Bruised and battered Titleist Velocity 11 Golf Ball

Bruised and battered Titleist Velocity 11 Golf Ball

We got introduced when Mary brought a package back from Golf and Ski Warehouse in Lebanon NH. Two dozen golf balls... 1 dozen shiny new Titleist Velocity's and a dozen equally shiny and new Callaway Warbirds.

When you play at Green Mountain National, you don't let little things like golf balls get in the way. With tight fairways surrounded by deep rough and dense forest, several lost golf balls during a round is the norm. Usually it's an even swap. You wander off into the woods hunting for your prize... you don't find it... but you come out with an equal number of perfect white orbs to fire off into the wilderness later on during the round. The universe is held in balance. They don't call Monday's at Green Mountain National "New Ball Monday" for nothing!

But this one golf ball was special. I started playing with it several rounds ago during my Tuesday quota league... Plus 3 on quota that day was enough to tie for the top spot. Not bad since my game was all over the place this season while I was getting used to playing with a knee brace.

Although it had a few nicks and scratches and an omnipresent "Green Mountain Logo", I pulled it out of the bag to start my first round match in the club's presidents cup. Bang... 81. what the... 6 up with 5 to go. What is it with this golf ball???

It was starting to look pretty crappy, but I pulled it out once again for quota last Tuesday. Plus 13 with the top spot going away... The ball now has 54 holes on it and it looks like it's gone clubbing on top of a cheese grater. Marginally round, but still kicking.

It could not last...

Saturday, my son was up from the Boston area. Sensing some history, I pulled the ball out of the bag at breakfast and snapped a quick picture. Our Saturday tee time was at 7:40AM. Conditions were cold and damp. Rain had stopped falling at the club just as forecasted at 7:00 AM... Temps were chilly in the mid 50's. The fairways were very wet with cart path only rules in place.

At the first tee, the trusty ball came out for what would be one last appearance. A drive down the middle, a 5 iron lay up and a wedge to 10 feet saw the ball staring down a birdie once again. But it was not meant to be..With a pretty good stroke on the ball, it lipped the cup on the 10 footer, coming to rest 1 inch behind the hole, a round starting birdie clearly looking at the ball in it's rear view mirror. But a tap in par on the first hole is not bad... so it goes....

On the second hole, a 2 iron off the tee saw it land in the middle of the fairway in the flats, about even with the 100 yard marker. The flats, the wet...

The ball mets it's demise on the club face of a pitching wedge in a mud shower. It almost made it across the pond to the second green, hitting a rock on the far bank before giving up and bouncing backwards to a watery grave.

56 holes... several birdies...a bunch of pars..plus cart path bounces...tree ricochets...abrasive sand traps... It was a very good ball indeed!

Wherever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sun screen!