GOT BALLS?
An informative guide to finding and selling golf balls

Chapter I
The other side of golf
I can remember being as young as six years old going into the hills with my grandfather to search for golf balls. He has looked for golf balls for more than twenty years and has acquired some 30,000 in that time. A few here, a few there, little by little, each week the number grew as the hours spent in the trees went by. To this day he still puts out a sign that reads “GOLF BALLS” in front of his old Model A. He sells them mostly to neighbors and those that know him. It’s not that he needs the money, but more that he needs the time to get out and exercise. The former WWII bomber pilot sees it as more of a way to stay healthy, and if anything hunting golf balls has also become a very good hobby.
I can recall my brothers having gone out many times to the golf course situated at the base of the mountain by which we lived. Throughout the day as they found their Titlists, Pinnacles, and Topflites, they would sell them to golfers as a way to make a little income. The money was then used to buy them lunch for the day. Naturally as I became older, my friends and I would head up the same trails, working our way through the same tree’s, rivers, and bushes that my brothers had done years before me. I remember racing against them to find as many as I could, running through the scrub oak and looking especially hard for the color balls; we always considered those to be the best. I recall hearing many times shouts of “I found one!” echoing every other minute which only built up frustration as I continued with empty pockets. At the end of the day, however, we would all head home with our pockets full, hardly able to contain all that we had found, and our shoes soaked from hiking up and down the rivers. We were a mess, but satisfied with the results after a long day of searching.
The first golf ball sale I made was when my parents had a yard sale. I had a bucket of balls; “3 balls for a buck” is what my sign said. At the end of the day I had made a grand total of eleven dollars. Eleven dollars! I was rich! The excitement of making some cash from something found in the woods really excited me, so I continued to pass my time in the mountains. The next sale that I remember came the weekend that my cousin was staying at our house. I thought the best way to sell golf balls would be to set up a stand right in front of the entrance to the golf course parking lot. We loaded up all the balls into buckets and walked to the course. Occasionally a golfer or two would stop, haggle a little, and make a small purchase. The real money came however when the owner drove in, stopped, and chewed us out for setting up shop in the entrance way. I don’t blame him, but he had to have been impressed with my strategy for he invited us up into the clubhouse and bought all that I had for $90.00. At 4 for a buck, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to rid myself of every ball I had, and walk away cash in hand.
Needless to say, that I have many fond memories of growing up near the mountains spending my time with friends or family looking for golf balls. The search had always brought excitement in a way similar to what a golfer must feel as he hits a hole in one. I never did take up golfing, but I learned to love the other side of golf; the hunt.

In the summer of 2007 I found myself one semester away from becoming a college graduate and entering the service with hopes of becoming an aviator like my grandfather. With that in mind I decided to relive one last time the same excitement I had felt throughout the years as a young golf ball hunter. If anything it would spark some old memories and bring a smile to my face. This time, I would set some goals and put forth more effort in finding golf balls. I had learned from the past three years in ROTC that no matter what you do, it should be done with excellence. I was focused and determined to find as many as possible. 1000 golf balls was my initial goal for the summer.
I headed up to the mountains to begin the first of many searches that would occur throughout the summer. It started out slow with my first day ending with about 93 golf balls. However, as the weeks went on, my pace picked up, and the number I found increased. Each time I returned to the course I would scan over areas that had routinely provided large amounts of golf balls; I began to see that there was repetition in where the balls would land nearly every time. I’ve searched small areas that have given up 20-30 in one sweep and returned a few days later to find that the supply had been restocked. It was like magic, I made the golf balls disappear and they would magically reappear three days later.
I began developing techniques each day I searched in order to maximize my gains and every time I would walk away with 100 more balls than the week before. Day after day my techniques for finding golf balls proved effective. Techniques associated with golf ball hunting aren’t exactly rocket science, but these simple methods of searching brought in large amounts of success compared to the time actually spent looking. I ended up only spending about 1/3 the summer looking for golf balls and in that short time I found a little more than 3000 which passed my original goal of only 1000. I am positive that I could have found more than 10,000 if I had spent the remaining 2/3rds of the summer looking. I sold close to half and made enough money to pay for a trip to San Diego that my wife and I went on; not bad for golf ball money!

Your interest in golf ball hunting might be different. If you are an avid golfer and use the higher quality balls, you are well familiar with the price that goes a long with it. Well I can tell you that it only took a matter of hours to find several dozen near mint condition Titlist Pro-v1’s, Callaway HX-TOUR’s, and Nike ONE’s; all top quality balls. That only cost me a few hours, a couple bottles of water, and a ham sandwich. Let’s see here, $.89 cents for each bottle, $1.50 for the sandwich, and a few hours away from the wife, Priceless! Congratulations you have spent about $3.50 for something that would have cost you well more than $100.00 dollars! Put that money towards gas or another round of golf.
Others might be in it for the exercise. I can tell you that as I hiked through the mountains for hours going up and down the hills, while the sun beating down on me, that the calories were burning off pretty fast. Some might pick up golf ball hunting as a hobby. Let’s face it, everyone needs a hobby; it’s something to take up our time or provide us the time to be alone. Lastly, you might just be in it to make a few extra bucks during your spare time; everyone could use a little extra cash.
Whether your reason is saving money, making money, a hobby, or exercise, its time well spent. If it is a hobby, look at all the financial and physical benefits that come with it! Not to mention that it is a lot of fun too.

