The life expectancy of your golf ball

PA-PLAYA

There was a time when I could get more than one round out of a single ball. Of course, it would look like someone had put it on a belt sander and beat the hell out of it with a hammer 😂 but it didn't matter as long as it was still round. I remember one season years ago when I played the same exact ball for 5 consecutive rounds. Miraculous that I didn't lose it, for sure, but that was back when I could hit the ball where I intended it to go (within reason).

Hardly ever did I carry more than a sleeve of balls in my bag that summer. When a playing partner would ask me to borrow a ball, I had to think long and hard! LOL

What is the life expectancy of a golf ball for you today? How many do you carry in your bag?

mikeintopeka

I usually have only 6 balls in my golf bag. I can go at least one round with the same ball, on average. Recently played a ball for 3 rounds. The club I play out of doesn't have water, just a lot of O.B. on the perimeter so I've developed ''fence lock' to keep the ball in play.

darpar

My home course Greenspring is probably one the easiest tracks in the area to LOSE golf balls at.
In fact most of the range balls come from balls found in the junk at this course.
3 holes where water comes into play and 3 holes all carry over a canyon/gorge, so yeah if I can get
through a whole round with same the ball I started with....it was a good round!

LBlack14

I keep plenty in my bag. I'm not the greatest and the guys I play golf with are tight asses. 😁

PA-PLAYA

LBlack14

I think I know a few of those guys myself, you'd think I asked them for a hundred dollars lol 😅

KCee

I somehow play several rounds with 1 ball and then lose 2-3 in a round. Knock on wood I broke out a sleeve of ProV's recently and have used the same ball for 2 18 hole rounds and a 9 hole round now. I haven't scored well, but also haven't gone OB or in the water. Probably just jinxed myself for this weekend, but I always keep 3 sleeves in the bag just in case.

sdandrea1

Carry 6 to 9. Usually only need one in Florida. Typically lose 1 per round at my P. B. DYE-ABOLICAL home course.

I use a ball until it gets cart-path-rash on it.

Stu1961

Number of balls used per round = 1 + (((#Par 4's > 420) + (#Par 5's))/4)
Lost balls are easily 95% caused by left/right misses versus problems caused by hitting either short or long.

hobbit

Would need an actuary for me - too unpredictable. One ball may last 27 holes, others only one.
Don't feel comfortable if I only have 3 balls in my bag - 6 is typical.

mikeintopeka

hobbit Would need an actuary for me - too unpredictable.

Agree - those cart paths jump out of the rough and scuff the balls. The junior program likes them.

MartinD

I tend to wear them out rather than lose them - usually get 2 or 3 rounds from a ball before it gets transferred to the practice bag. (It does help that I play a course that doesn't have many hazards, and you (mostly) have to go quite a bit off line to lose a ball.) Even so, I usually have 6 to 8 new and usable balls in the bag (and have a spare in my pocket - there are a few holes where I'll walk back to the tee without my bag).

Sneakylong

Usually have a couple of sleeves of new balls and several loose balls in the bag.

I generally start the round with a new ball and sometimes will change to a used ball on tough holes.

My go to ball is the Srixon Soft Feels. Right now in addition I have some TaylorMade Project A's, Vice Pro Softs, Callaway Chrome Soft and SuperSofts in the loose ball mix.

Not a ball hawker unless it’s my ball. I’ll use a ball until I lose it typically.

Walterjn

I kinda like about 6 balls that I can play. I will also normally have an extra 4-8 balls that are in poor shape that I will intentionally send into the riverbed as I wait for the green on hole 4 to clear. Lately, I have been using my 3 wood, or 3 iron for those.

Stu1961

I usually carry 12 -15 balls. Mostly Callaway SuperSofts, with a sleeve of Srizon Z Stars for when my game is really on. I really look forward to opening that one day.

Mattyv

I will play a ball until it is lost or looks like it was used on a belt sander. I played my last round with the same 2 balls in my pocket. I try and start a round with fresh balls and 2 golf balls in my pocket.😁

Ringoblack

I usually carry 10-15 in my bag. Back in the day when I was a wilder hitter, I could burn up 5-10 per round, ob, water, lost, etc., but now I can go 3-4 rounds with the same ball. I believe my record now is 5 rounds with the same ball. But I still carry 10-15, never know when the old me will re-emerge.😞

FauxAmish

Ringoblack
The perfect response. One never knows what Game is going to show any day.
Just be prepared. However, if playing in tournaments or events. Always check what you have entered, no one forced you to enter, remember that.

Par4QC

Being an anal one, I carry tons of balls; pouch stuffed with sleeves & loose. Various brands. If so much as a tiny scratch is on one, it is done. If it gets stained, it is done. Never know what you cannot see with the naked eye.
Titanium is not as hard as you might think. I once had a brand new driver, never hit/touched the ground, and opened a new sleeve of balls. 1st tee/1st use, big mark on the face. Never again. And it was no cheap ball.

garyt1957

I just switched bags. I must've had 30 balls in that bag. Put 9 in the new bag for today's round. Ended up with 13.

Typhoon

garyt1957 That is what happens with me. All of the sudden I say to myself, why is the bag so heavy? ... then I pull out 27 balls🙄

johnnydoom

I very rarely go a round without losing at least two. Most of the courses around here have undergrowth in the trees that line the fairway and always a handful of holes with forced carry over water. When I play courses where the base of the trees are clear of underbrush I don't lose too many at all.

Dufferman

When I go play with my son, he goes ball hawking while I hit. We played yesterday and he found probably a dozen balls. About half of them were basically new premium balls. So, I have probably 3 dozen + balls in my bag right now! Plus all the ones he keeps for his bag (mostly colorful ones, lol.)