Used Golf Balls…Thumbs up or down?

[caryncgolfer]

I betcha some kid out there is tearing up a course grinding out par with a used ball somewhere.  You can almost see the ear to ear grin.

[Travis A in Central VA]

Is everyone aware the lostgolfballs is owned by Acushnet, the parent company of Titleist? This is all public knowledge as they are not a privately owned company. Lostgolfballs outsources their refinishing to another company in VA. Obviously, in effect, they would not want to have someone representing Titleist that produced poor results. This would reflect directly on them.

Urethane is inert in H20. So, unless there are other caustic chemicals in the water hazard that a used ball has been retrieved from, then there is no effect whatsoever on a ball being in water for any amount of time. One should be concerned of the source of these chemicals if there is something that has made the cover deteriorate. If the ball is compromised by its time in the water, then it is not a ball that could have been recycled OR refinished/refurbushed regardless. These compromised balls should have been tossed out during quality control. The yellowing of golf balls in water is a result of the tannins from leaves and other items that have fallen into water hazards over time. These balls are the ones that are selected for refinishing as the ball itself has not been affected, only it's appearance. 

There are currently three trusted companies supplying refinished and recycled balls to retailers in the USA. Professional Golf Services in Texas (lostgolfballs.com/Reload) in Dicks and Walmart, Challenge Golf in NC (Hit Me Again, no online presence) in Walmart, and Links Choice in VA (golfballnut.com/Tee It Again/Birdie Fuel) in Meijer, Dunham's, TJ Maxx, MArshalls, Sierra. MyGolfSpy should reach out to each of these for a direct test comparison. I am sure these companies would be willing to donate several dozen balls each to dispel any false assumptions. That being said, I know there are several other companies that "try" to refinish balls using old equipment and cheap materials. This video shows a test performed using one of these other companies and you can see the poor results of the process. These balls and video UK Refinished Test give the three good companies a bad look. I compare this to off brand China reproductions of good products. The results are never going to be to the level of the companies who have invested in good equipment, materials, and trained labor to sort and quality control these balls.

With over 300 million balls lost each year in the US alone, there will always be a market for this type of business. Of course, there will be better services provided by different companies. It is up to the consumer to identify and take advantage of this opportunity. Greens fees are never going down, the only way to save a buck is on equipment. Since clubs are not consumables (unless there is a mishap), naturally it falls to balls as gloves and tees are not renewable.

Edited January 18 by Travis A in Central VA

[Dweed]

Lostgolfballs.com is a decent place. It's been years since I have purchased any from them. I usually find enough to keep my shag bag well filled. As balls start to wear a bit, I donate them to the local range.

[Dweed]

@Travis A in Central VA. First off, thank you for the information that you have provided. Nicely done. @nd, welcome to the forum groups. Glad to have you on board. Keep up the good input.

[GolfSpy_APH]

This should be just about the easiest and simplest thumbs down I would say!

[Usmcgyrene]

I play Vice Pro Plus. They are cheap enough that I really wouldn't consider buying used balls. I know lots of players that insist on the pro V1. I've played them. Usually gifted to me. They play well. Not worth the extra money IMHO, especially since they are a little bit shorter for me. 

[Josh Parker]

I have bought the replays a time or two years ago and they were decent but now with so many options of great golf balls for almost the same price it doesn't make much sense. 

[sabramFL]

I've had good experience buying 5A and 4A balls from lost golf balls .com and foundgolf balls .com. With only very rare exception, I've found no difference in looks or distance as compared to new balls of the same year and model. 

[Stevew911]

Good morning golfers..I bought 2 dozen of 5+ prestin golf balls used onetime and I just should of bought new ones instead because they were not prestin what so ever. There are cheaper balls out there.. that are brand new..thumbs down for me..have a wonderful day golfer's and God bless 

[fozcycle]

I am looking at 8 dozen Maxfli Tours in my closet so I believe I am set for the year.

[Billy-Bo-Jim-Bob]

It will impact consistency 100%! But If you play more rounds because you saved money on balls then I’m all for it. 

[trike11]

The data says no.

[Jeremy26]

I get balls from Lost Golf Balls. I stay in the Mint to Pristine range, and have never been disappointed.

