Pro V's Under UV Light (Weird)

[ryanokeefe 19]

Recently purchased 2 dozen "Mint Grade" used balls.. They're performing a little weird but I put it down to my inconsistency, not the balls.
I also happened to purchase a UV torch recently (unrelated to the hype of finding lost balls at the moment).

Messing around, I discovered that the used Pro V1's I purchased have a weird finish under the UV light that doesn't align with some of the older model Pro V1/1x's I have lying around.

I don't have any 2020 balls to compare these to so I'm going to grab a sleeve of fresh ProV1's tomorrow to see if they have the same irregular finish. Until then, my conclusion is that I've either been duped with refinished balls or the finish on new ProV's are odd, to say the least.

 

[tony@CIC 20,020]

That's very interesting.  If we have chemists on the Forum maybe they can explain what the UV light is telling us. 

EDIT: I also just noticed they mixed in some Xs with that purchase. 

[GolfSpy_THV 1,124]

20 minutes ago, ryanokeefe said:

Recently purchased 2 dozen "Mint Grade" used balls.. They're performing a little weird but I put it down to my inconsistency, not the balls.
I also happened to purchase a UV torch recently (unrelated to the hype of finding lost balls at the moment).

Messing around, I discovered that the used Pro V1's I purchased have a weird finish under the UV light that doesn't align with some of the older model Pro V1/1x's I have lying around.

I don't have any 2020 balls to compare these to so I'm going to grab a sleeve of fresh ProV1's tomorrow to see if they have the same irregular finish. Until then, my conclusion is that I've either been duped with refinished balls or the finish on new ProV's are odd, to say the least.

 

First fake Scotty Cameron's and now fake PRO V1's??

 

Pure speculation on my part, but that is very odd and since you mentioned they are performing weird I wouldn't put it past some scammer to relabel rocks as Pro V1's to make a few extra bucks. Maybe send some to Tony to get to the bottom of it?

[ryanokeefe 19]

2 hours ago, tony@CIC said:

That's very interesting.  If we have chemists on the Forum maybe they can explain what the UV light is telling us. 

EDIT: I also just noticed they mixed in some Xs with that purchase. 

The X's are just some I had laying around. The purchase was of the 2020 Pro V1's only. Strangely, the middle and right balls on the bottom row are 2020 Pro V1's from the used order and they don't show much illumination at all. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by ryanokeefe

[chosenhandle 13]

@Johnsmalls just posted this TGW video in the Wilson Raw discussion. About 3/4 of the way through they use a UV light to show uneven paint distribution. It looks just like your pic.

 

 

[Middler 2,716]

6 hours ago, tony@CIC said:

That's very interesting.  If we have chemists on the Forum maybe they can explain what the UV light is telling us. 

EDIT: I also just noticed they mixed in some Xs with that purchase. 

Yes, I’m curious what that means too, I’m assuming some are refinished as the OP guessed. I didn’t realize golf balls were so easy to find with UV at night. Some of my “I only play golf balls I find” might be interested.

https://youtu.be/fphpqMLbT2I

 

[GolfSpy_THV 1,124]

3 hours ago, chosenhandle said:

@Johnsmalls just posted this TGW video in the Wilson Raw discussion. About 3/4 of the way through they use a UV light to show uneven paint distribution. It looks just like your pic.

 

You're probably right, especially since they are used balls and the paint could have worn a bit thin in spots from play or even from the factory.

[Siamese Moose 489]

You can always cut one open. I'd choose whichever one played the "weirdest".

[HeathS16 1,862]

You can always cut one open. I'd choose whichever one played the "weirdest".

Find it/buy it...cut it [emoji16]


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[ryanokeefe 19]

Update - purchased a sleeve of fresh 2020 ProV1's. They are the 3 x #8 balls on the top row.

The surface under UV Light is uniform and bright. 

I would assume that if the ununiform finish of the other balls was caused by cleaning/use, the "wear" wouldn't be as consistent or as gradual. I could be wrong though. There is also a ProV1X in the bunch that is well used and maintains it's illumination all over.

The parts that do illuminate on the used balls are similar in look to the fresh-out-of-the-box balls. 

Given that the illumination appear to be coming from the clear coat (in this situation), you would think that the parts of the balls that aren't illuminating over the entire surface would either have; no clear coat in the darker spots(doesn't appear to be the case) or that these balls may be refinished after having some minor surface defects removed and then a different type of clearcoat applied.

