How long do you play a ball before retiring it?

[IceIce]

If the cover gets damaged it’s retired right away.  If I don’t lose the ball, I’ll use the ball I played on Saturday or Sunday 2 to 3 rounds during the week. Then it’s off to the shag bag

[RoyF]

I'm more interested in cost savings than pure aerodynamics. While I agree that a scuff will have some effect, I don't think the quality of my game is such that I would ever notice. I don't have a standard rule for retirement,  I'll usually lose the ball within 2-3 rounds,  but if I don't I'll keep playing it until it looks like Frankenstein. 

[ILMgolfnut]

1 hour ago, revkev said:

Tournament or league play I’m opening a new sleeve and only play unblemished golf balls.

I haven't played in a tournament in 30+ years so that's not a consideration. League play, even longer than that. I was supposed to play in one last October but it was canceled due to horrible weather; I played anyway. I plan to play in two or three tournaments in Scotland this summer though. I figure on those courses, though, the gorse will retire balls for me anyway. But yes I will open a new sleeve (or two) for tournaments.

[ChiefMikeOfficer]

Every 4-6 holes for regular play, maybe less depending on what happens to it. Cart path or tree? Gone immediately. Full wedge? Need to take a closer look -- usually they can last a couple solid wedge shots, but depends on the ball; if I blade that wedge, it's gone. Basically anything that scuffs the ball or marks it might make me toss it. Some of my friends rib me for how small of a scuff does it for me (and even pick the ball up and use it themselves), but I also have way too many new balls stashed in the basement, so I don't worry about it too much. 

I know that's basically the opposite of a lot of people -- some people (like my dad) pride themselves on keeping a ball going as long as possible; others love the rush of finding a top of the line golf ball and don't care about the small marks. So, any time I retire one, I either keep it for the shag bag (greenside/yard practice), or toss it into a visible place so someone else can pick it up. I do the same with found balls -- if I don't know the history, I just leave it for someone else (but normally in a spot they can find it, not back where I found it). 

 

[tdroma98]

6 hours ago, MissionMan said:

I typically get rid of them after 3 rounds. I put a dot on a ball when I play it the first time, then a second dot for the second time. Small dot if it’s only 9 holes

@MissionMan what a great idea with the dots.  I tend to play one ball for 3-4 rounds. Using the dot system will confirm how many rounds actually played.  Will start doing that! Thanks MissionMan!  

I'll give my used golf balls to a buddy, after about 2-3 round use.  Any scuff marks I usually color in with a sharpie.  

[aguybadatgolf]

1 hour ago, Golfzilla70 said:

Great topic.  This is one of those things that is really just an issue for the lower handicappers out there, and it's actually something that's played into how i've shaped my own game (i'm about a 3 handicap that loves to play and practice, but knows his limitations). 

I've found that the really high-end urethane balls (such as the Pro V1 class) are absolutely awesome fresh out of the pack.  Slick paint, flight through the air fast, and spinny as can be around the green.  But after just 8 or 9 holes, you can start to see the wear. 

Now i assume this might be different for some folks, because if you're playing very-well-manicured courses that have lush fairways and actual grass where the fairways end and the rough begins, your ball's cover is going to last longer.  I'm not so well-off that i can play such prestigious places, and here in northwest North Carolina we generally play all year round.  Fairways go dormant, and the balls land in much harder spots - which just accrues the damage even more. 

The problem i see with the covers on those balls is primarily in the long game, like driver.  They just don't fly as far, and i assume it's mainly to do with wind resistance since the cover is no longer slick.  Add to that my confessed inability to regularly control my spin on approach shots (i really don't seem to be able to know when these things are going to sit or bounce forward or back up 30'), and i've just really quit trying.  I'm sure with practice i'd get better at it, but in my 50's now i practice less and play more.

The absolute most consistent balls i've played (and play right now for the past several years) are balls like the Titleist TruFeel and the Titleist Velocity.  Other companies have similar offerings, i've just stuck with these.  They're not urethane, and they don't spin like it.  But the covers on those balls can take what anyone would consider massive damage (cart path scuffs, etc.) and STILL play just about the same as if new out of the box.  And i'm talking MULTIPLE 18-hole rounds.  You literally can't wear them out.  I'm sure they would suffer noticeably if left laying outside, or in a pond, just like any other ball would.  You won't see a one-hop-stop check on a chip around the green with these balls.  But you'll NEVER hit a shot right at the flag and have it back up 30' on you.  They always bounce forward just a little, or stay close to where they land, depending on club and distance.  Now the MGS guys hate these balls, because they feel like the masses MUST hit a urethane ball because of the spin they have around the greens.  And i don't dispute that chipping advantage.  It's there and it's fun if you know how to do it (i do, but i can't reconcile the advantage the ionomer balls give me on approach shots).  The "ionomer"-type balls fly higher, they also fly STRAIGHTER, and for a low-handicap golfer, that actually means FEWER chips are needed. 

