He is correct in that it would make it easier to identify your ball if it is marked on both sides of it.  Say 2 or 3 dots above the Titleist logo on both sides.  As far as I know, there isn't a rule that says you have to mark your ball at all.  Players just do it so they know it is Their ball next to the other guy that is playing a ProV1 with the same number.  Being that Titleist is played world wide more than any other ball, everyone should be unique in their design to mark their ball.

I usually mark over the alignment stamp with a black line (to help align putts) and also mark the dimples that surround the number to make a complete circle.  Sometimes even with different colors.  I will also ask my daughter to put her favorite designs on the ball too ... but sometimes she can get a little carried away.  So there is no question which ProV1 is mine in the fairway!  Well, with the guys I play with, mine is Always the one in the fairway and they are in the rough! LOL 

Titleist Rocks! 

I draw a RED letter "C"  ( for Craig) around the number on both sides of the ball. You can really spot it from a distance.

Your friend makes a great point.  It is easier to identify your ball for both you and a competitor. Having to lift your ball to identify it could improve your lie if your not careful, costing you a penalty. See rule 12-2 and 13-2.

But you're free to mark your ball however you like. 

 Chris S

Some days I feel that the only way to prevent someone else from hitting your ball is to use a different colored ball. Went out early on morning and got paired with these two older gentlemen in a cart and one other walker. One of the old guys hit a slice onto another green and I pushed mine a bit right. Before I could get half way to my ball, the guy that sliced his ball took a swing in the general area of my ball. I used a ball that my brother had marked with a huge smiley face using a Magnum Sharpie so I was shocked that they would even think it was theirs. The other walker even saw it from the other side of the fairway and was as baffled as I was. They didn't admit to hitting my ball but we all know he did.

TL;DR: Doesn't matter. No one bothers to check for markings outside of competition.

Hi John, 

Great question. 

I have a very simple way of marking my ball. I draw a black line over the side stamp; however, I believe the more markings, the better. 

I was playing in a very big four-ball tournament in Houston, TX. My partner plays a Pro V1x with custom play #13 and a black dot over the number. On the 14th green he looks at me in disbelief because he HIT THE WRONG BALL! Another individual from the hole next to 14 hit it in a similar spot and was playing a Pro V1x with custom play #13 and a black dot over the number, but his ball had his initials stamped on the side. What are the odds?? Luckily I made a pedestrian par and the mix-up didn't hurt us too much. 

In the end, the more unique the marking, the better. 

Bubba

I mark both sides of my ball, and fortunately I play with pretty courteous league members who are respectful of your markings. 

Definitely no rules as to how you mark your ball...markings only used to identify your ball during the course of play.  I have played tournaments where players don't mark their ball, those are usually not tournament caliber players using a ball none of us would play.  I use a simple black line over the Pro V1x and have never had an issue.  

I mark both sides of my ball also.  I put a dot to cover the inside of a dimple on both sides with the same color. Its a good idea to mark so that there is no mistake on the ball your hitting when you come to it.

Yes, mark both sides! Whether or not anyone else does it, at least you're doing it correctly.  I mark mine the same way every time, one blue dot to the upper left of the number. My usual playing golf buddies always know thats me!

No specific rules for marking the ball just yet, but I am sure it will be added in coming years.  

I always mark my ball with a Pink dot under each T in Titleist.   I am even going to order double number 45 for my ball so I can have another way to distinguish which ball is mine.  

Nothing says you even have to mark your ball.  But logically, the more markings the easier it is to identify.  You can get really crazy if you want and then you'd never have to worry about messing up.  Personally, I like subtle markings.  I don't play big enough tournaments for it to really matter and I don't like markings all over my ball.

I totally understand your reasoning for marking your ball this way.  If you're playing in a tournament or competitive situation though, it could cause an issue if you hit a provisional ball for example.  I've seen instances where the player gets to the landing area and finds both balls but isn't sure which was the original tee shot and which is the provisional because both balls had the same number or the numbers were covered!

That's crazy.  A friend missed out on advancing in a big national event for that same reason.  He was playing a Pro V1 with his college team's logo.  On the back nine he hit a drive into the high rough (think knee deep).  He found a Pro V1 with his college team's logo in the same area he hit his ball.  It wasn't until he got to the green and marked his ball that he realized it wasn't his ball.

The rules are pretty straightforward.  Here's what the USGA says, "Markings applied to the ball by the player (e.g., using a felt-tip pen) are not contrary to this Rule. Rules 6 5 and 12 2 encourage the player to put an identification mark on his ball to help ensure that he plays his own ball throughout the round. There are no regulations to limit what or how many markings can be applied to the ball by the player, provided its original markings can be discerned."  

