Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-19
WHERE DO GOLF BALLS CO.?
Lost, strayed, bat Chiefly Stolen is
the Answer.
oADDIEs WITH STEALING KAsT
TounE Crooks that WOrk in Pairs
On the PabIie GAnks-R-maksnE
seeoad-Hand Oaes-Frs-
fesEionaI Dealers.


Nov il s- what becomes of the solf balls
A. several millions Of Eolf halls are manu-
faclured every year and az 10 oas sees any
OF last years tails in this years holes
they must 80 scnewhers.
A fsN FsArs ago manufacturers used 70
euT Hp second hand balls Of their own
make. renould thsn. puItng them on the
market asain as ~remads balls Thay
had a standard price for bslls regardless
Of condition. 50 that no narter how badly
cut up = tan might be. Il was worth -
much 10 ths manufactures who wanted to
make II over.
The IDEA thsn was that the interior Of
the balls was as good as ever and that
Il was onlY the outside or gutLa percaA
covering thAa was injured b. use EX-
ps4Ienos demonstratsd that this was a
mistake and that The life and resiliency OF
a ban ls destroyed by continual hard hit
Ting.
There ia an enormous amount q money
spent On golf balls. and yet their hfs is
very short The standard prles Is 50 cents.
although some makes c0st Is eenta Thers
used 70 be 81 ballA. but there was mol
enough 20 them TO Justify the prlce ana
they are No longer on the market When
a player offers 10 bet a bail 9 hole or 70
pay a nassau which means a bah sz each
nine holes and 0Rs on the match Il Is
understood 70 mean % cents. even Il both
men are playing with y cent halls
Very few golfers viii play mors than
eighteen holes with the same ball When
a first class payer succeeds In getting
I thIr1y-six or more holes cut Of q bail with
out lnsurtng either its driving OF putting
/ qualities. he thinks IL IL rsfHaTAssis. These
! eighteen or thfrty-six holes have supposedly
reduced ths value Of the z cent ball to
u cents or Is cents. Al which price they are
picked Up by those who make n business
Of dealing In second hand bslls-
OF course a ErsA1 many halls are lost
on the links or AZ Least abandoned as lost
until picked up by tbs caddles or green
keepers These abandoned balls are seldom
good ones. because first class players do
nOs lose balls very often and the buffers
do not play with new balls more than once
IN a dozen times. A beginner win often
make q dozen halls last hin Until be has
lost them al. one a. a time, and be viii
pay with a ball 50 old and dirty that he
cannot find it OF the fair green
The ezddiss are the legitimAts collectors
Of lost balls. but In the best clubs men,
Z DcIh are loA Ua48NCl 70 DAg b9-AH AAeAA
csadies. which Is supposed to dlscoursgs
stealing. whereas It simply drives the bail
finder 70 another market The greatest
nuisance on the public links is the number
Of boys who make 4 business OF stealing
; balls. While the boys cannot earn mors
J than Is cents an hour as eaodies, they
: can often pick up two CT three balls IN
: half an hour and sell them for a quarter
These bali thieves usually hide In ths
woods al the edge OF some blind approach
TO a hole and Il The player has no fore
esddy on the hin TO watch his ball fos
, him IL viii not be there when the playel
himself comes over the ridge Most oi
- these ball thieves work IN pairs, oBs
: picking up the bail that Is driven owe
; the hEI and throwing II 20 his confsderat
? in the weeds Upon being challenged IN.
: boy who is loafing around where the bal
| vent over Immediately replies -sesrel
: me" a process which is. OF course. no
: only useless. but foolish
q There are Others who WI pick Up
4 new baIl and put down an Inferior bal
J in its place. and the player win not notie
= st until he goes TO tee up at the next hole
r Then again there are eaddIes who WI
o take the new balls out OF the player
e bag. women are almost invariably IN
I
( taken from q mans bag they are re
n placed With cid balls. 50 that when h
e plnchss the bag 70 rec all the balls ar
still there the count win be correct H
never thinks Of emptying the bag to lool
q at the halls one by one
!, such Of the stolen and picked up gol
!. balls as are almost new or In very goo
q condition sre rapidly washed off and AZ
/. offered for sale on the links AZ once, tn
N rr4ee demanded being snywhers fnom !
= TO % ceats Almost every golfer VII
N marks his balls has had the experience o
Il buying back his ewn property or els
n finding some other player using 81.
u The balls whach cannot be scsd 70 player
itl on the links are easily disposed Of TO me
d who make a business Of going round col
II lecting them from the boys who pick ther
up. Some Of these men make a regulA
round Of the private clubs every wsel
is usually AFTER Sundays and HOLIDAYS Ehe
70 the play has been heavy They are yer
II good Judges Of the condition that balls az
90 in. but VIII not paw more than s or 10 cent
II for them A ball would have 20 be ainos
r new for them TO paw more
,g The usual test Is to squeeze the ball b
he tween the thumb ard forsfInEer OF n
ls left hard. using the right hand for add
u0Nal pressure Inls = 10 0leGfoNeI cIacA
T. and also 20 test the resihency left aft'
the bah has been played with for an
length OF tins. Those who buy seeor
be hard halls should always test them Il
a. cracks that have been filled with putty.
sit Baila that have been cut uD with fro
n shots are sold for old rubber and they a.
not worth fixing W for the second hRr
bah market unless the cuts are vel
ue slight. BaIls that are cracked can be nnS
~ up 80 az not 20 show Il unless they a
AZ squeeEcd hard The chief fault with mo
"a Of the halls picked up By the second haT
dealers Is simply dirt and loss Of paint
The balls bought up A. the various elul
Nr are taken home and soaked In eaust
a. potash solution for several hours. Whit
10 removes every trace 0f paint ANY eracl
Al are thea puttisd I'm aud the balls are ski
fully rspGintsd with the same matsria
that are used BY the original msnufactur
ne a. that brand even the various color,
~ cots. circles and diamonds being initiate
ne A well painted second hand ball would d
eeiVe any bat an expert
The better class balls. which sold a. ne
y. Ter = eentA are wrapped in tissue pap
and sell for = a dozen. while the othez