How do you mark your golf balls?

[brogies]

I've always been intrigued by how people, especially pros, mark their golf balls. For the last couple years, I've written a simple "AG" (my initials) to the top right of the ball logo. I'm a bit of a minimalist I guess.

Now, all you psychos, show off your elaborate ball markings and explain the reasoning or significance!

 

[RoverRick]

I’ve marked my ball with an inverted v and 3 dots for about 20 years.
 

Here is a picture from the Titleist golf ball test that shows a ball after 18 holes. You can just make out the ball marking on the left side.

When the show “Who do you think you are?” first aired in 2004, my sister and I decided to trace out family. While my mother immigrated from Germany in the 1960’s, we knew my father’s side was in Texas when it was a country. We continued the journey to learn that 10 generations ago when my 10-times great grandfather bought land from William Penn in 1681 and was instrumental in the Pennsylvania Colony. 

Going back even further my 12-times great grandfather was knighted by Elizabeth I around 1570. On his coat of arms is what is officially called “Three roundlets separated by a chevron.” 

I thought this was very cool and easily identified. 

[brogies]

9 hours ago, RoverRick said:

I’ve marked my ball with an inverted v and 3 dots for about 20 years.
 

Here is a picture from the Titleist golf ball test that shows a ball after 18 holes. You can just make out the ball marking on the left side.

When the show “Who do you think you are?” first aired in 2004, my sister and I decided to trace out family. While my mother immigrated from Germany in the 1960’s, we knew my father’s side was in Texas when it was a country. We continued the journey to learn that 10 generations ago when my 10-times great grandfather bought land from William Penn in 1681 and was instrumental in the Pennsylvania Colony. 

Going back even further my 12-times great grandfather was knighted by Elizabeth I around 1570. On his coat of arms is what is officially called “Three roundlets separated by a chevron.” 

I thought this was very cool and easily identified. 

Wtf, that’s way cooler than mine. Unfair!

[ChitownM2]

I always just use a blue sharpie and make 3 dots in a triangle pattern on the two sides 90° from the logo.  No real reason behind why I chose this other than I hadn't seen it before unlike using a single red dot that I find with some frequency

Makes it easy to spot my ball as no matter how it is sitting you can usually see some blue dots.  

[DaveP043]

5 minutes ago, ChitownM2 said:

Makes it easy to spot my ball as no matter how it is sitting you can usually see some blue dots.  

A friend, a D-3 golf coach, tells his players to mark only one side of their ball.  There will be very rare occasions when they need to lift it to ID it, but it will happen more often than if they mark both sides.  Even more rare, there are time when it will have a glob of mud on it.  You can't clean a ball when you've lifted it to ID it, but you CAN replace it in almost any orientation, per Clarification 14.2c/1.  So assuming you need to lift a ball to ID it, you ARE allowed to rotate that ball so that you're not going to make contact with the glob of mud.  No doubt this is a miniscule advantage, but it IS an advantage, and completely within the Rules.

I mark my golf balls with widely spaced black dots on each side of the number, the dots essentially under each end of the Snell Golf (or Titleist or Taylormade) logo.  No real reason, its just the way I've done it starting in the days when you used a golf pencil to kind of "drill" the dots into the balata cover.

[ChitownM2]

57 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

A friend, a D-3 golf coach, tells his players to mark only one side of their ball.  There will be very rare occasions when they need to lift it to ID it, but it will happen more often than if they mark both sides.  Even more rare, there are time when it will have a glob of mud on it.  You can't clean a ball when you've lifted it to ID it, but you CAN replace it in almost any orientation, per Clarification 14.2c/1.  So assuming you need to lift a ball to ID it, you ARE allowed to rotate that ball so that you're not going to make contact with the glob of mud.  No doubt this is a miniscule advantage, but it IS an advantage, and completely within the Rules.

I mark my golf balls with widely spaced black dots on each side of the number, the dots essentially under each end of the Snell Golf (or Titleist or Taylormade) logo.  No real reason, its just the way I've done it starting in the days when you used a golf pencil to kind of "drill" the dots into the balata cover.

Probably good advice but I don't play any competitive golf where it would probably matter.  Plus if I'm having a bad round and I've lost 2 balls or more I'll sometimes reach into my bag for a rando and start using that so I may not always remember what I have in play

[VernL4]

1 hour ago, ChitownM2 said:

Probably good advice but I don't play any competitive golf where it would probably matter.  Plus if I'm having a bad round and I've lost 2 balls or more I'll sometimes reach into my bag for a rando and start using that so I may not always remember what I have in play

Yep, there have been many times that I just blindly grab something out of the bag and I don't even know what I've hit. 

Honestly, I don't have any marking system. I play them as I get them. 

[Manny]

I dont mark my ball. The other 2 guys I play with have keen eyes and we know where we hit our ball and away we go.