In the chapters to come I’ll layout from start to finish what should be done in order to effectively find, clean, and eventually sell your golf balls. You’ll find throughout this guide that I offer some helpful ideas for making the find a little bit easier and productive. They are really no more than suggestions of how to look for golf balls and where you are likely to find the most.
I will describe the four rules to golf ball hunting which encompass techniques and ideas that helped me become more efficient in my searches.





Chapter II
The perfect course

Golfers are always in search of a course that best suits them. There are literally thousands of golf courses nation wide, and not one of them is a like. Of all those, there must exist one that offers everything that a golfer desires while playing the game. Whether it’s the location, facilities, geography, or the neat upkeep of the greens, everyone wants to play what they might consider to be the perfect course. Some might choose one course over another due to its view of the beautiful mountain landscape. Many golfers enjoy being surrounded by dense forests where occasional sightings of deer or elk are common. Others might prefer to play in the open flatlands or desert where the vegetation is often scarce. Courses near the ocean provide unique challenges that courses found inland might not. The absence of trees might turn away some to areas where beautiful tall oaks and douglas firs line the nicely groomed fairways. A golfer will also take into account his level of experience when selecting courses to play. The size of the course and fairways, rolling hills, lakes, rivers, and dense woods might be to be too much of a challenge for the inexperienced golfer; the experienced golfer might welcome such a challenge.
Whatever the reason may be for selecting one course over another, there is one truth about them, they appear to be infinite in number and endless in variety.
You, as a golf ball hunter should take into consideration the same factors that golfers do when seeking out courses that suit them. The truth is that the only courses that suit you are those that give up the largest amount of lost balls, which means that a vast majority of courses do not suit you.
Many courses whether in the desert or on the open plains have few or no trees, these types of settings do not hide well what golfers so often hit out of bounds. A course built in the mountains might even have trees, but if it does not provide thick ground cover or endless varieties of vegetation to fill in between the trees, the golf ball will remain visible to any golfer that passes by. If nothing stands in the way of that golfer walking 30 feet off the green to get his 3 dollar ball, then he or other players to follow might retrieve it. That’s bad for business.
Take your average Tiger Woods wannabe that consistently hooks or slices his ball into the trees on a heavily wooded course. Upon losing that ball, the golfer throws out some colorful words while beating his club to the ground. Debating now whether or not to run in after it, tear his overpriced golf shirt, and possibly face off with some wild life, he realizes that three feet away there is a brand new ball awaiting him in his bag; this is where you come in. Most golfers refuse to waste their time in the woods, so you should. That’s rule #1 in golf ball hunting.
The first step then, consists of selecting the perfect course. This course usually consists of longer narrower fairways that have dense woods, sloping hills, rivers, lakes, and lots of ground cover in the vicinity. I made a point to drive around looking at different courses to see if any had these qualifications. There were a few that did, but the majority were still too open with little or no vegetation.
It’s important to know that many courses that aren’t heavily wooded usually have lakes and ponds. Hunters have been able to retrieve hundreds of golf balls at a time from these bodies of water. I prefer to stay dry and search in the trees. However, this is an excellent way of cleaning up fast, so do not exclude this technique completely from your searches.
After you have found the ideal course, it’s time to begin studying each individual hole. This includes looking at the size of the fairways, width and length, and knowing whether they’re a par 3, 4, or 5. The longer the fairway is, the bigger the swing it will take to get the ball closer to the green. This means that if the ball is hit with even the slightest error, that error will grow larger and larger with every foot it travels until landing in the bushes. With time, you will be able to look at each hole and determine the approximate location of where that ball lands. For example, I rarely looked in the trees that lined the first 100 ft of the fairway because a majority of golfers will hit past that 98% of the time.
As you make your way around the course seeing what each area has to offer, look at the difficulty of that particular fairway. Each hole should be measured according to the types of hazards that exist on both sides of the rough. You will then determine whether or not your time should be spent there based on your findings. The more hazards that exist, the more chances there are of lost balls.
During the first part of the summer it occurred to me that I had been looking for golf balls at the same course since I was a kid. I wanted to cover some new ground and see if I could be as successful in a new area as I had been where I currently searched. After all why spend my time at only one course when I can double the amount I find by way of another. There were still many courses that I hadn’t looked at when I had driven around town weeks before. Instead of driving, this time I got on the internet and began searching again. The internet has unlimited amounts of information about courses. The results, however, were the same; most provided wide open fairways with few trees. I knew my time would only be wasted if I hunted at these courses.
One day, my father in law told me of a course that was littered with trees, located on the mountain and had rivers. Perfect! A few days later I grabbed my bag and headed up to the new area. I scoped out the course well, and got a pretty good idea of where my time would be spent. The course was located in a wealthy part of town, a minor detail that would have normally gone unnoticed, but after one day of searching for golf balls, I learned quickly why course location is so important.
When searching out the perfect course, if possible find one that is located in an area where the local population appears to be well off financially. The more money you have, the more money you spend; this seems to be the foolish lifestyle that so many live by nowadays. Well what this concept showed me is that courses located in such an area tend to give up a more quality ball. The course I had been going to for years provided me with hundreds of golf balls, but only 1 of 5 were of a quality that would resell. The new course that I had just picked was a gold mine! The first day alone I made off with around 2 or 300 balls of which at least half were all high quality that would resell for 2 bucks a piece. I could only link this success to the deep pockets of the local golfers.
These were the results time after time as I continued to attend the new course. The numbers would fluctuate, but I could rely on walking away with something that would sell. I would still attend the old course to keep my overall numbers high, but remember quality is always better than quantity. This is rule #2 to golf ball hunting.














