Ever wondered what is meant by lake golf balls ? At one point I thought it was a brand name ! Now, after reading up on the subject, I have put together this little guide, which makes it all clear.

What are they ?

Lake golf balls are the golf balls recovered from lakes or bodies of water that lie within a golf course. These balls have been hit into the water by golfers, and not recovered by them for whatever reason (they did not wish to waste time in searching, they failed to locate the ball etc). Due to these being second hand, they can be very cheap golf balls for those unwilling to pay full retail price for brand new balls, but still be able to use a ball as good as, or nearly as good as its brand new equivalent.

Recovering the balls

On a regular basis, usually once a month, the bodies of water are dredged by golf course personnel, or a contracted company, and the golf balls are recovered, and then sent away to be prepared for resell.

Water damage ?

As long as the balls do not stay in the water for longer than three months and they will in most casees have only been in the water fo one month, they should not suffer from any water damage. Obviously, the balls that have suffered from significant impact damage, that has resulted in the penetration of their surface, will no doubt then be prone to damage from the water. This is why it is best to buy the top grades of lake golf balls (grading explained below – "Pearls of wisdon").

Ball cleaning

Once recovered, and found to be in good enough condition, they are then professionally cleaned up and repackaged so that they can be resold. This allows players to use top quality, branded balls, at a lot lower cost then if buying brand new. A golfer can expect to pay less than 50% of the retail price of the golf balls.

Damage limitation

Golf balls that have been recovered from lakes, then sold on as lake golf balls, tend to not have been hit that many times, in fact a lot have only been hit a few times. Considering this, they are then without or with very little impact damage.

Pearls of wisdom – lake ball grading

There are four different gradings for the lake golf balls, reflecting their state of repair. These gradings are, going from pristine to obviously damage, are: Pearl, Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C. In detail, Pearl means the balls are as good as new, Grade A means the balls have small un-noticable markings, Grabe B balls will have small amounts of surface damage, and Grade C balls will have a significant amount of noticeable damage that could be internal as well as external.

Unfit for service

Golf balls that do not fit within the grading system, and therefore unfit for resell, will be recycled. In fact, you could say they will be re-born. Broken down, and re-assembled as brand new golf balls. Much like your plastic and paper goods (milk containers, cereal boxes, junk mail etc).

Top grade, best play

When in search of lake golf balls, it is best to make sure that they are in one of the higher grades of repair, thus ensuring that your game is not adversely affected by the inferior quality of damaged balls. Generally speaking, the vendors of lake golf balls will only sell the top graded balls, but it is always best to be safe, and check. If the grade is not mentioned, then stay clear, and shop elsewhere.