How do you mark your game balls?

[Zeph]

I've never had a problem involving my ball being confused with someone else's ball, so I'm not worried about two dots being an issue.

[The Recreational Golfer]

One green dot above the label and to the right of the number. Green is in honor of the Maxfli balls I used decades ago. They had red dot, green dot, and blue dot to denote different compressions.

[Smuggler]

I haven't seen another ball marked like mine (thanks to Tin Cup).

[BuckeyeNut]

I've even found one of my own "lost" balls.

I can do 1 better.........I paired up with a guy playing one of my  lost balls!   Hahahahahaha...no joke!   I asked him where he found it, and it was in a place I'm sure I never hit it......so he must have been the 2nd owner of the ball since me!!  LOL

[Lihu]

I've never had a problem involving my ball being confused with someone else's ball, so I'm not worried about two dots being an issue.

You've never bought them from Costco? I "found"* half a dozen of what I thought were my balls, and ended up with 4 more than I brought. :-D *Note: Due to pace of play issues, many golfers abandon their balls and drop.

[jsgolfer]

I put 3 black dots beside both the numbers and I also use a different number for a provisional ball and make sure that you inform your partners prior to playing both the original ball and the provisional. I've played in too many tournaments where a player found his provisional ball and said it was his first ball and I know it wasn't but I didn't ask them what they were playing so couldn't verify.

[Wisguy]

I never bother. I usually play Srixon AD333s, which I've never seen anyone else play and I've never found one on a course, so there's practically no risk of confusion with anyone else's ball. I don't play competitively and the people with whom I play know that I'm honest about my score keeping (not that it would matter to them since I don't play for money or have an official handicap), so there's no need to distinguish which ball is in play and which is a spare in case I lose one. The AD333s are discontinued, but I stocked up on about 6 dozen when Dick's Sporting Goods was clearing them out for 2 doz.-for-$25. I haven't played much this summer, but a streak of really awful slicing off the tee has significantly depleted my stock. I'll have to resort to one of the eBay ball sellers for used mint condition AD333s once I run out of my stock of new ones; Wal-Mart still carries them new, at the full original MSRP of $20/doz., but I prefer not to do business with such a slimy company.

[TJBam]

I can do 1 better.........I paired up with a guy playing one of my  lost balls!   Hahahahahaha...no joke!   I asked him where he found it, and it was in a place I'm sure I never hit it......so he must have been the 2nd owner of the ball since me!!  LOL

I used to mark my DT Solos with a T right under the number.  One time a guy and a girl were in a cart jacking around near the green of a short dogleg right par 4.  It measures around 320 from my tees but the green is accessible by a long fade cutting the trees - around 260 yds or so.  Long gets around the green, short not really a problem either.

So I am standing on the teebox wondering what the hell they're doing when the guy "waves us through" without moving.  I motioned with my arm for them to shoo, but he stays put as if he is testing me.  He drives a little to the right into the woods, out of sight.  I bomb a drive that hits the green and bounces off right to a flat area.  My partner lays up and we go on up.

My ball is gone but replaced with a practice ball.  My partner swears my ball was up.

So we catch up to the guy on the next hole and ask if we can join him or pass him up (he is slow).  He says join us.  He loses a ball on that hole near the green, pulls one out of his pocket, and finishes the hole with it.  He sinks a putt and before he moves I take my putt and sink it as well.  I reached into the hole for my ball and took both of them... both DT solos with purple T's on them, same numbers.  This jackass took my ball and replaced it with a practice ball.  I didn't say a word but just pocketed both balls.  He had nothing to say.  My partner got a good kick out of it.  We got back to the cart and I tossed him the practice ball.  Awkward way to finish out the last couple of holes!!

[BuckeyeNut]

I used to mark my DT Solos with a T right under the number.  One time a guy and a girl were in a cart jacking around near the green of a short dogleg right par 4.  It measures around 320 from my tees but the green is accessible by a long fade cutting the trees - around 260 yds or so.  Long gets around the green, short not really a problem either.

