Refurbed balls

[TonyN]

I know its come up on here before but just wanted to say.

Went to AG this morning to get some balls and they had the refinished Prov's priced up at £12, I thought I would give them a try as they had a few prov1x's in too and all balls looked pretty good.

I have to say, they played excellent, no different than brand new ones AND they were in better condition than 333's normally are after a game.

O and when they went through the till they were only a tenner.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The ball(s) you played with may have been ok but I am pretty sure they won't all have the same characteristics. In my mind you are better off spending the extra £3-4 and buying new AD333's

 

[TonyN]

Gotta disagree homer, Ive been buying brand new 333's for last 6 months and I was well happier playing these refurbed prov1 x's.

Much better ball to strike with everyclub, and off the putter, much nicer! And didn't cut up like the 333's did with the wedges!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Problem with refurbs is that you don't know the age or quality of the ball before it was refinished. Balls do go off after time and especially if thay have been susceptible to cold or wet conditions. Just my opinion but I wouldn't touch a refurb or lake ball. That isn't being elitist or snobby just a consumer based decision on geting something I know the quality of.

To be fair you will get a decent response from the 2nd hit Pro V as they will reatin a lot of their properties such as high spin rates and so they will feel better. Got to disagree with the cutting up though. My Pro V and TP blacks are getting shredded by my Z grooves but not so much on the harder balls (AD333 and NXT). If you are happy to play with them enjoy them and I hope they help you to really low scores.

 

[andiritchie]

all the refurbs i have used cut up really bad and dented but that must of been my batch also i lost a club distance compared with new balls,i do use refurbs for my practise balls though as well my my scuffed prov1s

homer how you getting on with the tp blacks i been using them for about a month they just dont seem as soft as a titleist but dont shred up as much

 

[RGuk]

Tony....if you like 'em, use 'em!

t.b.h. recently I've been playing everyday and taking 2 balls after a wayward drive or unsatisfactory iron to the green. The "old" balls in my bag (used for a round or two) don't play as well as the new balls, especially off the driver. The new ones are dx2 and titleist nxt. The olds are various nike/callaway/titleist. For practice, use anything, but I'm really convinced that a brand new ball gets the best distance and spin. From that I reckon that a refurb premium ball will always underperform a new, but cheaper model. Do what I do, play with any old rubbish and save the brand new tube for important games!

 

[Cernunnos]

Always seem to have resisted the temptation to risk the supposedly referbished & lake balls that perport to be decent branded balls. There always looks to be something wrong with the look of these suposedly premium balls when I've compared the look of the real thing with the referbished balls, they just look wrong to me & on closer ispection many are much older versions imported from the US

They might well be very good balls, but not knowing how long balls like this have actually been under water on laying on a course before being refurbished & on some balls are they actually the ball that is sugested by the printing on the ball.

I think its my sceptisism that prevents me from taking up on these good deals. Might consider something like that in the winter.

But would much rather use a half decent ball where the consistency from one ball to the next can be relied upon in performance. If you know how a ball acts both conciously & subconciously it will be reflected over a long term in someones game. Just try swaping from a distance ball to a premium ball & back, then using balls that have several rounds played with them, then go back again & the game will suffer, hence why I try not to chop & change too often in the ball I use. Hence why for over a season I was using Maxfli Fire balls, however due to my usual sources of these balls no-longer stocking them I'm again having to experiment to find anothe ball that fits my game & also feels good to use, unfortunatly its left me suseptable to the very curse about not knowing how a ball is going to act in long & short game. Which has shown its ugly head over the past week in poor performance.

Think I've found a ball in the Srixon Trispeed but at £24 is too expensive & may find myself once more deciding to pay £19 for my balls in the form of Titleist NXT Tour.

Though the reason for getting the Maxfli Fire ball was that I could get them for £15, which is a much better price for a ball of premium performance.. Hey ho.


If I were to use a budget ball over the winter in hindsight I still wouldn't use lake balls, but instead either stick with my summer ball or use something like a pinnicle gold or Callaway Warbirds

 

[ob1]

How much life does the golf balls have? 2-3 rounds? This is very interesting subject for a newbie like me which just yesterday have bought 100 lake balls (pearl) from Ebay.

