I don’t remember the last time I bought new golf balls. I’ve written about the topic several times over the years because golf can be an expensive sport. Losing balls on the course can add up really fast if you’re paying retail, especially for the best balls on the market. I’ve played plenty of rounds where I lost 5 or more Titleist Pro V1s, which go for about $4/ball new if you buy a dozen.

All of the tests I’ve seen find very small differences in the performance between new and used golf balls. As a golfer with a 12-15 handicap over the last few years, I doubt I or most of the guys I golf with would be able to tell the difference between new and used balls. After all, a golf ball is only new until you hit it. 😉

My supply was running low, so this time around I decided to try some refinished balls from Foundgolfballs.com. After a 20% off special (which most of these golf ball places seem to constantly run), I picked up 10 dozen Titleist Pro V1x 2014 Mint Factory Refinished No Logos Golf Balls for $144.80 plus free shipping. That’s less that $1.21 per ball for a 70% savings over new balls.

Are you looking for a golf ball that looks and plays just like new, but at half the price of new? With Mint quality refinished golf balls from Foundgolfballs.com, you get a ball with no player or pen marks or other cosmetic damage, no corporate or sports team logos and balls, which play almost like new. Our extensive testing has proven that new balls and factory refinished mint balls have less than 1 yard difference.

The stamping on these isn’t perfect but nobody would ever look close enough to notice unless I said something.

As technology gets better, prices go up. A box of a dozen golf balls can cost anywhere from $10 to $50. You hit these balls once or twice and they’re no longer new. But guess what…the majority of us hackers will keep playing that used ball until it’s in the water or we lose it in the rough. I’d bet that over 95% of the time we’re hitting “used” golf balls on the course. So why do most people continue to buy new golf balls at some of the outrageous prices?

A couple of years ago I started to buy my golf balls on eBay several dozen at a time. I always go with balls that are in mint or AAA condition because they’ll rarely have any type of scratch or imperfection on them. Most of the time they’ll have some type of logo, but in reality they’re just another used golf ball that someone smacked a couple of times and then hit it the water or lost in the rough. At half the price or less I’ll gladly buy these balls.

One particular seller I’ve had great luck with on eBay is Knet Golf, but there are many more golf balls on eBay.

Ever wonder exactly what an X-Out golf ball is? Why are they sold so cheap?

X-Outs are name-brand golf balls on which that brand has been stamped out, usually with a row of X’s, because of imperfections in the ball. Those imperfections are often cosmetic in nature, and usually so small as not to be noticeable. The balls usually play the same as their counterparts, or at least close enough that most recreational players could never tell the difference.

Golf FAQ – What are “X-Out” Golf Balls