[cnosil]

16 minutes ago, Manny said:

I dont mark my ball. The other 2 guys I play with have keen eyes and we know where we hit our ball and away we go.

If you get to your ball and another ball with the same make and number with no markings near yours, how do you know which one is yours? 

[Bossfan]

Mine is kind of boring. I just draw a straight line above the manufacturer name. Nice and simple.

[RetiredBoomer]

I don't mark mine at all.
They have my name. my club, and ball # 79 printed on them.

Whose could they possibly be?

Edited May 14 by RetiredBoomer

[Northern Monkey]

I mark all mine with a paw, just cos it’s different and I like animals more than people

[ChitownM2]

6 hours ago, cnosil said:

If you get to your ball and another ball with the same make and number with no markings near yours, how do you know which one is yours? 

This actually happened to me, met a neighbor at my kid's lemonade stand, saw his sub70 hat and invited him to golf.  First shot of the first round together we both pulled our drives towards the water very near each other but we didn't see either land because a tree blocked our view.  Turned out we were both playing the chrome soft soccer balls and he found the first ball and claimed it was his so I kept looking for mine..... After conceding it must have gone into the drink I walked back to where he was about to hit and saw my three blue dots on the ball he was addressing.  Gave him the bad news and remember thinking who the F is this guy trying to steal my ball .  Turns out he is a great guy and we still play together regularly but was a memorable first round.

Edited May 14 by ChitownM2

[Hacker60521]

Right before I retired a couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to receive many boxes of company logo balls so I just use those. At my rate I’ll probably have to buy some balls next year unless my game improves.

[Dweed]

I don't mark mine at all. So seldom do I run across folks and we have the exact same. If it does happen, I just switch. The other easy tell for me is mine will always have a spot of mud on it.

[schooner44]

I play the Srixon Q Star Divides and I never see anyone Else playing them so I never have to mark them. I used to use those little press on decal things but found them to be a PITA.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Always a blue alignment line. The line starts on both sides of the ball model name but doesn’t go through it.

[russtopherb]

I put 2 green dots above the right side of the logo. I have no idea why. I started doing it years ago. 

[BreakfastBall15]

One orange dot on each side of the brand logo. Used to do 3 black dots until I realized one of my normal playing partners did the same thing

[EasyPutter]

I used to use 6 purple dots in a hexagon with one extra dot on opposite sides that made a diamond and while great to spot took more time than I cared for.  Always between the makers mark and alignment mark.

Decided to switch it for a logo I created during my transition briefings at military retirement when it was said to brand yourself to make something memorable.  I played with my initials and once I went from using upper to lower case letters, I found they stacked nicely into this form.

Best part it takes about as long to draw as 2 or 3 dots, still a purple sharpie between makers mark and alignment mark.

And the turning the ball mentioned before is preferable to keep the Sharpie marker ink from transferring to the club face.

I usually present my ball mark at the first tee with new people and it is amazing how many will tell me some time after that round that they had seen the balls I lost (though I have yet to get one they've found given back to me  lol)

Edited May 17 by EasyPutter
readability

[tdroma98]

I mark my golf balls with a Fluorescent Pink sharpie. Not many people use pink.  
The mark is always at the end of the ball name in a dimple, such as the Titleist below and I mark both sides.  
When using the OnCore VeroX1 ball, OnCore makes it really easy with their new logo = the O has a good space & I fill in with the pink sharpie.  Also use pink alignment line. 

Edited May 16 by tdroma98

[Josh Parker]

I just make an alignment line on the type of ball and nowadays over the existing alignment mark.

[Rob Person]

I may have been given an adult themed stencil cap as a gift. I also may have used it on balls on their last leg of life, to hit over water or on tricky tee shots where you are almost guaranteed a chance to lose it to the trees.

Mostly I don't mark mine, but on occasion will fill in a dimple at each end of the brand stamp.  On the divides,  I use a blue marker and draw a line around the circumference of the ball in-between the colors.

[TSauer]

I don't get too fancy with my markings, usually just a dot or two next to the number.

[StripeyGreenTV]

I use three dots, either red or green. Green normally, red for provisional and then  also use Trident Align.

[Cmra1]

I just use a blue sharpie to fill a dimple to the right, slightly above, the manufacturer name on both sides. Simple mark but easy to spot.

[Richard Fahrney]

I put my initials on the ball. 

[gingerbeast87]

I have a moustache and glasses stamp the missus bought me as a stocking filler last year.

[Chubbs1991]

A simple alignment line in maroon or neon yellow. 

[TK_]

I use a Srixon Z-Star XV and since no one uses a Srixon, I don’t have to mark it. Sadly, a dozen of these went from $28 to $40+ once they started being the official ball sponsor of the PGA last year. I found it and used it the day I shot an 80 (my lowest round to date). So, I wanted to keep with it and since they were fairly on the cheaper side at under $30 a dozen, I was sold. Now I can’t deny the results haha.