I feel like you're probably unlikely to ever see anyone that has a clubhead speed of 110 mph ever hit one of these ionomer balls, because they'll just muscle a urethane ball right on through whatever cover defects it has.  And also likely over-compress an ionomer ball.  But for guys like me, with a clubhead speed around 100 mph with driver, these balls hit the sweet spot.  They're cheaper, they absolutely WON'T wear out from play (assuming you play one you bought, and not one you found and don't know its history), and are much more forgiving for whatever swing faults you have due to their lower-spinning nature.  Spin can be awesome around the greens, but what you never hear is the more a ball spins, the more curvature it'll have in flight (if you have any swing fault that will cause a hook or slice) and the more a headwind will just kill its distance.  JMHO

So to answer the original question, i'll play my ionomer balls until i lose them, or until they accrue enough damage that they undboutedly can't fly true or putt straight.

I’m not quite a single digit handicap yet but it’s dropping fast. I play a lot of older city courses where the fairways are all right next to each other so the occasional hook doesn’t hurt me too much. I play the Vice Pro Plus which for me tends to be a low spinning ball. But as you noted the urethane cover gets chewed up fast after a few full swings with a wedge. 

Played 9 last night and tested out the chewed up balls next to a fresh one. I was 3 for 3 fairways with a fresh one. Then tried a chewed up one and hit a massive fade verging on a slice. Immediately retired all of the chewed up balls when I got home lol. 
 

I saw the MGS article on lost distance but didn’t realize how much it could effect spin as well. 

Edited April 5 by aguybadatgolf

[paul6057]

Personally, retiring balls isn't something I've had to worry about too often, but generally when I can see and feel scrapes or scuffs on them, then I replace them. MGS have a done some testing on the difference that mud or damage have on ball performance, so it really depends how serious you're taking that round. The net/net of that is that if your ball is particularly scuffed, you'll probably lose it shortly after because of how it impacts the ball flight.

 

https://mygolfspy.com/labs/mygolfspy-lab-how-does-cover-damage-affect-golf-ball-flight/

[thulesgold]

Usually about 9 holes.....makes it even more important for me to find quality brand at a lower price point. Been playing Vice for years. The Vice Zeros this year. But yea 9 holes or sooner if I feel a defect in the cover. 

[StripeyGreenTV]

7 hours ago, MissionMan said:

I typically get rid of them after 3 rounds. I put a dot on a ball when I play it the first time, then a second dot for the second time. Small dot if it’s only 9 holes. After 3 rounds it’s relegated to the practice bag. 

i always use a new ball for comps. 

I do keep a couple of spare retired balls in my bag for the occasions I want to do something stupid like try drive over an out of bounds area on a par 5 to have a short second into the green. Sometimes I make it, sometimes the balls retires itself.

Like the idea of adding a dot each round

[Krls032022]

27 holes max by then it’s probably scuffed, those unforgiving traps & cart paths

[J2theI]

It’s difficult to retire a ball but definitely when it has damage or if it feels “used.”  Perhaps every 18.   Definitely prefer a fresh “roundy” when playing a match or a new course.  Save the used ones for practice rounds.  

[JRCorb]

I have a golf simulator in my basement and I haven't lost a ball there yet!  I was gifted with a bunch of Bridgestone e6 balls from Skycaddie.  Nice soft ball for 90 to 95 mph swing speed.  I found they last about 400 shots with various clubs before they start losing significant distance and shortly after (10-15 shots) crack on the surface.  In comparison, the titleist pro v balls take about 700 shots to split open.  If you are above 100 mph (hit bombs) they probably break down quicker.  Of course, the surface wears before then (200 shots) but I really don't notice the distance and dispersion data change much as it wears.  I assume you lose backspin as time goes on?  I play 100 rounds a year so I definitely don't pull a new ball each round.  A gouge from the Phoenix desert will cause me to reach for a new one.

