How Many Golf Balls Do You Use in a Season?

/ The Grateful Golfer

This is a question I posed a few days ago out in cyberspace. I did not qualify how many rounds of golf a person would play or how long their golf season was, but I figured it was a good question to gauge if I am using too many golf balls. As it turned out, I am actually under the average.

Golf balls are a consumable item that can cost the average golfer over $150 dollars a year. Depending on where you buy your golf balls and at what price, golf balls can be the most expensive part of your golf season. However, it does not have to be costly if we are wise on when to use a new golf ball!

I use about four dozen new golf balls a season. At lease two dozen of those are for tournaments (I always use new golf balls each round during a tournament) and two dozen are used in the spring when I first start playing. The price of my golf balls range from $15 to $60 a dozen. The more expensive balls are for tournaments.

The number of dozen golf balls I use during a year does not include those I test and provide a review. This usually equates to about two or three dozen balls a year. This year I have Forté and Snell golf balls to review, so they do not count against my number unless I used them in a tournament.

The rest of the time, I use balls I find on the course. I usually very particular about which brand I play so I do accumulate quite a few balls for my practice bucket. When in Trenton over the past three years, Mike, Jean, Carm and I all played different brands. So if I found a ball they liked, I would give it to them; they also did the same. I realize that as a low handicap player, most people think I play with a new golf ball all the time.

One question I am often asked  is why I do not use a new golf ball each time I play. Normally, I tell people is that a good golf ball will last me about three rounds; if I do not lose it or hit it into a pond. I do not lose many golf balls and as such I find that after three rounds, the ball is scuffed enough to warrant changing. This does not mean I grab a new golf ball, but a ball in better condition than the one I have. I take the scuff up ball and put it into my shag bag. It still has some value so why get rid of it. Hey, no judging – we all need a scuffed up ball sometimes on a water hole!

I am very fortunate when it comes to golf balls. I usually ask for them as presents on my birthday, I win them in contests, or I am asked to provide an honest review of them. This means that I do not buy many golf balls. However, if I do, I am very selective and always wait for a sale. Unfortunately, it will still cost me about $50 for a dozen of those white pieces of gold!

The majority of players use six or more dozen golf balls in a season; this unfortunately is unavoidable. Depending on your brand, it can be also be quite expensive. I know that I reduce the cost by re-purposing golf balls I find or try to use on golf ball for multiple rounds. It is challenging, but one of the things I must do if I want to play 80+ rounds of golf in a year. As they say, it is the cost of doing business.

How may golf balls do you use in a season?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

18 thoughts on “How Many Golf Balls Do You Use in a Season?”

  1. Well you know Jim that I am always ahead at the end of a round but I would imagine in the course of a year I probably lose close to 100 balls. Being unable to hit the SMART shot can have its consequences.

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  3. Jim
    I use about 4 dozen as well approximately. Depends on types of courses you play and how many rounds you play. Some courses have way more mater than others. Down here in Florida there is a lot of marshland so it can be very penal if you aren’t the on. I can a ball that rolls into some trees but I can’t play or find a ball that rolls into the marsh or pond.

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  4. Jim,

    To be honest I’m not entirely sure. We bought 4 dozen Titleist in the spring when they had a “4 for 3” w/ free customization promotion going on, and that seemed to last the entire season (plus whatever we already had in our bag prior to ordering) …. then I left the last several balls somewhere in Hawaii in December and need to reload for 2017 😉

    Cheers
    Josh

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  5. Jim, put me down for about four dozen annually. And two dozen of those are just for my Myrtle Beach trip. I’ve never run out of balls down there but can go through a lot in 216 holes. Hey, if you ever find a ProV1 with a couple red dots, it’s mine!

    Thanks,

    Brian

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  6. What an interesting (and pretty important!) question. Do you know, I’ve never quantified how many balls I get through in a season, but I will try to keep an eye on it in 2017 just to see. I am very fussy about the golf ball I use, so I virtually always give away any I find around the course to my playing partners. Cheers, Rob.

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  7. Hey! Great post. I am a bit like you, I use a new ball every tournament round and for causal games I just use whatever I can find in the bag. When buying golf balls I probably go through about 2 dozen boxes of new balls for tournament play. The rest I just use when I find them , however I will admit I am a bit of a snob when it comes to balls. I won’t use anything that I haven’t used before or is top of the range. Cheers

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    • I am glad you enjoyed the article. It is tough to balance spending and saving in golf. Equipment can be very expensive, those of us on a budget have to find ways to stretch the dollar for sure.

      Cheers
      Jim

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