How many holes/rounds do you keep a ball in play?

[lastings]

As far as I know, there is no evidence to show that a ball will change or become "worn out" in a short amount of time.   ball will react and feel the same after hole 100 as it will on hole 1.   

[Piz]

I keep a ball in play all the time.  The more beat up the better.  Lower velocity turbulent air flow...don't you know.

[The Recreational Golfer]

This thought was in the GolfWRX Morning 9 this morning (I never knew "concerned" was a noun. Dig the two verbs in a row, too.):

A concerned questioned asked Golf Digest if there's a point at which new golf balls begin to underperform. 

• The reply: "Play it 'till you lose it, says Frederick Waddell, senior manager of golf-ball product management at Titleist. As long as the ball looks good to your eye, it's ready for the next tee, he says. You're not going to wear the ball out by playing it round after round, and you won't decrease its ball speed or lower its spin rate. That said, if it hits something like a tree or cartpath, give it a close look. Shear or scuff marks about the size of a dime or greater will likely affect the dimples and compromise its aerodynamics."

[sjduffers]

I keep playing a ball for several rounds, usually, unless it's badly damaged from a cart path bounce or a tree. Most of the times, you can keep playing on with those too. I once hit an electric transformer can perched atop a pole, and the ball had a nasty grey paint job (dimpled of course) on it afterwards: I kept playing it for at least another round as I recall.

Lately, I found an original Kirkland ball (the 4 piece), abandoned at the edge of some woods. Wanting to try it, I put in play and kept playing it for another 3.5+ rounds, before finally returning it to another wooded area... I really liked that ball by the way.

In the end, I tend to leave them in my bag and just put a new one in play... and that's how I end up with several dozens scuffed balls in my heavy (cart) bag. I am sure I would cull them out of there a lot quicker if I had to carry the thing! 😉

[sofingaw]

I have no set timeline for replacement. I’ll play one until I lose it (normally happens first) or, it gets badly scuffed by a cart path or tree. 

I have definitley played a whole round with one ball more than once, but I don’t know if I have ever played the same ball for more than 18 holes straight, since after each round, the balls go either into the ‘gamer’ pocket, or the ‘shag’ pocket and get mixed with all other balls in said pockets. 

Certainly some in the ‘gamer’ pocket have more than 18 holes on them. Perhaps much more. 

[RussUK]

Use till i lose it (unless its knackered). Im cost concious so if its playable then i'll hit it.