LostGolfBalls.com  

- I always found it kind of annoying when I walked into the Pro Shop and on the counter was a bowl of “experienced” or “reclaimed” golf balls at a buck a ball. Dang! They’re actually giving me an opportunity to buy back what I (and others) lost. So they are, in essence, profiting from our errant ways. Something doesn’t seem quite right about that. Then again, they could be onto something. I don’t know about you but I don’t feel nearly as bad about losing a so-called “experienced” ball.

There’s a company in Sugarland, Texas that has created a whole business around selling “experienced” balls to golfers over the Web. Their commerce site is appropriately named, LostGolfBalls.com.

Just to get the terminology straight, the company refers to these as recycled golf balls. In a way, they are hooking themselves to the green/environmental trend.

Anyway, what LostGolfBalls.com does is retrieve golf balls from the lakes and water hazards of over 2000 resorts, private facilities and top daily fee courses in 32 states. The balls are then shipped to one location where they are cleaned with soap and water and sorted by hand into various brands, models, conditions and offerings, which are then made available for purchase.

The company offers a huge selection of "perfect" and "near perfect" golf balls from most every renowned golf ball manufacturer. To date, they have retrieved and sold over 220 million golf balls.

What kinds of deals can you get?

Check this out… A dozen 2007 Model Titleist Pro V1, which sell new in the $45 range, can be had for $24.95 (highest grade) to $7.95 (lowest grade).

Pretty cool, huh? Let’s step back and talk about the grading system. There are four different grades of recycled golf balls. The rating system is a little weird because the top rated ball is a 5-A. The lowest in this system is a 2-A. Not sure what happens to 1-A balls. Here’s the breakdown:

-- 1/AAAAA: Highest quality ball in the marketplace. “Like New.” Perfect to very near perfect. Usually called "ONE HIT WONDERS". Just like a ball out of the box!

-- 2 / AAAA: Very slightly blemished balls. May have minor imperfections. Similar to a new ball after being played for 3 holes.

-- 3 / AAA: Slightly scuffed or blemished balls that may have minor discoloration. A few good quality x-outs or practice balls could be included. Probably looks like a new ball when you go to the back 9.

-- 4 / AA: Appropriate for range and green practice and usually bear more imperfections than balls in "3rd Quality". This ball has probably survived 18 holes without going into the water.



I actually learned about LostGolfBalls.com while researching the GolfBallSelector.com story. I found it interesting that this Web-based, subscription service for helping golfers make intelligent decisions about what to buy actually offered its members the option of buying either new or recycled balls. When I clicked on the “info” button next to the recycled ball listing, it took me to a fantastic page that did a great job showing and describing the various grades (http://www.golfballselector.com/buyersGuide/buyersGuide.php).

Small world, right? Yet, it makes total sense. The folks at GolfBallSelector.com are all about helping golfers make smart choices about what type of ball they should use. So why not extend that include smart choices about purchasing a box of balls? At recycled prices, you can try out several different types and brands from the recommended ball list without busting your wallet. Now that’s smart!

While this feeder relationship between GolfBallSelector.com and LostGolfBalls.com is interesting and mutually beneficial, it isn’t the only way the company gets customers for its recycled golf balls. I’ve actually seen an ad for them pop up in my Gmail. Folks that come independently to the LostGolfBalls.com site, will find several pages where they can educate themselves about the different types of golf balls.

Here’s an example: At this page, http://www.lostgolfballs.com/info-exec/display/best_ball_for_me, golf ball descriptions are broken down between “Competitive or Skilled Player” and “Weekend or Recreational Golfer.” Here you’ll get a nice top-level discussion of the differences between the various brands. As a point of reference, this page also includes the top ball recommendations from Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.

To help seal the deal, LostGolfBalls.com has an amazing returns policy:

If you are not 100% pleased with the performance, feel, and overall appearance of the used golf balls purchased from Lost Golf Balls, let us know within 30 days and we will refund your full purchase price (not including shipping and handling charges).

Conclusion:

As mentioned in my other review about the GolfBallSelector service, the one constant need in golf is for replacement balls. In these economic times, it makes sense to look at ways to get the most bang for your buck. With that in mind, I highly recommend giving LostGolfBall.com a try. What have you got to lose?

For more information, go to: www.lostgolfballs.com