Gadget for finding lost balls

[jfrain2004]

any one ever use this gadget? http://www.key-golf.com/products/21
Is it any good or just a waste of time/money?

[right handed phil mickelson]

Looks pretty good. Ha I might buy one myself. Looks like a great thing to have in tournaments when I'm having a bad day or with kids who are playing bad. Thanks for bringing this up. It looks pretty legit too.

[jfrain2004]

That's the problem. "IT looks good" but what is it actually like to use in the real world? I saw this first featured on some tv show last evening and just googled it there now. Has any one in here every actually used one?

[alf174]

I know the technology works (pattern matching) and is sound because I use it in robotic vision applications at work. But its more costly that $100 USD and one of the biggest factors of success is lighting - having enough of it.

[pxc]

Several people at the bottom of this link say it doesn't work: http://www.engadget.com/2006/04/23/b...anning-camera/

The RFID golf balls they discuss sound interesting though.

[plugged]

the hand-held battery-operated Ballfinder Scout™ pinpoints any ball with more than 1% of its surface showing (or three dimples).

With that criteria, I can find the ball myself.

[mhodar13]

Not too sure about this one, as long as you pick something like a tree or hill to mark where your ball lands, you shouldn't have a hard time finding it. Now this would be beautiful if it could find balls in the woods. That's where they really dissappear. If the ball needs to be showing for it to register, than you're paying more than 100 bucks to confirm your ball is at your feet before you actually pick it up. I myself would rather spend 120 bucks on a few dozen balls instead of this useless thing.

[enduro]

How many golf balls do people lose? It doesn't really seem like a need or a want for me. I might lose a ball that could be recoverable every few rounds. It would take me years to recoup the cost of this thing.

[tjy355]

This is a gadget designed to separate you from your money.

[MurphDurph]

This is a gadget designed to separate you from your money.

x2. I always find more balls than I lose by just taking the time to look.

[mhodar13]

Same here. Yesterday I lost 1 Bridgestone in the woods and I was pissed but I did find about a dozen other balls, about half of which were still in good shape.

[plark]

I think this is an awesome thing, but it has to be too good to be true lol

[maraca2020]

1. You'd look like a huge prick

2. Some of the ball has to be showing, and you have to point it where the ball is. In esscence, you've already found the ball.

deal with loosing a few $ worth of golf balls, but save your manhood :)