How long is ok for balls to be in water???

[Reesedw]

I know Dean Snell has stated that balls absorb water.  I know there are people who retrieve a ball out of the water, the ball looks perfect so they keep it and move on. But at what point does it start affecting performance? How long before  they are  affected by the water? Five min? they are ok, an hour? 2, 3, maybe 2 days.. thoughts? WIll they dry out over 2 days, a week, a month?? 

The ball retriever review got me thinking, Quoted from the review  " So if you’ve dialed in your game, why would we be content to let any of that equipment sit at the bottom of the lake or in some questionable rough? Protect your investment! " 

Just thinking any thoughts?? Would you play a ProV you pull out of a lake that looks brand new, even thought you do not know how long its been in there??? 

[pozzit]

5 minutes ago, Reesedw said:

I know Dean Snell has stated that balls absorb water.  I know there are people who retrieve a ball out of the water, the ball looks perfect so they keep it and move on. But at what point does it start affecting performance? How long before  they are  affected by the water? Five min? they are ok, an hour? 2, 3, maybe 2 days.. thoughts? WIll they dry out over 2 days, a week, a month?? 

The ball retriever review got me thinking, Quoted from the review  " So if you’ve dialed in your game, why would we be content to let any of that equipment sit at the bottom of the lake or in some questionable rough? Protect your investment! " 

Just thinking any thoughts?? Would you play a ProV you pull out of a lake that looks brand new, even thought you do not know how long its been in there??? 

This is a great question and I have no idea what it actually would be. I have heard anything from 2 hours to 24 hours and the ball is fine. 

Vice recommends 12 hrs https://www.vicegolf.com/us/forget_lakeballs#:~:text=After just twelve hours in,to enter into the ball.

I tend to only keep the ball that I actually hit in the water if its not it then I leave it there for others. 

[Larryd3]

I'll only use my own if it's in the water.  I give any others away.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I'll retrieve and use mine if it went in the water. All most others would get put in a bin for use in a net. The high end balls would be for use on my simulator. The Optishot2 only looks at club speed and club angle so a water ball would show as performing as good as a new ball.  

[TBT]

Mine start to shrivel after a few hours

Sorry couldn’t resist


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[Reesedw]

18 hours ago, TBT said:

Mine start to shrivel after a few hours

Sorry couldn’t resist


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Then clearly they have been in the water too long.... LOL

[Kenny B]

I will fish mine out if I can.  Any PV1 balls I retrieve while looking for mine are put in my bag for chipping practice.

[tony@CIC]

Mine start to shrivel after a few hours

Sorry couldn’t resist


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Haha I was thinking the same thing


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[TeeBrain]

Sounds like a perfect subject for an MGS test.

[Letthebigdogshunt]

If you hit your ball in the water it is fine to pick it out and use it again. From what I have seen on some golf sites balls retrieved from the water are fine unless they have been in there for months. I think most of the used ball companies go to courses and retrieve balls from ponds and lakes. I have used them from time to time and have had no problems with the ball being affected by the time in the water. That is my experience, but don't take my word for it. Search the internet I am sure there is more info on this. 

I found a site, golf ball divers. They tested balls that they put in a simulated water hazard for one  and three months. Then tested them on trackman against new balls and found they react pretty much the same as the balls that were in the water for months. There are probably more companies that do this as well. 

 

Edited August 29, 2020 by Letthebigdogshunt

[doctorgriffo]

On 8/29/2020 at 8:22 AM, Letthebigdogshunt said:

If you hit your ball in the water it is fine to pick it out and use it again. From what I have seen on some golf sites balls retrieved from the water are fine unless they have been in there for months. I think most of the used ball companies go to courses and retrieve balls from ponds and lakes. I have used them from time to time and have had no problems with the ball being affected by the time in the water. That is my experience, but don't take my word for it. Search the internet I am sure there is more info on this. 

I found a site, golf ball divers. They tested balls that they put in a simulated water hazard for one  and three months. Then tested them on trackman against new balls and found they react pretty much the same as the balls that were in the water for months. There are probably more companies that do this as well. 

 

I go down to the beach with my son and we go golf ball hunting - we give any ones in decent condition we find to the local middle school, and I keep the premium balls that look in good nick. We find 70-80 balls every time we go down and I have dozens of pro v1s in the garage. I tested them on my launch monitor and the ones that look good perform exactly the same as new ones - you can tell if they have been in the water a while, and these ones get discarded.

a local high schooler fished thousands of balls out of the ocean - 

 

[tony@CIC]

I go down to the beach with my son and we go golf ball hunting - we give any ones in decent condition we find to the local middle school, and I keep the premium balls that look in good nick. We find 70-80 balls every time we go down and I have dozens of pro v1s in the garage. I tested them on my launch monitor and the ones that look good perform exactly the same as new ones - you can tell if they have been in the water a while, and these ones get discarded.
a local high schooler fished thousands of balls out of the ocean - 
[/url]  

That video is amazing


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[Firebird]

I sat beside the MD of Acushnet ANZ at a charity event and we had a really interesting discussion on golf balls. I asked him about using balls that had been in the water and he said that it depended on the type of cover, if the cover is scuffed and the quality of the water. A Urethane covered ball like Pro V in clean water should be still ok for 5-7 days, however if the water is polluted or acidic then it could be as little a 8-12 hours. He also said that scuff marks break the seal and will allow water to penetrate the cover much quicker. Fusablend/Lonomer will last allot longer in water but again it all depends on how badly the cover is scuffed up.