 

[MickCTR]

I play the refinished ProV1's too. I tried a couple of new ProV1 and found them to be superb so I stocked up on the refinished ones just for the practice rounds etc and to be honest I am happy with them. I'll now keep the expensive ones for more important matches and better courses as new ProV's are an expensive luxury!

 

[RGuk]

I certainly wouldn't use a 2 or 3 round ball for a serious game. Some of my harder balls have played 50 - 100 holes of golf, but as I said, they're not great....I pull them out as a second ball or trying to get over a massive carry.

 

[TonyN]

See i dont actually play any comps being a nomad so if i can get 12 for a 10er, it beats paying 36 quid or whatever they are for new, and they are in no worse condition than a new one would be after a few holes. I must admit it took me a while to find a decent box with the most good looking balls in. The other packs did have a few yellow balls in. but for a the price they really were good value!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I find the TP black a tad harder off the face than the Pro V but still softer than the new Callaway Tour Ix which has a very solid feel but flies great and really dances on the greens.

I use the TP Black and Callaway for competitions (Callaways on windier days as it has a more penertrating flight) and have been using Pro V and Srixon URS in roll ups.

Sadly I haven't been keeping balls long enough recently for deterioration to be a factor but I guess a Pro V will last 2 rounds before scuffing and I get 3 rounds with the TP and Callaway. Like realgolfer I have a bag of harder balls (AD333, NXT's and also old scuffed Pro V's etc) which I use when I go out on my own or if my golf is becoming particularly wild and I can't bear the thought of losing 2 or more premium balls per round

 

[Tommo21]

I never expect more than one medal round from a quality ball. As soon as a ball gets scuffed or marked it will not fly or spin consistently. You will certainly loose distance.

A really good ball like a Pro V is not designed to go much more that a full round of standard hitting, if you’re really lucky. If you nip a hard wedge onto the green a Pro v will mark especially with modern groove technology. All that spin comes at a price, not money, but durability. If the ball lasted ages it would not spin the same, it would be hard, there would be very little feel and more.

It’s a bit like a high performance race tyre; they’re not designed to last long they’re designed to perform.

I’ve tried refurbished and they’re not bad, but they’re not race tyres.

 

[USER1999]

I always medal with a new prov, and then play the rest of the week with it, before consigning it to my practice bag. I would never consider playing with a refurb, as you don't know what you are getting. I don't loose that many balls, so I can afford to play with the best. Also, direct golf do provs at £28 per dozen. This seems a good deal.
That said, I must have about 100 brand new provs and Nike one platinums in cupboard at home. Probably won't need to buy a ball for a couple of years.

 

[HTL]

The way im im playing at the moment I use anything, have been tempted by a bag of refurbed balls.

I am usually the first on the course most mornings and the green keepers throw any found balls onto the fairway so I am just using anything the other members lose.

Use Px3 usually but going to buy some Warbirds to try.

 

[Ronnoc1980]

Hi All

I was playing a refurbed pro v the other day and a bloke who is Mr rule (you know the type) informed me that refurbed balls are not legal in comps. Now this old boy talks a load of bull of the course but when it comes to golf and rules he knows his stuff so is he right or wrong????

 

[Parmo]

I don't buy refurbs as you don't know the state of the core before the refurb. Also I don't find AD333 cut up too bad, mind you I don't try and backspin every pitch or flop shot so they seem to last a decent while. Having said that due to the current money situation I am reconsidering buying new AD333s, I am losing about 2 (more on a real bad day) a round at the moment due to the stew, so am thinking of buying the 50 for £35 lake balls or just using any old ball.

A guy I know (freak from near where I live) sold me 65 "found" balls for £7 the other day, there where 22 Titlists and out of the 22 11 where either ProV1 or Xs, yes used and seen some action but still playable and the rest where nike, Callaway & Srixon with about 25 Top flite or Dunlop or the likes, so ok for practice.

