The ifrothgolf review
A dozen genuine Titleist Pro V1s recovered from course lakes, washed and graded near-new by Second Chance, a long-established UK lake ball company.
What's great
You get the most played ball on tour for roughly a third of retail. Grade A grading from Second Chance is genuinely strict by lake ball standards: these look close to new, with owners frequently saying they'd struggle to tell them from boxed balls. Independent ball testing over the years has generally found good-condition recycled premium balls perform within a whisker of new ones for the swing speeds most amateurs generate. Psychologically it's liberating too: pulling driver over water is easier when the ball cost £1.40. For winter golf, casual rounds and anyone whose handicap is in double digits, this is simply rational purchasing.
Worth knowing
Mixed years means you might get a 2023-generation ball next to a current one, with slightly different feel. Grading is done at scale, so the occasional scuffed ball slips into a Grade A pack; most sellers will sort it if you complain. Balls that spent months underwater can lose a touch of ball speed, and there's no way to know the history of any individual ball. Low single-figure players chasing every yard should stick to new.
The verdict
The best value-per-pound purchase in golf for the average player. Buy two dozen and stop flinching at water carries.