Chapter III
Techniques
By now you have done your homework, you have driven around to countless numbers of golf courses, and spent a good amount of time on the computer researching. You have finally selected the course and have scoped it out. You have visited each hole and walked down every fairway. You have mentally noted which parts of the course will bring success, and which parts will not. It’s now time to talk about the techniques that will help you discover as many balls as you can within the 3-5 hours you spend looking.
It all begins with the little black box that sits next to your bed that goes “beep beep beep”. That’s right, your alarm clock. Not only does the early bird get the worm, but he gets all the balls too. This is a very important technique that is crucial to your success.

The early bird technique

About a month into my golf ball hunting adventures I learned why waking up early is so important. I had arrived at the usual spot where I began my search every time, but something was different. As I wandered back and forth through the poison ivy covered ground, lifting up branches, and searching I couldn’t find anything. I quickly moved ahead to another area that I was sure would have something. Nothing! I didn’t understand what was going on! At that exact moment I glanced across the fairway to see an elderly gentleman emerging from the bushes making off with all my lute. I couldn’t believe it, he was on my hunting grounds! I quickly gathered my thoughts to figure out what I was going to do, and then it hit me; I’m young, fast and can move at least 3 times as fast as he can. Tightening down the straps to my backpack and pulling down my hat, I began a full out sprint up the hill to the next hole. The next hole in my mind was the jackpot of the course. If I could at least clear that area I would be somewhat satisfied.
As I searched I eventually ran into my competition. He had made off pretty well up to that point. We stopped and talked with each other. I learned that he woke up very early in order to get a head start on the course. I asked him what he would normally do with the balls that he found, “give them away to friends or use the good ones for myself” was his reply. As he talked about the hobby he enjoyed so much, I could only pay attention to his sweater that amazingly enough was carrying at least 150 golf balls that I would have found.
There were a few things I wanted to know about this guy before we departed ways to continue searching. First, I wanted to know who designs a sweater with pockets big enough to hold a couple hundred golf balls. It just looked ridiculous. Secondly, I wanted to know which days he came up so I could plan ahead and clean up the day before. Call it sneaky if you will, but remember that you are up there for a purpose and there is nothing wrong with using tactics such as this one. In fact I would encourage striking up a conversation with others that search the course in order to learn more about them.
When you do see others searching, alter your direction so that your paths cross, and casually initiate a conversation. You already appear to have something in common, both of you are looking for golf balls. Use that common interest to offer a friendly “Hi, how’s the search going today?” Don’t be obvious with your intent to learn more about them and don’t carelessly blurt out “So what days of the week are you up here searching anyhow?” It is information that must be slowly absorbed without them knowing. You might learn that they don’t look frequently and they are just up there for their health. If that’s the case, then wish them luck and continue searching. If you learn, however, that they are frequent golf ball hunters like my big pocketed sweater friend, then stick around to learn as much as possible. Figure out what time of the day they come up, and again what days they search. Play dumb, and ask them which parts of the course they usually go to or at which part of the course they begin their search. This information can come in handy as you determine where and when to start your hunt.
I ended my search that day with an amount far less than I would have if I had only woken up earlier. It was a lesson well learned. So just remember that there are many others who enjoy the sport of golf ball hunting; get an early start, move quickly and cover as much ground as you can. Besides approaching them, this is about all you can do when there are others searching the same course.
As you prepare to leave the house early, there are a few items you will want to prepare to ensure that the search will be effective throughout the day. First, pack something to eat. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to call off a search because my hunger was getting the best of me. You will burn off many calories as you move around the course. You don’t want hunger to prevent you from searching, so pack enough to last you. Secondly, you will want to wear long pants preferably with cargo pockets, a long sleeve shirt, a hat and some gloves. I prefer boots, but regular shoes work just as well. Also bring a sturdy backpack capable of sustaining the weight of several hundred golf balls; it gets heavy!


The poison ivy technique

As you make your way through the brush, keep an eye out for plants such as poison ivy, oak, and sumac. These plants, when contacted will leave a nasty rash that blisters. I am well familiar with poison ivy. I had it as a kid and I had a little run in with it that summer as well. The first day I went back into the mountains, I was sporting a nice pair of shorts, a short sleeved shirt, and some rather stylish aviators. I must have forgotten that the grounds were completely covered with the plant. A few days later I broke out in head to toe poison ivy, and it prevented me from heading up into the hills for about a week. Anybody who has had it will agree that it’s not fun. However, as bad as it was, it brings us to rule #3 in golf ball hunting. Golfers won't go near poison ivy so you should. Obviously if you are very alergic to it, then disregard this technique altogether.