The reason I am reconsidering changing from new balls is that when I lose one it totally distracts me from my game and using cheaper ones doesn't, I have played with low handicappers who use top flites and people who don't care what ball it is, I can not see it making much difference, then again no doubt I will probs be buying 3 dozen AD333s on payday

 

[Parmo]

Oh, just one more thing, I noticed this review on EBay about fake Pro V1 balls, so watch out.

Beware of buying titleist pro v1 golf balls . I did and as a user of these balls knew right away they were fake . They differ in so many ways .How to spot them : 1. to bright a white cover 2. too hard 3. rought parts on cover 4. slightley smaller 5. all 12 balls in box are stamped with NO1 and not NO 1-4 as is normal practice.

As a seller of authentic products I always look for value on Ebay and sometimes purchase items if I can get them at the right price.

Today I received delivery of 4 dozen FAKE Titleist Pro V1 Golf balls. This is my first encounter of this and want to point out the differences that were pretty obvious to me to say the least.

The packaging was not the correct colours with the Bronze colour of genuine packaging being replaced with a shiny light gold colour. The packaging was also very lightweight whereas the genuine is of high quality heavy weight card. The packaging all looks a bit bashed and bruised as if to try and tone it down.

The balls themselves were obvious fakes and the following list will make it easy for anyone to spot even if they are a non-golfer buying as a gift.

1. Genuine 2007/2008 balls have no join line - the fakes had and looked like two half balls stuck together. 2006 Genuine balls have an equator line but if any Pro V1 looks as if it is joined together it is fake.

2. The dimples on genuine balls are all of similar size - the fake balls had dimples of varying sizes.

3. Genuine balls have a soft white cover - the fakes are made of a hard, bright white shiny plastic that side by side with a genuine ball is glaringly obvious.

4. Go to titleist.co.uk and have a look, there are some great closeups of the genuine articles.

5. The printing on the balls is of a smaller size than the genuine balls and again when compared to an original is totally inferior.

6. Genuine Titleist Balls cannot be sold for a ridiculously cheap price unless they are stolen or fakes. They are sold, however, at not much above cost as it is a product that golfers probably spend more money on in their lifetime than clubs especially at the premier end of the ball market. I for one use at least 2 balls each round and play 4-5 times a week so it soon mounts up. By offering the best value & service possible customers will always come back to reputable sellers and in turn this allows them to keep offering good value.

Like most things in life if something is to good to be true then it's probably a fake. I was only caught out because the balls were being sold at a very similar price to wholesale and that was the only reason I wasn't suspicious. I was fortunate that the sale is PayPal protected and a refund is being given.

There is always good ebayers selling Genuine Titleist Balls at very good value. Check out their feedback, ask them questions and if in doubt ask them what guarantee of autheticity they offer. If they don't offer any guarantee and there is no PayPal protection my advice is simple - walk away.

I hope this has been useful.

Steven

http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Fake-Titleist-...idZp3286.c0.m17

 

[USER1999]

A friend I was playing with a while back had a fake prov1. It was a very good copy, with the correct logo, aligned with the seam, dimple pattern was ok, colour wasn't bad, etc. The main difference was the print quality when compared to my original.

And the fact that it was 20 yards shorter.

He had won it in a ball raffle on a society day, so had no recourse on it.

You can't beat buying from a recognised dealer.

Back on the subject of refurbs / lake balls, I would be more tempted by pearl grade lake balls rather than refurbished balls. If they needed repainting, and refurbing, there must be a reason (discolouration being the main one, which is evidence of UV degradation - not good).

 

[Tommo21]

Refurbished pro vees say from Direct golf are not bad. We tend to have this impression that it could be any ball that’s being disguised as a pro v. A company like direct golf would not openly advertise the Titleist brand name if it wasn’t under some form of strict process control. I also can’t see Titleist allowing any company to use their brand name unless it was spot on. I got a dozen from one of the forum members (direct golf one’s) and I can’t fault them, although they tend to scuff up a little easier. They’re certainly well finished and you would be hard pushed to notice any difference. I still use the real deal for competition rounds and I certainly wouldn’t buy any outside recognised dealers like DG.

I was curious so I tried them and if someone wanted to try them without the extra cost, this could be the way to go.