[Jonesie]

I used to be picky, nowadays not as much. I’ve realized that a ome of my lowest rounds or even my one Ace were played with cheap balls I had found in the woods. I like the idea of being “Green” and recycling, My home course is a ball eating machine with water along 15/18 holes. So I also like the idea of being frugal as well since many of my balls are “donated” to the course over 60 rounds I play there a year. (I play all my ProV’s on easier courses) I’ve used Lostgolfballs several times buying the Mint or near mint with zero complaints. 
 

so here is where I currently stand-
last year I found a guy locally who has family that are grounds keepers at  several courses in the area. They bring  found balls to his garage every day where he cleans & sorts them and puts them in Tupperware bins in sets of 50.
His garage walls are stacked floor to ceiling with every ball brand and model you could imagine. I’m like a kid in a candy store there. I’ll tell you this, it’s a super cheap way to try many different balls till you find the ball that meets your needs. Now for me, I’ve found that I can hit a titleist tour speed into the water and not get frustrated cause I only paid .70 cents for it. 

I know it’s not for everyone, but I’d say give ‘em try. It’s a small investment if you don’t like the used balls. 

[PJVicary]

Although as many have said, the price of the OTC balls is to the point where there is no real need to buy used. If however you want to turn to a reputable provider, I have used Two Guys With Balls in the past. Their quality is very good and they stand behind what they sell. That said my daughter gave my 5 dozen Titleist Tour Soft for Christmas, so I should be good for a while.

[Erin B]

Used golf balls are a no-no for me. I have read some articles about this and have had experiences on the course of a ball losing it's performance. Here is an article I recently found. https://www.links.golf/post/do-golf-balls-go-bad 

[tdc1]

I have/do use lost balls I find on my home course, especially the ones harvested the day after a big outing.  At least I can do my own sorting/grading/assessment adn decide which to play and which to give to a friend who sells from his garage (lives two blocks from the course).

I usually buy new when manufacturers offer bulk (e.g., Maxfli 4 doz. pack, Srixon 3-for-2, etc.) or my pro shop is clearing inventory (and letting me use my member discount).

I have also found reasonably good deals online for logo overruns which I've used to try a new brand/model.

[SeniorGolfer]

It may depend on the sorting and classification of the particular retailer, but I recently purchased some balls from Found Golf Balls. I wanted to buy some balls for the Winter season in Myrtle Beach and decided to go the used ball route. Having never done this before, I selected the retailer based on price and assortment. The pricing was great, particularly with the extra first order discount and free shipping. I purchased a dozen each of four different balls. Pristine Pro V1x (2021), Mint 5A Pro V1x (2021), Mint 5A Vice Pro Drip and Mint 5A Vice Pro. 
I was very pleased with the balls. As their website stated, the Pristine balls are no different than new ones, the mint balls have no marks or scars from play and are also no different than new ones except they are almost all logo balls and some have player ID markings. Probably because of the drip finish, the Vice Pro Drip balls did not have logos or ID marks. 
I have been using the Pristine Pro V1x balls since November and they look and perform just like new balls. My wife is very happy with the Mint 5A Vice Pro Drip balls and neither of us have started into the Mint 5A Pro V1x or Vice Pro balls. However, I expect they will also perform like new balls. 
Anyway, I would recommend used balls as a less expensive alternative to buying new depending on the grade of the balls. I, personally, would only consider Pristine or Mint 5A rated balls. 

Edited January 19 by SeniorGolfer
Typo

[EMacK1961]

I buy from Foundgolfballs.com and I have not had a single issue with their product. I do buy only mint balls. The quality drops off the farther down the rating system you go. For me, they make a decent alternative to the high price of a quality golf ball, especially one that will find O.B. or be lost in the H2O.

[jjanoch]

for high handicaps, used balls are fine....give me another Ammo box

[Shrek74]

Used Golf Balls - BAD!

Reconditioned Golf Balls - BAD!

Refurbished Golf Balls - BAD!

If money is the issue, buy new Maxfli Softfli/Straightfli or Titleist TruFeel or Callaway Warbird/Supersoft or Taylormade Distance+ or Srixon Softfeel or Wilson DuoSoft or Bridgestone e6 or our favorite budget ball fromKirkland. There are plenty of new options if it's a cost issue. But never go Used, Reconditioned, or Refurbished.

[kikbuti]

I refuse to play with a used ball.  It has already proven to be unreliable.  I need every stroke that I can get.  I don't want to lose a stroke because I am playing with a ball that has proven to be cursed. It's already been in the creek once. 

I reprimand players in my foursome about hunting and fishing for extra lost balls.  What was your first clue?  Move on!

[EnderinAZ]

There is a little local shop that sells "refurbished" balls and I have bought some from them with mixed results. Balls that have been in the water for a while have a definite sound and feel and distance loss as far as I am concerned. I started getting too many of that type of ball from this shop and have since stopped buying from them. 