Let’s face it, golfers are out there to improve their game, enjoy the scenery, and take back some beers with their friends. If their ball lands in it, you can almost guarantee that it’ll remain there. That applies to the majority of balls that are lost in the plant. So remember, if you see signs that read “Poison Ivy” you better be thinking “jackpot!”, because that is usually what they are. Make sure you are dressed according to what I have listed above and you’ll be fine. I remember trekking through the stuff picking up golf balls left and right and nothing ever came of it. Do make an effort not to touch your face or any other part of your body where skin is exposed, you might spread it from your glove to that spot. You might even consider getting a golf ball retriever which extends your reach into some areas where the plant grows thick. It also becomes a handy piece of equipment in getting balls out of hard to reach spots.

The visibility technique

“The visibility” was another technique I commonly used while making my way through the brush. It consists of the angle, direction, and distance from which we search for golf balls. First, I would continually change the angle from which I would look for the ball. This would increase my chances of finding golf balls that would have otherwise gone unfound. I learned that as I lowered my body closer to the ground, golf balls which would have normally remained unseen from standing height, were now visible due to my much lower angle.
Secondly, the ground cover hid golf balls very well and more times than not they would only be visible if you were looking from the right direction. For this reason, I would frequently backtrack the same way I entered the area which has many times led me to find golf balls that could only be seen from that direction.
Lastly, I also began to notice that as I made my way through the trees and bushes, my sight was set on the ground 30-40 feet ahead of me. At this distance my eyes scanned the earth for any objects that projected white. However, there were several occasions that all I had to do was look down and 3 or 4 balls would be staring straight up at me.

The scan technique

The scan technique can be used to compliment the visible technique when the ground cover is especially thick. You might find yourself in areas where your scan is crucial to picking out those hidden balls. When this is the case, slowly scan the ground in increments of 10 degrees, pausing for only a couple of seconds before continuing the scan. Don’t focus on any one spot, this will help your eyes to pull out those well hidden golf balls.
This is actually a technique that pilots use when scanning the airspace for aircraft. It is very difficult to pick out small white aircraft against a cluttered background. Likewise, it also becomes difficult to pick out small white golf balls against the much cluttered earth. The number I found continued to increase as I applied these simple and obvious techniques.
The visible and scan techniques can also be used as you search through areas that have large amounts of tall grass. I will add to it, however, that while you walk through the grass take small steps. The grass conceals very well each ball that falls in it. By taking smaller steps you increase your chances of stepping on and discovering those that are hidden. Keep in mind that the course I often searched at had thick ground cover; the course you search at might not. Therefore, some techniques listed in this book may or may not apply to the course you have selected.

The gravity technique

As I moved from one area of the course to another, the geography would usually change and so would the type of vegetation that I walked through. I could see that not all techniques used in previous areas would work in others. The gravity technique consists of areas on a course where there are hills and sloping terrain. If you find yourself in such an area, scan over the base of the hill for balls that might have rolled down. Other factors that work with gravity, but to a lesser extent, are wind and rainfall. Any combination of the three will usually pull a ball down to the bottom of the hill. Start there and work your way up the hill paying close attention to any obstruction that might prevent a ball from rolling.
I found myself one particular day on a small hill that sloped down to a small dirt road. This hill was not covered with thick vegetation that was found in the majority of the areas I searched. Instead it had some scrub oak, fairly good sized rocks and all that covered the ground were leaves from the previous fall.
There were no golf balls in sight. I looked around and thought that gravity must have pulled most down towards the bottom of the hill. I began my search there and didn’t find as many as I thought. It then dawned on me that some of those rocks might have stopped a few from rolling down. I removed the leaf cover to find 10-12 balls all grouped together. Knowing that other golf balls were sure to be found behind the others, I quickly began removing the leaves from out behind the rocks. The next rock probably had 6-8 balls and each rock after that had a few or none. I walked out of that area with quite a few considering the small amount of time spent there.
When you find yourself on sloping terrain, start at the base of the hill, scan over the area and search near trees, standing or fallen, rocks, or any other obstructions that might catch a ball. There are bound to be a few.

