Should you buy Lake Balls?
The cost of golf balls seems to be getting higher and higher . Unless you’re a professional golfer or have money to burn, you’ve probably looked into buying refurbished or water golf balls. However the big question everyone wants to know is “Are Lake Balls Any Good?”. Well here at Fun Golf we’re all about helping golfers and giving the best advice and equipment reviews. Today we’ll be looking at pond balls and seeing if they are worth the money.
Lake Balls – What do the golf experts say?
When it comes to buying second hand golf balls and everyone wanting to know are lake balls any good, we’ve put together some frequently asked questions to help answer all of your questions. In my research I found this excellent video from YouTube Golf superstar Rick Shiels. He discussed refurbished golf balls and lake balls. He was actually very positive when speaking about lake balls, and he would choose them over refurbished golf balls.
What do you think, are lake balls worth the money? In my opinion they definatley are. If you’ve a mid-level handicapper then you are unlikely to notice the minor differences between a brand new golf ball and a lake ball. The fact that they have been under water for a length of time will more than likely have zero impact on your game!
What are the best lake golf balls?
I recently bought some lake golf balls from Amazon. I was actually due to be playing the Celtic Manor 2010 course, I knew this golf course has lots of water so I was trying to preserve my bank balance! I opted for the Srixon Soft Feel golf balls. These were excellent and classed as Grade A golf balls. I did end up putting a few back in the water, but that aside I hardly noticed the difference on the day.
If you want to try some out or yourself why not click the link below and have a look for yourself.
Your Questions Answered!
If you are a single-digit handicapper, they might not be worth the money as you will notice the difference between brand new balls more than the average golfer. The ball which is recovered from the lake is prone to changes. These balls lose their original composition and durability if recovered from the lake after just one week. These balls become altered, thus reducing the distance and spin of the ball. In worse cases, the ball gets cracked and loses its launch angle.If you are a better goolfer you will probably notice these changes. However, if you are an average golfer who wants to save some money then Lake golf balls can be an excellent way to have more fun playing golf.
Old unused balls have to be kept in particular conditions, only then they are in a playable condition. Older balls can be used, given that their initial velocity has not reduced more than 3%. If the balls are unused and kept at room temperature, they will only lose 1-2% of their initial velocity, thus reducing the spin and distance of the balls to a smaller extent. One has to be mindful that 10-year-old golf balls will have an outdated design and technical traits.
Scuffs do not affect the characteristics of a golf ball. Although it changes the visual condition of a ball, it does not alter the performance of the golf ball. But one has to be observant of the fact that if the golf ball is scuffed or cracked. A cracked ball changes the depressions and dimples, thus reducing the ball performance, whereas a scuff might only marginally affect the flight of the ball.
Several balls resemble the characteristics of the Titleist Pro V1. The Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls have higher ball flights, more spin on the ball, and a firmer feel. TaylorMade’s TP5, Bridgestone’s Tour B XS, and Callaway’s Chromesoft are also similar balls with minor differences in their flight, spin, speed, and feel. Rory Mcilroy uses TaylorMade’s TP5 ball.
Generally, women golfers have a slower swing speed. But there are a few differences in the design and production of the balls of men and women. These are compression, dimples, and design. Women golfers have mostly a compression of 45-70 on their balls, they have additional dimples and advanced design which allows them to have a better launch angle, higher spin, and more distance.
The ball which is recovered from the water is prone to changes. These balls lose their original composition and durability if recovered from the water after just one week. These balls become altered, thus reducing the distance and spin of the ball. In worse cases, the ball gets cracked and loses its launch angle. This is critical in answering the question are lake balls any good.
Yes, they are on par with the Titleist Pro V1 balls. Vice golf balls have great durability, speed, launch, and spin profiles. Furthermore, these balls are available in 5 colors. From the customer’s point of view, Vice golf balls are top-tier balls with an affordable price of $34.98. Quite a few tour professionals use this ball. However, Titleist Pro V1 is slightly better in spin and distance.
Golf balls that can float on water are called floating balls. These balls have a solid core of floating material and weigh fewer than 39 grams. Floater balls have a low gravity of 0.98, which allows them to stay up on the water instead of sinking. These are mostly used in water practice ranges.
Average balls cost $4 whereas high tech 3-piece or 4-piece golf balls are manufactured for $8-9. This solely depends on the type of balls. 2-piece golf balls are easier to manufacture because they involve fewer production steps and inspections. However, 3-piece or 4-piece balls can take up to 30 days to complete the manufacturing cycle.
Ball manufacturing brands sell the balls in sleeves of 3 per pack. Therefore, in a pack of 12 balls, there are 4 sleeves of balls in it. However, it might be a profit-maximizing strategy, because a pack of 12 balls is cheaper than a sleeve of 3 balls in terms of per ball price.
Rain affects the flight of the ball as it increases the drag on it. This shortens the distance and lowers the spin of the ball. The same mechanism applies to cold and wet weather. Whereas during hotter days and summertime, the balls travel farther. However, rain does not alter any compositional changes in the ball this is why are lake balls any good is a great question.
Drawing lines on the ball allows the golfers to get a visual in their minds about the ball line on the greens. This is solely for putting. These lines help the golfers to sink more putts because of their utility. A lot of professionals, including Tiger Woods, draw lines on their balls as this has immense practicality for them with 5 footers.
Callaway 2-piece golf balls are used by the TopGolf. These balls are rebranded with TopGolf insignia. TopGolf balls have an RFID chip in the core which sends the data to the TopGolf system. The system produces an output with the details of ball speed, launch angle, backspin, and total distance.
First-class golf balls can last up to 7 rounds of 18-holes. With optimum conditions, a ball can be hit for a maximum of 505-520 shots. After this number, the ball degrades and loses its original characteristics. The distance and spin of the ball get compromised. But PGA tour professionals carry 6-9 balls in their bags while playing a round of golf.
There is no hard and fast rule about golf balls. Golfers are allowed to carry as many balls as they would like to, but they are bound to keep the same brand and model golf ball. Professional golfers carry 8-9 balls for a round of golf on PGA tours. That means, they use a new ball after every couple of holes.
Apart from white color balls, yellow and neon golf balls have the highest visibility. Srixon has reported that yellow balls have 3x times more visibility than white balls. Not only visibility, but yellow balls also have a calming effect for the golfer. Neon balls are expensive than yellow balls. Red, orange, and blue balls have low visibility.
Professional golfers are accustomed to white balls. They like to keep the game as simple as possible and they don’t like to alter their nature. Moreover, USGA has a list of conforming golf balls that can be used in tours and tournaments. The pink color is the second-highest colored ball in conformity after yellow with USGA rules. Bubba Watson has used colored balls on several occasions.
