Ah, the golf ball...

It's the source of great pleasure and often great pain. It's golf's equivalent of the puck in hockey, the football in, well, football and so on.

And golfers love to proclaim at the end of a round that they finished with the same ball they started with. "Didn't lose a single ball" is frequently heard around the 19th hole.

So, you start your next round with the same ball, right? After all, it's now your LUCKY ball.

That begs the question: how often should you pound the daylights out of the same ball before you INTENTIONALLY launch it into the woods and bid farewell?

I turned, as I often do, to my swing guru, Mark Greenwood from Swing Machine Golf Canada and I asked his counsel.

"I have read studies that state that a ball is a ball is a ball. I don't believe it!! I do think that it is a personal preference. Some people play with anything and some will not play without a new ball every hole. Me? I start with a new ball every round and go from there."

Mark went on to tell me the story of a golfing buddy who played four rounds with the same ball (Holy Cow!). At the end of the fourth round, Mark said the guy's ball looked like an egg.

Well, maybe he needed a better brand of ball? "Golf ball "make" seems to be a personal preference as well as a financial decision these days. Manufacturers make one for every game and swing speed. Me? I just pick one out of my bag and play it. Mind you, they are all the same. They have my mark on them and are brand spanking new. Oh, they all have the number 4 on them as well. They work better than others for some reason."

Hmm, golf superstition...like hockey beards in the playoffs.

Well, whatever it takes to keep the white ball on the short green grass.

I'm afraid my tendency is to keep playing the same ones. If I don't lose it, it's one less ball I have to buy. I know, I sound like a cheapskate. Fact is, I still lose 'em by the dozen. But at least it's not off the tee anymore.

I think there's something wrong with my short game...