[NoRebound]

I normally park a ball when it develops a scuff or chip on the cover that I can feel.  Aerodynamics are critical to a new golf ball so I don't push things after big contact with a cart path or a tree. 

Right now I have a yellow ProV1 that has made it through two rounds unscathed.  That's unusual for me but it goes back on the first tee just as soon as it stops raining.   

[Shifty]

Any blemish, scratch or rub its gone.  So even if its still in play after a few rounds rarely would it pass my inspection.  

[BillCox]

I will play a ball until it’s shows significant wear. Usually that may happen from hitting a tree or concrete. I have played a ball for several rounds with no major blemishes but you could see the cover wear. Some balls also get scuffed up easier than others. 

[billybogey]

Good Topic!! Short Answer: Too Long or Lost it!

Gotta Smart Up on this: 3 Rounds or Less!!

 

Billy Bogey
Edmonton Alberta

[kjmk95]

Play maybe three rounds unless scuffed or wedges grate the cover, then the ball goes into the shag bag for late fall and early spring golf

[EnderinAZ]

Until it is scuffed, cut, gouged, or I have pounded the paint off the label.  I don't lose too many any longer so they will usually last four or five rounds. I am stunned to see so many golfers who put the ball in the shag bag after a single round. With no trees or cart paths struck one of my balls after a single round looks new. I guess I am too cheap to retire a ball that still looks and plays new after a single round. 

[Ted Tedeschi]

Play it until I lose it or gets “cut”, 2 small scuffs or a bad scuff. A bit subjective

[OldGuyGolf]

19 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

For me: if a scuff or blemish is "feelable," I figure it is also going to influence the ball's aerodynamics, probably in an unpredictable way. That ball is ready for retirement to the garage, to be beat to its final death as a practice ball.

Yep me too ! Into the Shag Bag. The only issue I have now at 75 is fewer are making it that far.

[flsw19]

I will play a ball until I lose it; but after reading the different ball testing information, including the effects of slight ball damage; I will relegate scuffed balls to the practice bag. So I could replace a ball after one hole.

[Henri-Martin HORN]

Generally, 1 round... unless it is scuffed.

[TG8]

I have hoarding tendencies so I will ise a ball until its destroyed with many scuffs or if it has a gash. 

[Jackbus75]

If they get scuffed I only use them for that round.  But usually I lose them before they are retired. 

[rarce_torres]

Normally if I get a scuff mark, be it from a tree, cart path, or wedge...  I will grab another.

[tei3rn]

if it gets scuffed and damaged somehow, it goes in the shag bag... otherwise it stays in bag.  I'm not near good enough to be able to tell when the ball's characteristics have changed due to being played too many rounds...

[Bad Golfer]

I played this ball yesterday for 27 holes. To be honest it was fairly scuffed before I started playing it. I'm not one of the guys that can say that trees are 90% air. If there is a tree along the fairway or even a bit off the fairway it is in danger. Lol. I will probably keep playing this ball till I lose it or clean out my bag and retire it out in my field somewhere. I'm not good enough to determine whether or not the scuffs change ball flight.

[KC Golf]

If I am playing good golf and the ball has no real damage, I have gone 18 or longer, but I find I lose a ball once a round or hit a cart path, so on average, I used it probably10-12 holes.  But I have days when I use a full sleeve.  

[Langstonha]

Usually a couple rounds unless it's to scuffed .

[revkev]

1 hour ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

Every 4-6 holes for regular play, maybe less depending on what happens to it. Cart path or tree? Gone immediately. Full wedge? Need to take a closer look -- usually they can last a couple solid wedge shots, but depends on the ball; if I blade that wedge, it's gone. Basically anything that scuffs the ball or marks it might make me toss it. Some of my friends rib me for how small of a scuff does it for me (and even pick the ball up and use it themselves), but I also have way too many new balls stashed in the basement, so I don't worry about it too much. 

I know that's basically the opposite of a lot of people -- some people (like my dad) pride themselves on keeping a ball going as long as possible; others love the rush of finding a top of the line golf ball and don't care about the small marks. So, any time I retire one, I either keep it for the shag bag (greenside/yard practice), or toss it into a visible place so someone else can pick it up. I do the same with found balls -- if I don't know the history, I just leave it for someone else (but normally in a spot they can find it, not back where I found it). 

 

I give me retired ones to my adult sons or at this time of the year my golf team.  I'm the same way with found balls unless I have a playing partner who uses what I've found or its a ball that I've wanted to try - I will put it in the bag for a casual round -