[David Staller]

I have been buying used balls for years from Lostgolfballs.com of the 5a graded variety and have. always been satisfied with the quality of the balls and the pricing.  Every now and then I will buy a sleave of brand new balls to compare the performance.  I have found very little difference.

[Golf Dawg]

I’ve tried all kinds of “used” balls, from 4A+, overruns and super golf show deals. Growing up in FL, where pond balls were prevalent, I avoid most online balls.
While I prefer new show specials for my duo Softs ($1.50 - $2.50/ball), those deals are REALLY rare these days, especially now in BFE, where I have NO options.
When I lived in N IL, I’d stock up on deals, which I’m still living on 3 yrs later. But, they are running out… My criteria is simple, get the best I can get for < $3.00/ball.

That said, my game is NOT good enough to differentiate ball quality in my game, but eliminating other reasons, gives me some semblance of confidence - while exposing my consistently inconsistent game!

 

[StrokerAce]

In this case I'm going to assume that used is not the same thing as found; by that I mean your buddy goes looking for his ball in the woods (never you!) and comes back with 5 balls and tells you there are a couple "Pro V" in there you can have...

With that being said it sounds like I should test out lostgolfballs .... they seem to have some good feedback in this thread for the 5A models.

I think the actual ball is one thing that people overlook. It can actually make a difference and help your game. Something I hadn't realized or paid attention to until a few years ago, but I digress.

I've never bought used balls since there wasn't that much of a price difference and I was leery about the quality. Maybe I should consider it; I don't like to pay more than 40 a dozen.

Edited January 19 by StrokerAce

[smohan215]

Some stronger opinions in this thread than I was expecting!

I've played a TON of used balls from LostGolfBalls.com over the years. I typically stuck with a 4A ProV1. It always made more sense to me to buy 4A ProV1s at $18/dz instead of new TruFeels or whatever else in that category; because realistically the used ProV1s are probably still inside the manufacturing tolerances allowed for cheaper balls. And really, for balls, the biggest priority would be consistency.

The first thing I'll say about buying/using used balls is that you should probably stick with flagship models (since those will have more durable covers than cheaper balls) and to stick with 4A or above - and NEVER refinished. Refinished balls have been some of the worst balls I've ever hit and are definitely not worth touching a club with. Also, on most used balls sites (at least for ProV1 models) they'll differentiate by year, so the batch you get will all be from the same model year; I would definitely offer as a pro-tip to buy those since, a) you'll more likely have greater consistency between balls, and b) those batches would have necessarily gone through an additional QA for them to be sorted.

So when buying used balls: go with a flagship model from a reputable seller, stick with 4A or above and never refurbished, and select a batch with a specific model year.

This past season I played used ProV1 2021s, and new ProV1 2021s and 2023s in practice rounds and competitive rounds. The BIGGEST difference I'll notice in a used ball vs a new ball: the cover on the new ball is much brighter. New balls are much easier to find. So in a strokes-gained analysis of new vs used for myself: I'd score better with new balls, but really a lot of times those were strokes saved by not having to take a drop on a lost ball that should have been found.

But as far as performance between used and new? In my experience it's been vanishingly different. If I were to put it on a Trackman, I'd probably get a couple extra yards with driver and a couple hundred extra RPM with irons and wedges - so there is a difference. But that difference is less than two of my swings back-to-back as a mid/high-capper. There is not a single shot I took on a course last season and I thought "ah, if I had been using new balls, that would have been a good shot - but because it was a used ball it duck hooked". That's just not the reality of it.

[MIgowfer59]

I understand the context of your question - my reply?  How do you know once the "used golf balls" are sold, that they are not simply mixed within "refurbished golf balls?  I worked at a golf course that replaced range balls 1x per year - "used" was REALLY "used."

True confession - I keep 4 or 5 for "water balls" on a Par 3.

[Old Texian]

I often play as a single, and when not pressed have enjoyed scouting the woods and water holes for lost balls. I've decided that I will no longer use a water hole ball unless it's one I've just dunked, because I've seen some data on the waterlog effect. So I'm also not interested in buying used balls because I have no idea of how long they've spent soaking. I'll still use nice-looking balls found in the woods unless they have obvious squirrel tooth marks.

[MisterT]

I am fine, and have had good experience, with used 5A or Mint-graded golf balls (typically Titleist Pro v1, v1x, or Left Dash) from reputable providers. I will not play any ball that says refurbished or refinished. It's a good value proposition for day-to-day golf. I generally have some new balls on hand for use in events.