velocore 5R
Fairway:  :cobra-small: Aerojet 3/5 ... Kai'li Blue 60R
Hybrids:  :ping-small:      430 Hybrid 22*... Steelfiber 780Hy 
                  :taylormade-small:  DHy #4 ... Diamana LTD 65r 
Irons:       :titleist-small:         '23 T200 5-Pw ... Steelfiber i95r
Wedges:  :taylormade-small: Vokey 50*/54*/58* ... Steelfiber i95r
Putter:     :cobra-small:  Sport-60 33" 
Ball:           Maxfli     Maxfli Tour

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I always stock up on the buy three get four deals on new balls, but also buy mint Titleist balls on eBay from time to time. I always read the Seller’s feedback and description in great detail and usually only buy a dozen or so for days when I am not swinging as well and may burn through a few. And I NEVER buy refurbished balls or water balls. 

  • TaylorMade Stealth2+ 9° - Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore 5-S
  • TaylorMade M5 15° - Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore 6-S
  • Callaway CF-18 18° - KBS Tour Prototype 85 S
  • Srixon 4-AW Nippon Modus 3 105 R
  • Cleveland ZipCore 54° Mid and 58° Mid DG Spinner
  • Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2 35"
  • Titleist Pro V1
  • Arccos Gen 3 sensors
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I have bought 5A or so golf balls used a few times. Generally I buy Vice Pro Plus, but my alternative is Bridgestone Tour BX. When Vice has had shortages I've bought used BX's. It is hard to counterfeit the dimple pattern and reactiv cover.

Visit my blog! Cruskatergolf.com for reviews, pictures, travel tips, and more!

Callaway Mavrik Subzero 9*,  Project X Hrzdus Black 65

Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Fairway 15* 

Callaway Rogue Hybrid 19*

TaylorMade Gapr Lo 4 Iron 

Callaway Rogue Irons (5-AW) Dynamic Gold X100

Callaway Mack Daddy 4 Wedges 

Ball: Vice Pro Plus / Bag: Sun Mountain 4.5 Cobalt Blue

 

 

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There are no "deals" on any golf balls, unless they come from the manufacturer or an authorized retailer with an authorized manufacturer's promotion. PERIOD!

Certified Club Fitter.

Ping G425 Max Driver 10.5° w/Fujikura Ventus TR

Ping G425 Max 5-7-9 Fairway Woods w/Ping Alta CB

Ping G425 Irons 5-U w/Ping Alta CB (Power-Spec Lofts)

Ping 4.0 Eye2 Glide Wedges 54°-58° w/Recoil SmacWrap

Ping Redwood ZB Putter w/PP58

PING Pioneer Cart Bag

Lamkin Sonar+ Wrap Mid-Size Grips

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I recently bought 4 dozen Taylormade TP 5's from the lost golf ball website.  They are pristine but I'm telling myself they're not counterfeit 🤔  I did back up one this morning with a lob wedge and I only do that about twice a year.  If it is a fake, it's a good fake.

14 of the following:

Ping G430 Max 10.5 degree

Callaway 2023 Big Bertha 3 wood set to 17 degrees

Cobra F9 Speedback 7/8 wood set at 23.5 degrees

Callaway Epic Max 11 wood

Ping Eye 2 BeCu 2-SW

Mizuno 923 JPX HM HL 6-GW

Hogan sand wedge 56 degree bent to 53

Maltby M Series+ 54 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 Eye2 58 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 60 degree

Evnroll ER2

Ping Sigma 2 Anser

Cheap Top Flite mallet putter from Dick's, currently holding down first place in the bag

TaylorMade Mini Spider

Bridgestone XS

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