It’s estimated that greater than 500 million to 750 million new golf balls are offered yearly on a worldwide foundation. Additionally it is estimated that someplace between 125 million and 500+ million recycled or second-hand balls are recovered and offered to golfers worldwide – golf balls primarily culled from ponds and lakes on golf programs (a.okay.a. “Lake Balls”). It isn’t identified what number of extra Lake Balls are retrieved and performed by abnormal golfers in the course of the course of their rounds. And whereas the precise variety of used balls offered out there stays elusive, what is evident is that billions of latest balls have entered play over the previous few years world wide; and lots of of these find yourself misplaced and located as Lake Balls which can be teed up many times.
In addition to the freebie a participant would possibly discover within the tough, woods or fringe of a pond, there may be an energetic marketplace for shopping for and promoting recycled golf balls – usually at a reduction of as much as 50% off of retail.
So, with the chance to pay such a reduction, are these balls a good selection?
A latest unbiased examine by GolfBallTest.org summarizes the outcomes of skilled knowledge gathering and evaluation on this matter together with bench and ballistics testing of recycled golf balls (particularly “lake balls”) golf balls, marketed as “highest quality” or “near” new. In abstract, this examine discovered No Considerable Variations in efficiency and playability components (for many gamers) for this pattern of “highest quality” or “near new” recycled balls versus the efficiency for these balls bought new.
This latest unbiased by GolfBallTest.org evaluated three fashionable Tour-level balls from 2007 and 2008 mannequin years, together with the Titleist Professional V1x (2007), the Bridgestone Tour B330 (2007) and the Nike ONE Platinum (2008). Model new golf balls straight from the package deal had been in comparison with a random pattern of recycled balls acquired from a number one retailer who sources most of their balls from ponds and lakes.
Testing included compression and canopy hardness testing in addition to weight testing and roundness testing. Ballistics testing was carried out with the Driver, 6-Iron and Sand Wedge utilizing a swing robotic in managed situations and a launch monitor to assemble spin, launch angle and ball pace variable utilized in establishing flight traits and distance.
Extra examine components centered on golfer perceptions on efficiency worth.
In abstract, the outcomes from the pattern testing on bench testing and ballistics/flight components discovered no considerable distinction between these “highest quality” recycled balls, from this drawn pattern of recycled golf balls, versus these sourced new. Extra particulars can be found within the white paper.