pittmike wrote:
T-Bone wrote:
pittmike wrote:
T-Bone wrote:
Contemplating heading out to the course Thanksgiving weekend to do some ball hunting. I still have quite a few from a few years back. This year I wouldn't even bother with scooping them out of the water. I've read those balls are pretty much sub par if they have been sitting in there for any considerable amount of time. I'm guessing that there are a few hundred balls I could find and probably more than 60 of them I would play so that seems like it would be worth the time and it would be some exercise. Not sure the temps make it as exciting. 5 dozen Pro V's would be worth the trouble to me.
I was talking with a guy at our league outing dinner about this. He claimed he finds about 8k balls per year with the most being in fall easily. Also claimed he keeps what he plays and play it again sports and/or internet pays like 25 cents a ball.
The last time I went out I think I found 700 or so, a majority were in the water. What I have been doing is I take 5 or 6 and hit them into the driving range before teeing off as a warmup. The guys I play with like to play good balls but they are not the ones I play like Callaway or Bridgestone or whatever. I usually give them each a new ball before we tee off. I keep the TaylorMade and Titleist generally.
I don't hunt but I keep what I find. Usually only use Callaways, Titleists. If in good shape Bridgestones and Maxims. Last year I bout two boxes of balls all year so... But my game is not your guys' I did learn a bad lesson. On Mondays we play behind a serious money league where the players aren't so good. One of them 3-4 groups ahead had an errant shot come into our area and I thought no way it could be active today.
The guy came up though and asked we seen his ball and I fessed up. I tried to hand it to him and he snapped no put it where it was found this is important. I felt bad and said sorry but it was all I could do not to tell him to ease up before I stick this putter up your ass.

I'm really not too picky especially early in the season when it is cold. I hate going into my pocket for golf balls when they are $50 a box. I've been hoarding my good ones for years. I still had some I used this year that my mom bought me for my 40th birthday.... 6 years ago.

I usually don't break out the new ones unless I am playing a bucket list type place. I read that they start to degrade after time even when not used. I bought 4 or 5 dozen Vice balls a number of years ago and I still enjoy using those as my springtime balls. I am not good enough to really tell the differences in a lot of the balls. I like to hit a low trajectory so I can definitely tell the difference in the flight characteristics on some of them and certainly the feel and how they react around the green with spin.