The river search

Walking around for hours with the morning sun beating down on you starts to take its toll, so why not stroll on over to that river where the ice cold water flows constant. It ought to fill refreshing right? Well of course, and not only is it refreshing as you lean over to splash water on your face, but as you look down you see several spherical white objects between the rocks. As you bend over some more to reach in after them, a few more fly by with the current.
Not knowing their destination you quickly react, standup, and start running down the side of the river trying ever so hard to not lose sight. You get ahead just in time to jump in, firmly plant your feet between the rocks, and scoop up your floating treasure. You’re shoes are drenched, but that’s ok because rule #4 states that golfers do not like getting wet, so you should.
The golf course near my home had a river that was perfect for golf ball hunting. Ever since I can remember I have always enjoyed the river search. Not only does the water feel good, but some of those golf balls have spent several days in the current that when pulled out give off a very nice shine; it saves me the time later on when I have to clean them all. Most of the time I made attempts to keep my shoes dry, but more often than not I would slip in and get wet. For this reason I would consider searching the river last to avoid walking around with wet feet.
First, I need to point out that the river might cut through the entire golf course. If this is the case, then it should be searched not only at one hole, but at all the holes through which it passes. The technique I used for searching the water begins upstream where the trees that line the fairway usually collide with the river marking the boundaries of that particular hole. I start there and work my way down turning over rock after rock. Sometimes after doing so, I have found as many as 6 to 10 balls grouped together. Other rocks when moved have released 3 or 4 at a time with the current; you’ve got to be quick with the hand or you might lose them. There is however, the possibility of getting them later as you progress further down the river. This is why I start upstream and work downstream. It saves me the hassle of running back and forth chasing after golf balls.
Some rocks might be too big to move, if that’s the case try rocking it back and forth to see if any balls break loose. I’ve released quite a few into the water current by doing this. You can also stick your arm down in the water underneath the rock and see if you can pull something out. Just be careful as you make your way over the rocks and don’t slip.
Before you’re done searching I have noticed that the grass near the banks of the river tends to be a little longer and thicker. Run through the grass real quick and see what you can find. Many golfers when they see their ball roll into the water think it’s gone, but actually the ball has only got caught in the thick of the grass. I have found quite a few while walking up and down the banks of rivers.
Not all rivers are like the one that I have described here. In fact I would imagine that very few golf courses have rivers similar to the one that I grew up searching in. The amount of water that passed through it each day was tremendous due to the mountain run off. Whether you have a river whose current is steady and strong or a small stream that appears to go nowhere, remember every river has its own unique features and abilities for trapping golf balls.
The course that my father in law had pointed out to me has a river with 4 foot walls to each side that cuts through a few fairways. There weren’t many rocks to turn over and for the most part the balls were visible, but no golfer wants to jump in after them risking the chance of getting wet or spraining an ankle.
There was one occasion that I followed that same river across the fairway where it came to a bridge. Under the bridge were huge slabs of cement forming a type of half pipe where water built up to a certain height then fed down a culvert. It then passed underneath another fairway and emptied out on the other side where the river continued. I found a few balls in the pool of water under the bridge, but something told me that there were more to be found on the other side of the culvert. I momentarily entertained the idea of sliding down the long cylindrical tube, but not knowing my exact destination, I chose to walk around.
I looked down the green to check for golfers then ran to the other side. As I leaned over the edge I could hardly believe what I saw. It was golf ball paradise! There were golf balls scattered all over, and grouped together in nearly every section of the river. They covered the sides of the river banks and continued up over the hill. I don’t know exactly how many I recovered, but I know it would have taken me at least an hour to have found that many. I guess my point is that each river is different and it doesn’t hurt to do a little exploring. Know where that river goes and follow it; you never know what you might come across.

The last minute search

As the day progresses, and the sun gets higher in the sky, more and more golfers will appear on the course. This is about the time you want to start thinking about heading out. In fact, this should be your cue to depart. Four maybe five hours have passed, your back hurts from the weight of the golf balls pulling down on your shoulders, your shoes are soaking wet, and you’re out of food. Since you will be maneuvering your way off the course and back to your car anyways, you might as well do some last minute looking while you walk. This was a technique that usually brought in a dozen or so golf balls before leaving. Instead of walking back using the trails or walkways, I went alongside the trees and bushes that lined the fairways occasionally glancing down to see if anything was there. If a river leads back to the parking lot, then follow along the banks looking as you walk. This should be done until you reach your car; you are bound to find a few more. On several occasions I returned to my car, my back pack ripping at the seams, my pockets so full that I was hardly able to keep my pants up, and I continued to find more.
As you begin loading your car with all that you have found, the excitement will soon fade away as thoughts of cleaning each one enters your mind. One toothbrush and hundreds of balls, you know it’s going to be a pain. However, remember that the next step after cleaning them is to sell them. With that in mind cleaning not only brings a shine to your balls, but it is essential when it comes time to presenting them to possible buyers.




