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My friend and I had a dispute and he said he would never play the same ball that was submerged in the water or lake for more than a day. I said there's absolutely nothing wrong. He said that once a ball stays in the water it becomes damaged or will not play the same as a new ball. This argument came up because I told him I play with used balls. Why would you pay $60 for a dozen PV1's when you can get them used for much less. I recently bought 50 PV1's off of EBay for $35. This would probably be over $300 retail new. I say that balls do not get waterlogged or suffer any damage if they were in the water. What do you guys think?

I wouldn't think so. But I don't think i would use a pond ball during a tournament or any sort of round that matters.

If you are paying $60 for ProV1 balls, you are paying $20 too much.

10-20 Years ago, I would have agreed with your friend. The balata covers they used to use on high-end golf balls would break down in water (it takes more than a day, though). Balata is the extract of the balata tree, kind of like rubber, and like most natural substances, it is somewhat water soluable. You could tell when they weren't any good because the cover of the ball got dull and felt kind of crackly. Nowadays, Pro-V1s are covered in urethane which shouldn't break down in water.

POSSIBLY BOGUS THEORY FOLLOWS:
Urethane does, however, react to UV light and since sunlight is still strong in less than 3 feet of water or if a ball sits in the weeds for a while, you might end up with "sunburned" Pro-V1s (must resist the urge to call them "sunburned balls" ... ouch).

I'd think that if the ball isn't yellowed that it's still OK. Youve got to be carefull with those used Ebay balls though because sometimes they repaint to make them look new.

Golf Digest or Golf Magazine published the results of a study that showed some submerged golf balls did lose considerable playing characteristics. This all depends on the type of ball and how long they had been submerged.

$60.00 a dozen for ProV1s? I get them at my local golf retailer for $39.99 and at the golf shows for $30-35 new. :nodsmiley

I was gonna say, maybe he's Canadian and there's the exchange rate. Because we do spend anywhere from $60-$75 for a dozen Pro-V1s up here. But I checked. You're from San Diego! Why are the balls so expensive???

I saw that on the golf channel. It did say most balls did loose their distance and feel after so many days/weeks/months in the pond. But there was one type that actually gained yards. I wish I could remember which ball it was.

I use balls that I find in the water for a short (125) par three with an eight iron. They are always good for something.

You'd think that a polymer ball cover shouldn't break down in the water... but I believe it's somewhat affected... I got a bag of 100 balls from a flea market vendor for $16..... and once on the course a decent T shot with my driver went barely 120 yards.... also these days if I leave my golf bag in the trunk outside overnight, and I go out hit a few balls the next morning, some of those balls would just crack.

Here's an interesting article

Shade

Those are the ones they find farther out in the lake!

Trust me, my family has gotten over 1,000 balls out of a lake on a par three over here. They do play very differently.

Sounds like an "experienced" opinion to me! I don't "Go Fishin'" for any balls but my own and I make sure never to use a ball I've retrieved from any water on another water hole. They always seem to go swimming again!

Maybe some one can try this soak a golf ball over night then freeze it and see if the peformance is difference.

Just how often do you find a ball in a frozen lake that's only been there for one day!