Lake balls have a reputation problem. Some of them earn it.
The trouble is that "lake balls" has become shorthand for every second-hand golf ball, when there are really three different things on sale: lake balls, course-found balls and refurbished balls. They are not interchangeable, and knowing the difference is most of what you need to buy used golf balls well.
Lake balls, course-found balls and refurbished balls
| Type | Where it comes from | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Lake balls | Recovered from water hazards, then cleaned and sorted | How long the ball was underwater. A long soak can let moisture into the cover. |
| Course-found balls | Collected from the course itself: fairways, rough, tree lines and out of bounds | Cosmetic marks and cover damage, which is what grading is for. |
| Refurbished balls | Stripped, repainted and reprinted so they look new | The new paint sits on the cover and can change feel and spin. It is no longer the ball the manufacturer tested. |
Every used ball we sell is course-found. None of them has been fished out of a lake, and none has been repainted. They are collected from the course, cleaned and hand-graded, so the grade on the label describes the ball itself rather than how long it spent in a pond.
Do lake balls actually lose performance?
A ball that spent a fortnight in a pond and came out with a faint scuff plays more or less like a new one. A ball that sat in silt for two seasons does not. Water can work its way through the cover over a long period, and a ball that has taken on moisture is not performing quite as its maker intended.
The catch is that you usually cannot tell how long a lake ball was submerged by looking at it. That uncertainty is the reason many golfers are wary of lake balls, and it is the reason we sell course-found balls only. A course-found ball has never been underwater, so there is nothing hidden for the grade to miss.
How golf ball grading works
Grades are not standardised across sellers. One shop's "A grade" is another's "B", which is why the cheapest listing is often not the bargain it looks. Ours work like this.
| Grade | Condition | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| A / Pearl | Excellent, with very light marks | Competitive rounds and anyone who wants a ball that looks and plays close to new |
| B | Moderate marks | Regular social golf where you are not precious about a blemish |
| C / Practice | More scuffed, still playable | The range, the short game area, and holes with water down one side |
The full breakdown is in our golf ball grading guide, you can see real examples in our gallery of balls, and every grade is in our used golf balls collection.
What you actually give up with used golf balls
Mostly, cosmetics. A pearl grade ball will usually have a mark on it somewhere. If that bothers you on the first tee, it will bother you for eighteen holes, and you should buy new.
Beyond that, a urethane-covered ball like a Pro V1 loses performance when its cover is cut or badly scuffed, not because it has been hit before. For a club golfer, an off-centre strike costs far more than a used ball does, so this sits well below swing path on the list of things to worry about.
If you are a single-figure player playing a ball you have been fitted to and can feel a difference around the green, buy sleeves of new. We would rather say that than pretend otherwise.
When used golf balls are the obvious choice
- You are new to the game. Losing six balls in a round is normal and should not cost you a fortune. Our guide to the best golf balls for beginners and high handicappers goes into which models suit a slower swing.
- You want to play a premium ball more often. Tour-level balls are expensive new. Graded, they become something you can lose without flinching — see our premium golf balls, including used Titleist Pro V1s.
- You practise a lot. Practice grade exists for exactly this. There is no sense wearing out a premium ball hitting bunker shots.
- The course eats balls. Some courses simply do. Play accordingly.
When to buy new instead
Club championship week. A ball you have been fitted for and genuinely trust. Or any situation where you want a dozen identical balls with no marks at all, which graded stock cannot always guarantee.
Refurbished balls are the other one to think twice about. Once a ball has been resurfaced, nobody can tell you with confidence that it still conforms to the published specification, so if you play in anything official, stick to graded balls that have not been altered.
Used golf balls as a gift
This is where grading matters most, because you are buying for someone else's standards rather than your own.
Our three ready-made boxes sit at £28 for the Members, £54 for the Captains and £94 for the Presidential, and you can see them together in the golf mystery box collection. The Presidential is the one with guaranteed contents: twelve premium tour-level A grade balls, a tour-standard glove, a premium brand cap, a headcover, at least two ball markers, 100 bamboo tees and a bag of sherbet lemons.
If you know the person is fussy about marks, or you know they only ever practise, choose the grade yourself. You can build your own golf gift box from £24 and pick six or twelve balls in Standard, Premium or Collector grade, plus the glove, cap, headcover and personalised extras. We hand-pack it in the UK either way.
Lake ball and used golf ball FAQs
What are lake balls?
Golf balls recovered from water hazards, then cleaned, sorted and resold. The term is often used loosely for any second-hand golf ball, but strictly it means balls that have been underwater.
Are your golf balls lake balls?
No. Every used ball we sell is course-found, collected from the course rather than from water, then cleaned and hand-graded.
Do lake balls lose distance?
They can if they were submerged for a long time, because of moisture taken on through the cover. A course-found ball has never been underwater, so the question does not arise.
How can I tell what grade I have been sent?
Look at the cover in daylight. Light marks that you can see but not feel are pearl or A grade. Visible scuffing you can feel with a thumbnail is B. Anything with paint loss or a cut is practice grade and belongs at the range.
Are used golf balls allowed in competition?
A used ball that has not been altered is still the ball the manufacturer made, so it is fine provided the model itself conforms. Repainted and refurbished balls are the grey area, which is the main reason we do not sell them.
What grade should I buy if I am unsure?
A grade or pearl. It is the one that looks and plays closest to new, and it is the only grade we would put in a gift without checking first.
Used golf balls are one of the few genuine bargains left in golf, as long as you know where they came from and buy on grade rather than on price. Browse every grade in our used golf balls collection, and stock up on golf tees and golf gloves while you are there.