Chapter IV
Selling your balls
Get those balls out of the tub now! These were the pleasant words of my wife frequently heard echoing throughout the apartment during my golf ball hunting months. Our daily routine was being interrupted as hundreds of golf balls filled the tub, sinks, and rooms of the house. I’ll never forget the day that I came home with a record number of balls. It was just over 600! They filled the tub almost to the top. I was able to find so many when I decided to hit up two courses in the same day. It’s not a bad idea if you want to get two days of searching done in one.
I returned home every time hungry, wet, and tired from hours of walking the mountain side. I would grab my bag of some 300 golf balls or more from the back seat of my car, head up the stairs to the second floor of my apartment, and begin the next steps involved in selling the golf balls. Think of what someone must do or what is involved in order to sell a car. If they are smart, they will wash the exterior thoroughly which may or may not be followed by a nice wax job. The inside of the car should have been vacuumed, all the trash removed, and any imperfections that existed were taken care of. Why is it so important that we go to such lengths in order to sell a car or any object of desire for that matter? The answer is that humans are very visual. We like objects that present themselves well with shiny surfaces and clean appearances. It is what ultimately gets our attention. It’s not some great unknown secret; its basic salesmanship. Like the car, your golf balls will need a nice run down before you sell them.
Throughout the years, mostly during the holidays or birthdays we would stop by grandpas’ house to visit. It was usually during these visits that I could see the routine that he went through in order to sell his golf balls. I could always count on seeing 20-30 of them in his bathroom sink. In fact the occasions were rare that a friend or family member could walk in his house and not find at least a few golf balls soaking in the sink in preparation of being washed. He would wash every ball by hand, let them dry, and stack them up with the rest.
As we visited, he would often ask if we wanted to go down stairs and grab a soda from the fridge. My reply was always yes, and every time as I made my way to the fridge I would stop by the room where his thousands of golf balls were kept just to take a quick peek. He kept them stacked on shelves, organized in egg cartons, buckets, and boxes. All were organized according to their brand and quality. I could only imagine that it would facilitate the sale to have them kept this way. There were simply too many golf balls to be left unorganized.
The organization of golf balls according to brand and quality prevents the buyer from having to sift through buckets of balls looking for a specific type, and only finding a few that he wants due to the difficulty of reaching those that sit at the bottom of the bucket. However, if you have already organized the exact type of ball desired into egg cartons, then the work is cut out for the buyer and now he is more likely to buy a dozen instead of just a few.
Taking what I had learned from my grandpa I began the process of selling my golf balls. Each time I emptied my backpack into the tub, an instant smile would come to my face as it would to a kid who slowly looks over his basket after an intense Easter egg hunt. I counted each one, marked the number down which was added to the previous weeks number, and began cleaning.
The best way to clean your balls is to buy a machine that will do it for you. I’ve never looked into it, but I know that professional models exist for home use. In my opinion, this can be very costly. Since I didn’t own one nor desire to purchase one, the next best way was to simply fill the tub up and let them soak in hot soapy water. I would leave them for a number of hours in order to minimize the time I spent scrubbing each individual ball. The only way sometimes to remove the scuff marks and stains was by this method of soaking. The type of soap used is up to you. I always preferred a soap that had a little bleach in it. Sometimes I would just poor small amounts of bleach straight into the tub; they usually came out nice and white.
Next, grab yourself a toothbrush and go to work. Scrub each ball well and make sure you hit every stain. More importantly, as you make your way around the bathroom, separating the clean balls from the dirty, and splashing water around, be cautious so as to not splash water on any towels that may become bleached. That’s free advice courtesy of a forgiving mother in law.
After each ball has been cleaned, you sit down to write out the price for each one, but realize you have no idea what they’re worth. I can tell you that selling three golf balls for a buck is a sure way to rip yourself off. Some of those golf balls will sell for $2.00 or $2.50 a piece! Research the prices of golf balls both new and used.
As I began selling, I realized I knew very little to nothing about golf balls. I couldn’t very well sell a product without first knowing a little something about it. I began doing my research and eventually ended with a complete list of every type of golf ball I could find and their respective prices. The prices were arranged according to the condition of the ball. I created a chart out of the list I made which I occasionally referenced to see what a ball was worth. This became my tool for selecting the right price for each golf ball. My knowledge of prices also came in handy when golfers would argue and tell me what they were worth in an attempt to pay less. I would simply pull out my chart and very kindly let them know that they were wrong.
Now that you have found your hundreds or thousands of golf balls, polished them up, and organized them according to quality and type, let’s discuss what methods are best to sell them.

