Golf Dotz

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: A neat idea.

Rule 12-2 of the Rules of Golf states that “Each player should put an indentification mark on his ball.” For most, that means putting a couple of dots on our balls with a sharpie. I like to draw little doodles. You could also go in for one of thse deals where you get a few dozen balls done with a custom print job.

Now there’s another option: Golf Dotz.

Golf Dotz are small decorative decals (the manufacturer wants people to call them golf ball tattoos) that easily stick to your ball as an identifying mark. They come in a variety of symbols, such as skulls, bobs, four leaf clovers, smilies, hearts, flames, aliens, card symbols (hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs),bugs, cats and dogs and the ubiquitous computer power-on symbol (you know, the circle with the verticle line extending from it).

I had three major concerns about the Dotz when I first heard about them. Then I got a sample pack from the manufacturer and all my rears were alleved.

The first concern was that they would be hard to apply. I’m a modeler, and know just how tricky decals can be. But Golf Dotz couldn’t have been easier. You just cut the image out of the sheet and press it to the ball for five seconds or so until it releases from the sheet.

My second concern was that the decals would be thick enough to affect a ball’s performance. Golf Dotz turned out to be incredibly thin, and flexible enough that they conformed exactly to the ridges of a Callaway hex ball. Running my fingers over them, I couldn’t detect their presence.

And finally, I was worried that the decals wouldn’t last for long. The manufacturer claims that you’ll lose your ball before the decal wears off. They’re right. I played two rounds with a single Callaway HX Hot, and the ball showed far more scruffs than the decal (actually, the ball was beat to death, but that’s another issue).

Each pack contains enough decals for two dozen balls at a retail price of around $5. They’d make a good stocking stuffer or small gift for the golfer in yoru life. You can get them at Golf Galaxy

What’s the big deal about electric cars, like the upcoming Chevrolet Volt? Golfers have been using them for years. You can get 20 miles in a golf cart on a ten hour charge.

Now, it seems that golf carts are becoming “street legal” vehicles in a number of towns. Currently, 26 states allow the use of golf cars on local streets. 

Z TECH 16 Silver Retriever

If you ask me, golf ball retrievers should be banned from the course. While I sympathize with people who don’t want to lose a three or four dollar ball in a water hazard, there are just too many old retired guys wasting time retrieving ball after ball from the drink. 

The GolfBlogger is stuck at Boy Scout Camp this week, somewhere in the wilds of Indiana. The weather is hot and humid, the food is awful, the tents are mildewed and there’s no golf.

But even here in Hell, I have found a little island of golf. The camp staff uses a series of golf carts as transportation. Here’s the converted ambulance.

If you’re tired of your Sharpie ... or if you want to decorate your ball but completely lack in artistic talent, then Golfdotz may be for you.

These are little decals that you apply to your ball to help mark them. The “dotz” come in a variety of shapes and colors, including letters and numbers, bugs, skulls, targets, clover, bombs, aliens, flames, cats, dogs and poker symbols. I particularly like the Aliens.

The manufacturer claims that you’ll lose your ball before these wear off, but I really wonder about the durability.