How do you mark your game balls?

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by JasonInRaleigh

Wow, more responses than I expected.  This has left me with a question though.  What is a provisional ball?

also- I'll be uploading my newest "too much time in the office" marked balls shortly LOL.   The alignment line doesn't sound like a bad idea.

feel free to tell any  "I found this crazy ball one time stories"

If you hit a ball that might be either lost or out of bounds you are allowed, in the interest of saving time, to play another shot from the same place after announcing that you are playing a provisional (if you do not announce that you are playing a provisional then the original ball is deemed to have been abandoned and the new ball is the ball in play under penalty of troke and distance - even if you find the first ball - I am anal about this, I even say provisional when I am playing by myself, lol)).  If the provisional is short of the place you expect your original shot to be you can continue playing it until you get to the area where your original ball is expected to be.  If your original ball is found in bounds you abandon the provisional and continue to play the original ball with no penalty.  If your original ball is OB or not found, then you continue to play the provisional under penalty of stroke and distance from the point at which you first hit it.

The reason you should mark your provisional differently from the original ball is to cover the case where you hit the provisional in the same area as the original ball.  Say you hit your tee shot to the left, where there is OB.  So you hit a provisional and also hit it left.  When you get up to where the balls are, one is OB and one is in bounds.  If they are not marked differently you have no way of knowing which was the original ball and which was the provisional.  And that makes a big difference.  In a case where you cannot tell which is which you must presume that the in bounds ball is the provisional and therefore would be lying 3, whereas if you had marked the balls differently and the in bounds ball was the original ball you would only be lying one.  (Decision 27/11 Solution 2)

Hope this helps.

[BuckeyeNut]

Originally Posted by Chunky

The biggest issue I've had is with a Pro V, if another player is using one they think any Pro v is theirs, so I mark them good.

I mark mine pretty good too......

It's easy to identify, and few want to keep a ball that's all marked up in this manner.   I even have people who return my lost balls!!

[Golfingdad]

The initials C, S and A around the logo before I start playing, and then lots of yellow marks from trees and scuff marks from cart paths while I'm playing. :)

[JasonInRaleigh]

turtleback- Thank you for taking the time. I understand now.

LOL at the tree/cart path comments.

[tristanhilton85]

I use to put two red dots on either side of the number but lately I've gotten lazy and stopped marking my balls. Not really a big deal though, for the last four months or so I've been playing MacGregor VIP's and just recently started using the Maxfli U/4. Not a whole lot of people using either one of those so I don't have to worry too much.

[SCfanatic35]

I use initials underneath the number and red baseball stitches on both sides of the alignment stamp.

[RickK]

I used to put a green dot on either side of Titleist, just big enough to fill up one dimple on the ball.

Now that I am way the heck older and can't see as well, I think that dot is about the size of 3 dimples.  :)

[Shortylook]

Don't know about free time mate, but that was very creative.

[Shortylook]

I put an A on my balls with 3 balls on each pint of the A, my provisional has the same mark but with a different color on it, I use a sharpie as they last a fair while

[JasonInRaleigh]

Thanks shorty. I enjoy having fun with life.  They are always a good time on the course.

[colin007]

I use practice balls. They come pre marked already for me, custom from the factory... ;-)

[Joshsmit56001]

I have a mickey mouse head on mine. Just use a sharpie to do 1 big circle and 2 small circles. I am a big Disney fan so I have the same thing on top of my r11s white driver, have a Mickey towel, and my ball marker is a coin from Disney world. Makes me think of the happiest place on earth and a reminder to just have fun.

[WUTiger]

Green Sharpie dots in a triangle of dimples between the two TopFlite labels, on opposite side from the Gamer arrow.

If you find one of my balls, please return it.

[MexBurtReynolds]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

The initials C, S and A around the logo before I start playing, and then lots of yellow marks from trees and scuff marks from cart paths while I'm playing. :)

Excellant.  Confederate States of America.  Have not used that one......

I keep a sharpie in my bag in case I get paired with "One of those guys".

Wrote "Burt Reynolds" on a ball in a high school tournament.  Lost ball on hole # 1.  Found same ball on hole # 9.  Two errant shots, but being a gentleman's game, took penalty each time.  Came in 2nd to last.

[jamo]

Excellant.  Confederate States of America.  Have not used that one......

My guess - and this is just a guess - is that that might not have been what he was going for. FWIW, I put two green dots around the number and a black line down the alignment stripe (though I don't use it for aiming).

[SCfanatic35]

My friend draws a pair of boobies on the ball.  That way he always keeps his head down.

[BuckeyeNut]

The best part about my mark is..............................Zip doesn't even want it.......LOL

[morganpdr]

I have been using GolfDotz cause I am a neat freak and hate messy ball markings, sad but true, it can never be perfect enough - lots of images to choose from, but I go with the smiley face, simply like others I try to remember golf is for fun and not to get stressed. Golfdotz don't affect the balls flight, and surprisingly don't seem to ever come off. Check them out here, [URL]http://www.golfdotz.com/[/URL] anyone else using these? (Two smiley faces for a provisional by the way.)