Years ago as my brothers searched for golf balls, they would remain on the course to sell them to golfers. A good way of doing this was to wait until they were finished playing a hole and see if they wanted to buy any. This was not a bad technique; the golfer might have lost a ball or two on that particular fairway and was looking to buy a couple back. They know that a used ball is just as good as a new one, and comes at a price much more affordable. A sale was usually the result. It brought in a few bucks here and there, but not enough to make it worth the time spent walking around. However, I thought it might be worth another shot.
I loaded up my car with a few boxes of egg cartons that contained the golf balls that I thought would sell. I arrived at the course, stuck 4 or 5 dozen balls in my backpack and went to work. It was slow at first and most people just wanted to haggle. I began to grow tired as each golfer turned me down repeatedly. The one sell that I finally did make occurred when asked if I had some Callaway HX-TOUR’s, a good quality ball. I didn’t have any with me, but had left them in my car, a good mile away in the trailhead parking lot. He only wanted those so I tightened down my shoulder straps I took off running to get them. 2 miles later, out of breath, and sweating profusely, I arrived to hear him say “no thanks I think I’ll pass”.
While I debated whether or not I’d kill him for making me run those two miles for nothing, his son spoke up and said he’d buy them. Well, I made off that day with about $28 bucks. It was soon clear that this method would be ineffective. My assumptions were correct; it brought in little money for the amount of time it required to walk around selling. I found over 3000 golf balls in two months! I would have to sell them in larger quantities.
If you recall in chapter 1, my cousin and I had set up a stand in the entrance way of a golf course close to my home. We had actually made off pretty well considering the time spent there. I thought I would give it one more try and see what would happen. This time I set up just to the side of the entrance, laid out all the egg cartons which were properly labeled according to their respective brands. Price tags were visible to anyone who approached and just like my grandpa had done for years, I put out a sign in front of a tree that read “GOLF BALLS”. I sat there watching car after car pass through the entrance way to the course hoping each time they would stop and look. An occasional stare of an onlooker from the passenger side window was about all I got. As the cars passed by, the sign in the entrance way which bore the name of the course became visible again. Throughout the day I’d often glance over at the spot in front of the sign where more than 10yrs ago my cousin and I had sat trying to make a sale. It brought back some good memories. It was especially memorable considering that he had just been killed a few months ago in an auto pedestrian accident. This time I sat alone, watching each passerby as they casually walked past my stand. In the few hours that I had been selling, there were a few buyers that stopped and made purchases. I probably made off with a little more than $70 dollars after about 4 hours of selling. That wasn’t too bad, but I still could not afford all the down time that existed between each sell and the 30 minutes of traveling it took to get to the course.
The pace of the world nowadays is such that we don’t have time to sit around waiting for success to come to us. We are simply much too busy to wait. I began thinking of ways that I could sell the balls while devoting my time to other projects that I was involved in. The way we go about selling things today differs tremendously from how we sold things over 10 years ago. The rate at which we began to do business through the internet has grown faster than anyone could imagine. The internet has literally changed the way we do business. Having been a recent user of EBay and knowing its effectiveness in selling merchandise, I began to list everything for sale.
The best part about selling golf balls through the internet is first, it’s been done for years, which means that it has become a viable method of buying and selling them. Secondly, your listing is being seen by thousands of possible buyers; your chances of selling just went up over a 1000%. Your ad on the internet is doing all the work for you and freeing up a few extra hours. I mentioned earlier how important time has become over the years as we find the pace of the world picking up each day. Time is precious, so don’t waste it!
Lastly, golfing may be seasonal where you live. Living where winters were heavy I knew that I would have to sell them fast before the snowfall. There are fewer golfers during the fall and the onset of winter. There are however, many places in the country where the climate tends to be a bit warmer during the winter months. At these locations golf enthusiasts play year round.
Since you have decided to sell your golf balls through the internet, the weather is no longer a factor. They are now available for purchase to anyone no matter where they live. It’s ultimately up to you on how you want to sell them, this was merely a suggestion. I just want you to know that I was able to attend to other jobs, and activities with the family as my listings were viewed by the thousands.
If you choose to sell by way of the internet here are some helpful ideas to ensure they’ll sell. Take quality pictures of the golf balls and make them look organized and presentable. A picture of a bunch of mixed colored golf balls sitting in an old rusty metal can is not the way to make a sale. Start saving your egg cartons and place each ball by brand inside. Make sure that every ball has its brand name facing forward, and that you articulate well what it is that you are selling. For example: 5 dozen Titlist Pro-v1 golf balls, near mint condition! No dings, cuts, or scrapes, $125.00. It need not be longer than this. Make it quick and to the point.
Remember that you will want to separate each ball according to its quality. Make sure that its condition is specified in the listing. Never describe a ball as being of a quality that it’s not. I noticed that even the higher quality balls (higher quality in terms of brand) would still sell despite the fact that some had dings or scrapes.
If you do use EBay or another program alike to sell your balls, remember that the buyer is able to leave feedback on each transaction that is made. For this reason you always want to be honest about the condition of the ball. You never want to have negative feedback. This will only hurt and prevent you from selling more. Every buyer that I worked with was very pleased with the golf balls I had sent. They were exactly as I had described in the listing. There were a few people that even came back later to buy more from me.
I began making sales pretty fast and all that was required of me was to send them off. When it came time to shipping, I would always go with the standard flat rate box. No matter what the weight was, the price to ship the box remained the same. I always included the shipping costs in the total price of the golf balls so they knew exactly how much they were paying for shipment. To ensure that your buyers do come back, I also recommend sending them off as soon as possible. Obviously wait until payment has been received.
After weeks of selling golf balls, I had made so many trips to the post office that I eventually became one of their regulars. I was sending off golf balls so frequently that they ended up giving me a stack of boxes and my own roll of U.S. Postal Service masking tape so that I could do everything at home. I think they must have been tired of the arduous process I went through every time to ship them.
The remaining golf balls I didn’t sell were either used as target practice or I gave them away. Let’s just say that my brother in laws will not have to buy golf balls for the rest of their teenage years.












Chapter V
Dangers on the course
This book would not be complete if I failed to point out a few of the dangers associated with the sport of golf ball hunting. . The truth is however, that depending on the course you’re searching at, there may or may not be some risks involved.

