Refinished golf balls are aged, worn golf balls that go through a mechanical stripping process that returns the ball to its former quality. In this process, the ball’s outer layer will be stripped away and a new layer will be coated onto the ball, with new paint and a logo added.
Usually, refinishing processes will only occur when there is a particularly high-end golf ball that has become worn with age. This involved refinishing process can make the ball usable again and even make it look and feel brand new.
Balls with deep cuts and bruises will likely not be able to be fixed through a refinishing process. Refinishings are best for those balls that have light scratches and marks that can be covered and replaced with a new coat.
How Are Refinished Golf Balls Made?
You need to find the right balls to go through the refinishing process. To do this, old balls are discovered in a variety of places — greenskeepers can find them buried in the earth and scuba divers can discover them lurking in the depths of a golf course pond. These balls are then sent off to warehouses which collect the balls in huge containers.
From there, the balls go through a sterilization process to rid them of any contaminants. After this, they go into sorting. Some warehouses have innovative machines that can tell which brand the golf balls are just by a simple scan.
After this, manual sorters look at each individual golf ball and give them a rating based on quality. Balls then go on to another station where they are repainted white and branded with the correct logo. From here, balls are spot checked and randomly selected to go into the cannon testing machine.
This machine checks the performance of the golf balls to make sure they’re ready for someone to use. It’s essentially a higher-powered pitching machine that accelerates the balls to over 200 miles per hour and shoots them into a collider to measure their performance and durability characteristics.
Before being packaged and shipped to customers, the balls go through one more delineating process — refinished vs. recycled golf balls.
Refinished vs. Recycled Golf Balls
Recycled golf balls will usually only refer to balls that have been sent through a washing process that gets contaminants, dirt and marks off their surface. Refinished golf balls, on the other hand, go through a more complex process that involves re-coatings and applying the brand name back on the ball.
Refinished vs. Refurbished Golf Balls
Refurbished golf balls are very similar to refinished golf balls. Both alter the original ball’s appearance to return it to its former appearance. However, refinished golf balls completely replace the existing layer of the golf ball, while refurbishment is more focused on adjusting small details to replace the ball’s appearance to its former look. A certain logo might be touched up a bit, for example, to make the ball look new again.
Pros and Cons of Using Refinished Golf Balls
If you’re debating whether or not you want to start using refinished golf balls, it can help to take a look at their pros and cons.
Pros
Some of the pros of using refinished golf balls include a lower cost, larger quantity and less pressure to perform well.
Lower Cost
Refinished golf balls cost much less than brand-new balls you’d buy straight from the store. Although you might not be getting that top-tier original quality, you’re still getting a version of a great golf ball.
Golf balls are also very expensive and are only growing in price, so if you’re looking for a way to cut some costs out of your golf hobby, refinished golf balls might be the way to go.
Larger Quantity
You can also buy refinished golf balls in bulk — instead of purchasing a few sleeves of expensive balls, you can make a bulk purchase and get dozens of golf balls for a great price.
Less Pressure
Many of us know that feeling of teeing up with Pro-V with a huge pond right in front of us — the dollar signs can start to float in front of your vision and the pressure can start to mount.
Many of us might feel much more comfortable using a ball they know didn’t cost too much to buy. Refinished golf balls can offer the perfect solution for golfers who are just trying to improve their game.
Cons
There are also some cons you should be aware of regarding refinished golf balls. Some of these include quality, reliability and appearance.
Questionable Quality
Some companies put stricter barriers around quality than others. When you do purchase refinished golf balls, there’s always a chance that you might not be getting the best quality. This could potentially have an effect on your game.
Reliability
Newer golf balls are more reliable simply because they’ve never been hit before. Refinished golf balls have been around the block several times, making their reliability inevitably go into question.
Appearance
Refinished golf balls also may have a different look than brand-new golf balls. Depending on the refinishing process they go through, they may have an unnatural shine to their outer layer.
Refinished Golf Balls: The Bottom Line
Ultimately, refinished golf balls are a great option for those who are looking to save money and just want to improve their game. Though you should be aware of the cons of using them, it likely won’t have too much of an effect on your game — especially if you’re just starting out.