Lake Balls -you decide

[brendy]

Virtually everting in this world is porous to a certain degree, but remember you rnt hitting them straight out of the lake. One other thing to remember also is that they are called lake balls but they may have come from being found on courses or used once balls from tournament practice ranges (where else would they go?)

 

[billyg]

Update:

Ive just weighed a sleeve of brand new Pro V1's on a set of electronic scales capable of accuracy down to 2.5 grammes(less than the weight of a new 5p piece)

All come out at around 47.5g to 50g.

Then weighed all 24 lake balls individually. All pan out between 47.5g and 50 g.

Not conclusive by any stretch as these are hardly atomically calibrated scientific scales but 2.5 g of water is less than a thimblefull. If you've got mud on your ball( a part of which is clearly water) or just a damp ball then the new balls aren't going to offer any further consistancy all else being equal.

They'll certainly do me through the vagiaries of winter and spring

 

[shanker]

Reviews consistently show that balls degrade rapidly in water and that costs you yardage. In effect, a Pro V1 that's come out of a lake will have all the performance of a much cheaper ball

Interesting comment. I was given a dozen ''lake balls'' at Christmas and I'm sure they don't go as far as the real ProVis.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The diference will lie with the ball. The longer it spends in the water the more damage is done to the central core and the more deviation and lack of consistency

 

[shanker]

The diference will lie with the ball. The longer it spends in the water the more damage is done to the central core and the more deviation and lack of consistency

Why?

 

[Basher]

The stage my game is at means it's pretty much irrelevant whether I play with brand spankers or lake balls to be honest.

I don't lose as many as I used to (played my last few rounds with the same ball!) Thing is, I've still got quite a few lake balls left before I take the plunge and buy brand new balls.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm not a scientist but I have been led to believe that the longer the length of time submerged in the water the less elasticity from the ball when it is struck by the club. Therefore if it has been submerged for any considerable time it is likely to lose about 10% (according my information).

Therefore a normally struck drive normally travelling 250 yards will only go 225. As you can see that will make clubbing erratic.

I may be wrong with this information and only have it from a well educated and knowledgable member at my club. I'm prepared to be proved wrong or corrected

 

[Sam]

From Google (might be true)
Lake balls -are they just as good as new?

There is no doubting that lake balls seem an attractive investment, but are they just as good as new? Well the answer is no. Tests into the effect that water had on balls resting at the bottom of lakes were carried out and they discovered that balls that have spent time in water travel less than new, or simply dry golf balls. Balls that had spent 8 days in water produced drives six yards less than the benchmark ball. Balls that had spent 3 months submerged in water travelled 12 yards less, and balls kept in water for 6 months went 15 yards less.

This may sound like a sizeable difference, however for the average golfer a lake ball can be a very good investment. Considering the price of new golf balls in the market today, buying lake balls is a cheap way to enjoy the game. The chance to pay a lot less for some of the best balls around is one that many golfers take and don't regret. Many lake ball companies re-cover balls in a shiny gloss that makes them appear new. This cover will wear and the ball may discolour slightly, but will not affect the balls flight or roll. There is no doubt that the occasion lake ball can be a very sensible investment, but just remember the next time you scoop a Pro V1 from the lake that all that glitters is not gold.

 

[billyg]

The lost distance (which I pointed out in the OP) doesn't worry me at my level. The marginal gain is the better feel around the green for the same money as a cheap ball.

Homer makes a good point about it being difficult to judge clubbing . However ,assuming you've whacked that particular ball a few times and found it's 'measure' one could club up or down accordingly.

I think the balance of financial savings and feel against loss of distance is perfectly adequate for me. I often loose 3 or 4 balls on a bad round. At the point that I don't with reasonable consistancy I'll re-asses my choices again.