The morning of June 14th started out as a typical day as I made my way across the base of the mountain looking for golf balls. The day, however, would shortly become anything but typical. As the sun made its appearance over the mountain top I sat down to pull a sandwich from my backpack for a quick lunch. I slowly scanned over the terrain as I ate, but stopped suddenly as something in the distance caught my eye. At first I thought it to be a dog that was making its way in my direction, then it hit me; that was no dog. That was a mountain lion! Out of panic, I dropped everything and sprinted towards the trees. Not paying attention I ran right into a low hanging tree branch that caught my eye dead center; I dropped to my knees in pain screaming. The thought of the lion catching me, however, brought me right back to my feet and I continued the run. Now I was running half blind through the trees and bushes, trying my best not to fall, and occasionally looking back to see if the cat was there. I could see that it had made its way to the initial spot where I had been sitting, and continued to follow me. The next fairway down was in sight and I was closing in. I continued pushing as hard as I could through the woods cutting my arms up in the process. As I emerged onto the fairway, the bushes blocked my view of what laid ahead, and I knocked over an elderly golfer who casually waited his turn to tee off. There was instant chaos as the others in his party approached me, yelling, and demanding to know what was going on. I was a little dazed and don’t recall exactly what they said, but they were furious. Two of the younger men began chasing me as I continued running. I believe I yelled out “mountain lion!” in hopes that the others that remained behind would run for safety, but they must not have heard me. I rounded a group of trees where the fairway continued. The two angry golfers were slowly gaining on me and one yelled at a nearby greens keeper “Don’t let him get away!” There wasn’t any sign of the mountain lion at that point, but the fear of being mauled by a couple of angry golfers was more than I needed to continue running. I sprinted hard to a nearby fence that marked the course boundary. At this point, the greens keeper was just feet behind me yelling at me to stop. I knew this would be my only shot so I ran and made a jump for the fence and began climbing over it as fast as humanly possible, when suddenly he grabbed my leg and began pulling on it just like I’m pulling yours!
Pretty intense story don’t you think? It’s completely made up or course, but you never know it could have happened. What the story does bring to light are a few of the hazards that exist of which you need to be aware of. First, be aware of the wildlife that may exist on or around the course. One morning as I began looking I was startled by what I thought to be a mountain lion. It took off running up the hill and posed no immediate threat, but nevertheless it was there. I had one encounter with a badger which was anything but friendly. The absolute worst for me was when I came across a couple of snakes that sent me running up the hill screaming and flailing my arms like a little girl. I could only pray that no one witnessed my reaction. I hate snakes! Just maintain your situational awareness and try to avoid wildlife as much as possible. In the event that you do get bit by something that’s venomous, (i.e. snakes, spider, scorpions, etc.) remain calm and find the nearest golfer for assistance. They might have a golf cart, in which case they can take you to the club house for transportation to the hospital. If there are no golfers available for assistance, do your best to remain calm and take the quickest route to a location where there are known to be people. The best remedy for bites is to not get bit at all. Wear the appropriate clothing, use gloves, and boots. This might prevent injury from surprise attacks by snakes. If your attack happens to be by something other than a snake, like a mountain lion, bear, or alligator, good luck! My only advice is to go for the eyes.
Be well familiar with the wildlife that exists on the course you have selected. The wildlife found on a course in Utah, for example will be considerably different from what’s found on a course located in say Nevada or Arizona. On a desert landscape, when searching for balls, scorpions and rattlesnakes are more of a hazard than mountain lions and badgers. In Florida, all I can say is never have your back turned towards the water.
When you’re not facing off against the animals and critters you only have to deal with the vegetation. In chapter 3 I talked about poison ivy and how to protect yourself from it. Don’t forget the 3rd rule to golf ball hunting; poison ivy is a jackpot when it comes to finding golf balls. Just don’t be stupid and walk through it in shorts and no shirt. Know what it looks like and again wear the appropriate clothing. Suffices to say that know what you are walking through and take the necessary precautions.
The most common danger on a golf course is not the wild life or the occasional poisoned plant. It is actually the little white thing you spend half your day looking for. All I will say is look up and do it often. The occasional ball flying through the air has almost hit me twice in the head while searching. The only heads up I got was the sound of the ball breaking branches as it made its way through the trees. As soon as you hear the golf club connect with the ball it doesn’t hurt to take a few seconds out of the search and take cover. You can also avoid being hit by not walking onto the fairway when someone is playing through. If necessary just wait until they pass before continuing the search.
Lastly, there is always the danger of being thrown off a course or not being allowed to search there in the first place. The remedy is simple and easy. Use common sense and golf ball hunting etiquette. When golfers play, there are certain rules or etiquettes they play by or are expected to play by. It keeps the game fair and everyone looking professional. Since you are working amongst those that are paying to be there, you also should be professional and mindful of them. If you are rustling through the bushes, and making noise while a golfer that is adjacent to you is teeing off, you might be a distraction. Simply wait until they have passed before you continue searching.
Never casually walk down or across the fairways while someone is on it playing. If you have to cross, wait until everyone has cleared the fairway and then do so quickly and get out of the way. If you aren’t searching alone, and there are others with you, try to keep the chatter to a minimum when near the fairway or the green. Golfers don’t want to hear side conversation coming from the bushes while attempting to sink a putt.
I even went as far as offering to find their missing balls while they played. By offering my services, I built a good rapport with the players which prevented anyone from complaining to the owners about annoying golf ball hunters getting in the way.
That last part about not annoying the golfers is important because not every course owner might approve of you being there. When this was the case I usually dressed to look the part. When I searched at the more wealthy public courses I wore a nice polo with some khaki pants. I looked like a golfer, I dressed like a golfer, but I was a golf ball hunter. They didn’t know that, which was exactly what I wanted. My goal each time I searched a course, whether the owners cared or not, was to go unnoticed. Follow this rule, be professional while searching, and you’ll avoid having to deal with those that might not want you there. I bet you never thought the words “professional” and “golf ball hunter” would ever be found in the same sentence. Nevertheless, I consider golf ball hunting to be a sport, and like with any sport, there are professionals.
I want to reiterate that whether your reason is saving money, making money, a hobby, or exercise, golf ball hunting is time well spent. Be mindful of the techniques and ideas presented in this guide, and be aware of the potential dangers of your course. This is the advice I would give to anyone interested in taking up the sport.
I’ve tried to pass along some helpful information about a sport that has gone widely unnoticed. To be honest, I have written more than I thought I ever could have about golf ball hunting. I hope the techniques, ideas, and suggestions presented in this book will be helpful in your searches. Good luck.