Time for a new ball.

I have a question for anyone. How long does a golf ball 'last' in terms of performance. I played the same Nike ball for 35 holes (a new personal record) and noticed something. On the 36th hole, par 5 with a creek about 250 yards out I hit my drive. Usually I can carry this without much problem, but this time I barely cleared the water. The ball hit the far bank, bounced off a rock and into the fairway. It was battered beyond recognition and I officially retired it to the bag. I used the ball for every drive, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th shot and all the putts.

wow! 36 holes and still the same ball. I would have lost the thing ages ago.

I can well imagine that after a while the compression in the ball could diminish.
Maybe wrong though.

well i tend to use a new ball on every hole.


not for any scientific or golf reason, but because i usually lose one about every 15 minutes

Balls these days are extreamly durable. I can remember playing the wound balada types that would go out of round if you just looked at them wrong, so they would last 1-2 holes.

DT, 2 piece, 3 piece balls will just about never go out of round, and the cover can take a beeting, so they will go far (like the 36 holes you expierenced).

Softer covers will only last long if you don't hit 3-4 trees and cartpaths. The wedges skuffing the groove marks in the cover will also take the life out eventually. Normal duration I expierenced is about 9 holes.

Far improvements in my opinion.

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I'm a golfaholic, no question about that. Counseling wouldn't help me. They'd have to put me in prison, and then I'd talk the warden into building a hole or two and teach him how to play. ~Lee Trevino

The more you hit a ball, the worse it gets. Some theorize that the core gets permanently deformed over time. You can often see how the cover gradually deteriorates. The cover (and it's dimples) are your aerodynamic drag coefficient (the core is mass), so if you've scuffed or cut the cover, the ball no longer spins like it should. This will result in a loss of distance and direction.

I've heard of guys not continuing to play (after the current hole) with any ball thatwent off a cartpath, tree, rock, or sprinkler head.

I myself will play with any ball that's not badly scuffed or cut.

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True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

I have found that the prov's and other low compression types to be rather durable. Generally I end up playing them untill they are cut or badly scuffed and I would say they last 3-4 rounds.

Also Golf digest has an in the bag article or used to and there is at least one tour player who claims to usually use the same ball for an entire round. several say they change them out every 3 holes or so, and I believe Ernie Els said he changes balls after every birdie with the theroy that a every golf ball has one birdie in it and he is not sure if it has more then that. I would guess he has used less golf balls of late.

Bob

I find that I am "bearding" more golf balls than I used to lately.
This is where I can clearly see the marks of the grooves on the ball, so much so that there are actual pieces of Surlyn hanging off like hair.

http://www.franklygolf.com/Q_A/balls.asp#Age
This talks about how age affects the ball.

http://www.franklygolf.com/Q_A/balls.asp#Temperature
I find this interesting if true, especially the part about an extra foot carry for each increase in temperature by a degree Fahrenheit.