[ryanokeefe 19]

Another note: I've cut 2 of them apart and they are the latest model Pro V1's at the core. So I guess it just leaves the refinishing vs very weird wear question.

[greggarner 714]

11 hours ago, ryanokeefe said:

Update - purchased a sleeve of fresh 2020 ProV1's. They are the 3 x #8 balls on the top row.

This is WILD. I can't believe how different they are. The new ones look like they just crawled out of a swamp or were bitten by a spider or something and then you have some used ones that barely show up at all!

a) I need to buy a UV light
and b) the guys at the shop are definitely going to ask me what I'm doing

[tony@CIC 20,020]

@ryanokeefeCare to share which source you got these, Lostballs.com, etc. 

[ryanokeefe 19]

5 hours ago, tony@CIC said:

@ryanokeefeCare to share which source you got these, Lostballs.com, etc. 

these are from lostgolfballs.com.au
the balls were "2020 Pro V1 - AAAAA Mint Grade" .. I've just checked and only the "AAAA Near Mint Grade" are available right now.

[tony@CIC 20,020]

these are from lostgolfballs.com.au
the balls were "2020 Pro V1 - AAAAA Mint Grade" .. I've just checked and only the "AAAA Near Mint Grade" are available right now.

.

Hmmm interesting. My wife gets her yellow 5A Pro V 1Xs from lostgolfballs.com in the US. She hasn't noticed an issue and they guarantee their product but I'm still interested. Ultimately she'll probably be switching to MTB Black but in the meantime she has about 4 doz of the 1Xs to work through.


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[golfinnut 1,194]

Aren't most 2nd swing or "Mint Grade" golf balls all "resurfaced" with a new cheaper to manufacture coating anyway before they are resold??  

[ryanokeefe 19]

4 hours ago, golfinnut said:

Aren't most 2nd swing or "Mint Grade" golf balls all "resurfaced" with a new cheaper to manufacture coating anyway before they are resold??  

No, There are "recycled" and then there are "refinished" (so they say).
https://www.lostgolfballs.com.au/grading-system/ shows the stupid "A, AA, AAA, AAAA, AAAAA" system that this particular company uses for both styles.

[ryanokeefe 19]

11 hours ago, greggarner said:

This is WILD. I can't believe how different they are. The new ones look like they just crawled out of a swamp or were bitten by a spider or something and then you have some used ones that barely show up at all!

a) I need to buy a UV light
and b) the guys at the shop are definitely going to ask me what I'm doing

The UV light shows a surprising amount of additional detail that is tough to pick up with the naked eye.
Below image shows the same fresh-from-the-box Pro-V1. A basically invisible surface defect can easily be seen under the UV light.
 

[tony@CIC 20,020]

The UV light shows a surprising amount of additional detail that is tough to pick up with the naked eye.
Below image shows the same fresh-from-the-box Pro-V1. A basically invisible surface defect can easily be seen under the UV light.
 

It'd sure be interesting to hear from Tony Covey about the 'defects'. in the new Pro V.  I assume the letters are manufacturing marks - perhaps date of manufacture? 
BTW great close up photos. 

[ryanokeefe 19]

-Another Update-
I played 9 holes with one of the brand new balls, to see how it faired after some use. I played horribly so the ball saw 2 adventures into the water (retrieved with my I GOTCHA JAWZ), multiple bunker shots and a lot of chips after missed approach shots. I also went overboard with the ball washer on every tee box.
The images below show the #8 "New" ball after 9 holes, in between two of the "Mint used" golf balls. Visually, I would consider the #8 ball to be in worse condition than the used balls, after the 9 holes of play.

As you can see, there is still an even glow over the hole ball and no signs of any reduction in the surface illumination under the UV light, apart from sections that are affected by nicks from club grooves. 

I spoke to lostgolfballs.com.au via phone, today. Their rep vehemently denies that the ball is refinished. I asked how they wash their balls and was advised that the process is simply soapy water and a scrub.

If I take lostgolfballs.com.au's word for it; the only thing I can think of, that could cause the difference between the "used" and "new" balls is either: the extended stay in muddy water OR extended exposure to the sun. I'm interested to hear of any other theories. 

Either way, it's got me stumped.