Secondhand ball industry makes diving in mucky water traps a lucrative endeavor

By: MARC FIGUEROA - Staff Writer | Sunday, July 1, 2007 7:35 PM PDT ∞

From a stock certificate to an aluminum can, money comes in all shapes and sizes. And if you're brave ---- err, crazy ---- enough to strap on scuba gear in the dark of night and navigate large bodies of murky water infested with fertilizer runoff and probably a three-eyed fish or two, you'll find it at underwater as well.

This treasure comes in the form golf balls, and professional divers scouring the bottom of golf-course lakes are cashing in on what has become a large sector of the secondhand ball market.

It is estimated that more than 2.5 billion balls are lost in action each year in the United States, many of which accidentally make their way into water hazards via swing-challenged golfers. And with every slice, hook and chili-dip shot comes opportunity for ball divers.

"I think it's a six-figure job if it's done right," said Scott Chaffin, the former general manager at The Vineyard in Escondido. "There are just so many outlets to sell stuff. If the balls are decent quality, there's a demand for it."

Although the amount of balls a diver can collect varies greatly depending on the course, it's certain there's no shortage. The used-ball market is a $200 million industry, after all.

Greg Siwek, co-owner of the Golf Ball Outlet Company in Boca Raton, Fla., told the New York Times in 2002 that an eight-hour shift can yield as many as 10,000 golf balls. He estimated his company was on pace to collect a million balls that year alone, many of which were slated to be re-sold to driving ranges.

The deals divers make with golf courses can vary greatly. Some pay courses a flat fee and are free to take whatever they find. Some courses, including Oceanside Golf Course, buy back premium balls, such as Titleist, and sell them in their pro shop at a discounted price. Morgan Run Resort and Club in Rancho Santa Fe has an agreement with its diver to recoup all its range balls.

The diver keeps the rest.

"They are about as creative as they want to be," said Chaffin, who's now the general manager at Mile Square Golf Club in Fountain Valley. "Some would pay a fee just to get the contract to dive a course."

Golf ball diving can be a lucrative pursuit, indeed, and it's one that a number of divers prefer not to discuss. Several dive companies that service golf courses in San Diego and Riverside counties were contacted for this story. None chose to comment.

Some say this sector of the recycled ball market is cutthroat and territorial.

After all, since most courses aren't policed at night, anyone with a wet suit can dive a lake unauthorized. These trespassers are often referred to as "nighthawks," and Chaffin remembers when two of them were caught accidentally one night at the Vineyard.

Police were called to the course when a security guard caught some kids sliding down the driving range fairway on ice blocks, Chaffin recalled. As the kids scattered up the 18th fairway to get away, police ordered them to surrender through a booming loudspeaker.

"All of a sudden, these two guys who were in the lake by the ninth hole came out," Chaffin said. "They thought the police were talking to them."

Years ago when Chaffin worked at Upland Hills Country Club, two college kids were nabbed by an off-duty police officer who spotted their car in the parking lot in the middle of the night.

"It turned out they were paying their way through college at UCLA," Chaffin said.

Diving for golf balls also can be dangerous, as divers can get tangled in reeds, roots, trees and grasses. They can even get trapped in mud. The weight of a diver's air tank, weight belt and bag of balls also can wreak havoc below the surface. According to Scuba Diving Magazine, two ball divers drown in 2001---- one in North Carolina and another in Florida.

"I think it's an incredibly dangerous business and I don't think people realize that," said Gary Sowinski, the director of golf at Morgan Run.

Frank Chapman, the assistant manager at Oceanside Golf Course, joked: "The bottom of some of our lakes is like the La Brea Tar Pits. It's a dirty job, but there's plenty of money in it."

Charles Brenneka, who's been diving golf course lakes in Florida and North Carolina for more than 30 years, told the Sun News in 2002 that although diving is an adventurous proposition ---- he once found a dead woman and her Cadillac at the bottom of a lake in Fort Lauderdale ---- it's not something he thoroughly enjoys doing.

"Most days you don't run into anything except your inner fear," he said. "If you've done it enough, you lose the inner fear, but you still have respect. Respect for the water, because the water is dangerous to anybody. I do not recommend anybody becoming a golf-ball diver. Nobody belongs under the water with all this stuff."

Many ball manufacturers would prefer to see lake balls disappear completely. They point out that such retreads can adversely affect a golfer's game since a ball's quality is compromised once it gets wet.

"It's a huge unknown factor," said Dean Snell, senior director of golf ball research and development at TaylorMade-adidas Golf. "And there's nothing in the golf ball that is keeping moisture out 100 percent."

The more water a ball takes on, the heavier it gets. And that not only affects performance, it also could render a water ball illegal by U.S. Golf Association standards, Snell said.

A recent study by Golf Digest revealed that a two-piece ball submerged in water for eight days traveled almost six yards shorter than a new ball. It lost another 3.3 yards after three months.

Performance Indicator is a Massachusetts-based company that has developed a chemical agent that will change a ball's color once it has been in the water for a period of time in an attempt to discourage recycled balls from penetrating the market. The company did its own study that showed water balls can lose up to six yards of distance after only four days.

"You'll never get that back," said Robb Osinski, a managing partner for the 10-year-old company that is encouraging ball makers to use its technology.

"Five or six yards of distance may not make much of a difference on a drive, but it certainly makes a difference when you're hitting a 9-iron over water."

For now, the beat goes on for ball divers. And it seems as long as there are lakes and bad swings, the dive will continue.

"We're only going to (resell) so many," Chaffin said. "What else are we going to do with them?"

 

Contact staff writer Marc Figueroa at marcfig@aol.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.