Way back, I used to be pretty habitual about marking my golf balls in a particular way with a sharpie (three dots above the Titleist logo). I don’t think this ever helped me identify the ball and I wasn’t superstitious about it, just something everyone seemed to do, so I did it to.
These days, I never bother to mark the ball. The vast majority of my rounds are played alone and I haven’t played a round yet with someone hitting the same ball as me (when I’m playing a serious round, I’m gaming either a TP5 Pix or Maxfli CG Tour Green Matte, so they definitely don’t get confused for any other kind of ball).
How about you all? If you mark the ball, is it for a performance purpose, like lining up putts, or just an identifier?
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I mark the ball just so it can be ID.
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I usually circle the number on the ball with a red sharpie. My 2nd ball I circle the number and add 2 dots. I may go back to my nickname/initials “KC” on the ball as this year I started playing with someone else that circles the number too although we never play the same model ball.
Welcome to the forums! Out of curiosity, do think the marking has helped you identify the ball when it would have been more difficult without it?
If I wanted to do that, I would need a stencil or something. Freehand would be too messy for my eye.
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That’s partly why I stopped doing it lol. I don’t really mind if it’s messy though. When my girls were little I would let them draw on my golf balls for fun. They made me some nice unique ones…and yet some idiots would still pick them up lol.
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I play Snells and haven’t had a problem! I do think it’s good to mark your balls, I always did in tournaments .
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Yes, but then again it doesn’t always do me any good. I use a green marker and circle the number and put a thick line over the top of the Titleist name and both Ralph and Norm (in my Sunday group) will hit my ball 3-4 times a year each. That used to just drive me nuts, but I laugh it off now.
I see a lot of people using red so I switched to green just be different. I play a pretty common ball, Titleist, so I don’t feel comfortable if I don’t put on something to ID it.
Small black Z above the last “L” on Snell. Just for ID, though not that many people playing Snells around here.
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I started using Green when my Red marker ran dry not long ago! I prefer the Red though. I rarely play Titleist, but my family got me 2 boxes of ProV’s for my birthday and I had to start marking balls more carefully lol. This reminds me that I need to buy more markers.
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I never do. Whenever I’m playing in tournaments I’m usually the only one playing Snells, and they’re nice enough to make them for me with the PG logo so that’s all I need!
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Add that to the list of items to have in the PG shop!
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Then he’d have to mark his ball in the eventual practical golf invitational!
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wouldn’t that be something, a bunch of golfers playing snells with the PG logo 
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I have a Tin Cup Marker template that I use to mark a W on the side of my ball. W for Weaver…or Winning.
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I use four blue dots in diamond dimples, looks a bit like Scottish flag if you hold your tongue just right! Playing a fancy resort course years ago, I hit into long grass, yep Titleist 3 red dot. Wasn’t til I pulled it from the cup I noticed it was a ProV1, not ProV1x. What’re the odds?
I think that two stroke penalty is one most players only receive once; hen you make sure your mark is unique. At least in comp. Now it’s habit for me, even in fun rounds.
I mark my balls with an Icelandic symbol signifying “good fortune”…it’s an X where one leg looks a bit like an F. It’s mainly just habit though…not sure if I’d miss it if I stopped. Most folks I get paired with don’t play Srixon balls like I do anyway.
Is marking your ball required in tournaments? At the first tee the players always announce the ball they are playing and everyone has a mark on theirs so I always have too. Usually just a dot. Playing a provisional I declare it with ‘no dot’ and I assume that is legal. When most of the guys play pro v1 They should def have a mark to distinguish between them. I play the tp5x and unless someone else is playing it I would rather not mark it. The last couple tournaments I played Snell and didn’t bother marking and nobody said anything. So I assume its fine to not mark? Rules guy might be reading? lol
I’ve never seen any tournament require marking a ball (although it’s a good idea if your playing partners have a similar ball)
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