Buying "used" golf balls.

[Packerfan]

I'm sure many of you here have purchased "used/refurbished/recycled" golf balls in the past. I've considered doing this b/c it is an excellent way to buy pro v1's at a significant discount. The problem is that may of these balls are retrieved from water hazard. Once a ball has been submerged in the water for a number of days it begins to lose its playability.

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a place that sells golf balls that have been retrieved from the woods or brush and not from a water hazard.

[NorCalGolfer]

There would really be no way to tell even if they claimed to be "unsubmerged". Just a risk you gotta take to save a buck.

[buttuh]

I don't think you're ever going to find recycled golf balls that come with a no water guarantee. Have you actually played with recycled golf balls and noticed such a difference for yourself? I've been playing with recycled balls for almost a year now while still playing with new balls during tournament and I have not noticed any performance loss in the recycled balls.

[wrx_junki]

I believe one of the major golf magazines had an article on recycled golf balls. The loss of distance due to sitting in a water hazard is minimal. Also, a ball will last a long time as long as the cover is intact for the most part .

[lugonza_2001]

I get them used, just try to find the best graded balls (grade A, grade pearl,...). I got 50 titleist dt/solo for about $20, and most of them look great.

[mdvaldosta]

I play "near-mint" Pro V1x's for practice rounds and they play no different than those I pull from a new sleeve.

[Packerfan]

After a little digging on the internet, I came up with this:

"...So is a ball inferior, if it has been submerged in a body of
water? 'Yes' says an U.S. Army Research Laboratory study. Golf balls
absorb water that cannot be removed and this affects a permanent
change. Testing by Golf Digest in 1996 found a golf ball submerged in
water loses six yards after one week, 12 yards after three months and
15 yards after six months.

and this:

"...The covers of golf balls are pourous and will absorb water; this
changes the viscoelasticity of the cover and the golf ball will fly
significantly less far..."

[golf_junkie27]

There are some really good sellers on ebay that sell non-water hazard balls. Lostballsretail is one that I've purchased from. You should also try rockbottomgolf. Contact them as they are always going to golf shows. It's possible they might pop up at one near you.