How To Find Lost Golf Balls

Americans lose 300 million golf balls a year.

The reconditioning and reselling of those used balls has become a hundreds of million dollars a year industry. The Internet and large retailers like Wal-Mart sell thousands of dozen each week. In the old days the only place you could find these ‘water balls’ was in the golf shop. Why don’t we find a few ourselves and cut out the middlemen.

So where do you look to pick up a few of the millions of lost golf balls.

When looking for balls try the out of bounds to the right 170 to 180 yards off the tee.

For the expensive balls try about 220 yards but still the right side.

Most golfers that should be looking in the 170 area look in the 200 yard area and most that should be looking in the 220 range look in the 250-260 area.

If you can’t find your own ball walk back, you likely didn’t hit it that far.

Better balls are often found left and behind longer holes.

When looking along water, more balls are found on the tee side than the green side.

Check out new tree wells, the edges of paths and any grass boarders that need a weed eater.

And lastly, if you find one, there is a good chance another is hiding nearby, make a circle around where you found yours.

Please don’t stop and look while playing, but there is always a chance to walk by some of these ball happy areas. Remember if you hit it here someone else probably did too.

The Great Golf Ball Test --2013 soon

I bought ten dozen (at least) new golf balls, (OK, so sometimes I get a little carried away on E-Bay) can’t wait for spring and a chance to use them. I will let you know what I find out after using at least a sleeve of each. I am still on the quest to find a mid or low priced ball that fits seniors who are still serious about their game. But like me, seniors on a fixed income that makes the top balls a little out of reach, or we would have to give up food or alcohol or some other meaningless wants we have to buy them.

I will be testing three Wilson Staff Balls, two Taylor Made balls and one Calloway and one Bridgestone to start.

Wish me luck, gonna be tough having to play all those rounds, oh the sacrifices I make in the name of good golf.

“Golf is golf. You hit the ball, you go find it. Then you hit it again.” ~Lon Hinkle

Golf The Times They Are A Changing

I’m more than a little surprised that the Long Putter will be illegal soon. I have played for a long time and seems like the only other ban I have seen was when the USGA came down against Sam Sneed and the crochet style putting.

Here is my list of ten changes I have seen in 50+ years of playing golf that might have been banned but were not.

1.       Metal heads for woods

2.       Metal shafts

3.       Graphite shafts

4.       Oversized heads for drivers

5.       Cavity back clubs

6.       Cut proof balls

7.       Cavity back (open back) putters

8.       Giant weird looking putter heads

9.       Hybrid irons

10.   Lob wedges

11.   Dozens of design changes to golf balls (this one should be 10 ¼ )

Thoughts on Harry Ted Potter Jr., John Daly and Q-School

So another new winner on tour—Ted Potter Jr. wins at Greenbrier. Missed five straight cuts then wins, shows just how fickle this game can be. Looked like he was heading back to Q-school (the last one) and instead he has two guaranteed years on tour and a ticket to the Master’s.

And what is going on with John Daly? He is looking like the Daly of old. If he can come up with enough sponsors’s exemptions I think he will win his card back. Fans love him and he is proving he still has game. He needs four years to reach 50 and the seniors tour, I expect he will be welcomed there with open arms, he flat out brings in fans and $$$. Hard to keep a player with a 70.1 scoring average out of tournaments but some of these good-old-boy tourneys remember too many of Daly’s bad moments. Hope they open up and let him play. He is playing this weekend so I will set my DVR as we will be on the road to a family reunion (please feel sorry for me, it won’t help but I need it).

The Web.com Tour instead of Q-school and everyone needs to earn a card through a year on this tour, good-old-boys at work again. This concept is as bad as the BCS and the Hockey (let everyone in) playoffs and the NFL Pro Bowl. Golf never has reached the viewing numbers it would like and this will not help. Will we see the good young players on other tours (Europe, Australia) come to America for a year in the minors so they can play the PGA tour? NOPE!

Bridgestone, Davis Love III, and Me

I see Davis Love is switching to Bridgestone balls. I believe he has been a Titlist guy for his entire career. Bridgestone has done a great marketing job moving from tires to golf and being accepted in both areas. We all know that players get big bucks to play certain balls and clubs and even to wear their shirts. But not a single pro would use anything that would make their game worse.
I have played Bridgestone balls for two years—I like them. I play the RX –i.e., the old guy ball. I have found it to be soft and long, at least for me.