So I am standing on the teebox wondering what the hell they're doing when the guy "waves us through" without moving.  I motioned with my arm for them to shoo, but he stays put as if he is testing me.  He drives a little to the right into the woods, out of sight.  I bomb a drive that hits the green and bounces off right to a flat area.  My partner lays up and we go on up.

My ball is gone but replaced with a practice ball.  My partner swears my ball was up.

So we catch up to the guy on the next hole and ask if we can join him or pass him up (he is slow).  He says join us.  He loses a ball on that hole near the green, pulls one out of his pocket, and finishes the hole with it.  He sinks a putt and before he moves I take my putt and sink it as well.  I reached into the hole for my ball and took both of them... both DT solos with purple T's on them, same numbers.  This jackass took my ball and replaced it with a practice ball.  I didn't say a word but just pocketed both balls.  He had nothing to say.  My partner got a good kick out of it.  We got back to the cart and I tossed him the practice ball.  Awkward way to finish out the last couple of holes!!

Ouch.............I don't know how I'd react in this situation.  I'd definitely be creative when pointing out my mark on his alleged ball. lol

[MS256]

I can do 1 better.........I paired up with a guy playing one of my  lost balls!   Hahahahahaha...no joke!   I asked him where he found it, and it was in a place I'm sure I never hit it......so he must have been the 2nd owner of the ball since me!!  LOL

Happens to me all the time. The way I mark my ball stands out like a sore thumb. I've also seen several of them bagged up for resale in the pro shop (before I started working there).

Most locals know how I mark my ball and give them back to me.

[BuckeyeNut]

Happens to me all the time. The way I mark my ball stands out like a sore thumb. I've also seen several of them bagged up for resale in the pro shop (before I started working there).

Most locals know how I mark my ball and give them back to me.

I am like you............I have a membership and play a course where many regulars know my distinctive mark. What you see in the pic is only half the mark....because I write this on both sides of the ball!! LOL

I have since replaced the red sharpie with black in recent years, but that's besides the point because I still use the same mark.  I've had regulars return my balls too.  Whenever somebody returns one of my lost balls, it's always accompanied by a story that goes something like this .................."

I can't believe you hit a ball into the ditch on #18"........ or something to that effect.....as they toss me the lost ball. LOL

I can't figure out why they don't want to keep them?  LOL

[MS256]

I am like you............I have a membership and play a course where many regulars know my distinctive mark. What you see in the pic is only half the mark....because I write this on both sides of the ball!! LOL

I have since replaced the red sharpie with black in recent years, but that's besides the point because I still use the same mark.  I've had regulars return my balls too because they don't want to keep a ball with my mark.  Whenever somebody returns one of my lost balls, it's always accompanied by a story that goes something like this.................."

I can't believe you hit a ball into the ditch on #18"........ or something to that effect.....as they toss me the lost ball. LOL

I can't figure out why they don't want to keep them?  LOL

Ha ha! I don't think the pro shop would resell those either. Mine just sometimes get mistaken for range balls.

[BuckeyeNut]

I was looking at that old red mark, and something about it didn't look right. That was an old pic from a few years ago....

It prompted me to open my trunk tonight.  This pic is from today...LOL.  My current BLACK mark has evolved compared to the old red mark

For the past few years, I've written it 'double decker' style....LOL  I write this on each side of the ball............it's very easy to identify for sure!!

Golfers playing another hole who spray shots in my direction, never "accidentally" play my ball anymore......go figure!!??  It NEVER HAPPENS....LOL

[PaneraiMan]

I was looking at that old red mark, and something about it didn't look right. That was an old pic from a few years ago....

It prompted me to open my trunk tonight.  This pic is from today...LOL.  My current BLACK mark has evolved compared to the old red mark

For the past few years, I've written it 'double decker' style....LOL  I write this on each side of the ball............it's very easy to identify for sure!!

Golfers playing another hole who spray shots in my direction, never "accidentally" play my ball anymore......go figure!!??  It NEVER HAPPENS....LOL

That's funny. Lol.

[BuckeyeNut]

Ball identification is never an issue...LOL