As RM used to say during TV broadcasts, "If you're going to play the game, you have to know the rules!" Seems to me your friend and a couple of others could use a little refresher.........

you said it just right Tdogg. I sometimes do mark my golf ball every now and then ill put a dot or 2 on both sides of the golf ball but im not a big fan of marking the golf ball but then again everyone has there own opinion.

I mark mine on both sides. A little off set from the logo three red dots always. 

Easy for me. ProV1x logo. Hard to find anyone that uses them. None of my friends use Titleists, and haven't run across any out playing either. So the ball is pretty easy to tell for me, as long as it doesn't get completely covered in mud.

I have a custom imprint on my ball which usually is sufficient for casual play without any additional markings.  If I am playing in a tournament, I will also mark he ball on both sides with a sharpie to ensure I can identify it from any position.  You can never be too safe and certainly would not want to create an unnecessary penalty in a competitive situation.

I would suggest you only do it in one side of the ball because the marker could affect your ball flight a little bit not so much. And there is no rule as of marking the ball I mark it with a line so it helps me at my putting

Marking on only one side?  Tell that to tour pro Duffy Waldorf.  As I recall, he let his kids mark his and he used them for years on the tour. They sometimes looked more like a Christmas ornament than a golf ball! I wonder if he ever thought they were unbalanced because of all their artwork?  

Great discussion... For me it's four dots around the play number and a line over the sidestamp. Always with a purple Sharpie and always a Pro V1x.

I play high numbers 4,5,6,7,8, with three blue dots slanted by the number or when I play tournaments I use custom balls with the number 69 and FJA custom imprint on ball.........very seldom see that combination.....so fell safe.....but always check with competitors are beginning of round.....and of course Prov1s.....

I mark the ball on both sides, otherwise there is no way to identify your ball without moving it in the sand, plug, or deep grass.  By marking the ball on both sides you have a better chance in identifying it.  I like to draw a Black square around the number, both sides and a blue dot on each side of the Titleist eack side. 

Mark it on both sides for all the reasons listed in this thread. If you can't positively identify your ball, it is deemed lost. If two players dispute whose ball is whose, and they cannot resolve it, both are lost.

I mark with one purple (yes, PURPLE) dot. Can't miss that. No one marks in purple (have you ever seen it?). I don't care if it's a Professional 100 (c. 1999), if it has a purple dot, it's mine. (Okay, it'll be a Pro VIx, but you get my meaning.)

I start every season by participating in the Titleist 4 for 3 offer. I get them customized with either Senior or SR and for the date use the last two numbers of the current year. I then add a green putting line to finish everything off. 

I was going to say the same thing. 

You may not HAVE to mark your ball, but, you should. Say you're hitting a Titleist 3 and it went in the tall stuff. When you get up to the area where your ball landed, you notice a couple of Titleist 3's. They're not marked. What do you do then? If you play the wrong ball, things go downhill from there. So, it's always best to mark it in some way. I mark mine with a simple black dot to the left of the number(s) on the ball. 

I must agree.  I play with several others who play the Pro-V1, so marks are a necessity.  I use a green dot over the "T" and a blue dot under the final "t" of Titleist on both sides of the ball.  Yes, they fade over time but not usually enough over an 18 hole round to be a problem.  Some of the others use blue dots to mark their balls, so the green dot helps distinguish mine.  I recently picked up three dozen custom number 70 Pro-V1, with side personalization specific to me on them.  Those I have not marked when used in regular play.  If I enter a tournament, though, I will mark even these with my two dot combination, just to be safe.

Marking your ball is a matter of personal choice, having said that, I would recommend marking both sides.

I played in a tournament last year.  At that time I only marked one side of the ball.  Off the 1st tee it appeared that my ball was the only one that went right of the fairway so when I saw a ball in the rough I just walked up to it and hit it.  One of my playing partners then asked if I'm playing a Titleist ... the ball I hit didn't show the label or my mark, it turned out it was also not my ball.

I now not only mark my ball on two sides, I also check very carefully before I hit it ... Two marks on a ball is FAR better than a Two stroke penalty.

Actually, I put dots all over my ball, so that it can be identified from some distance.  That has worked well for years, with one exception.  My opponent and I hit drives to about the same place, a place that was obscured from the tee.  We got to the balls and, as the probable shorter hitter, I went to hit my ball, with the dots all over it.  My opponent alleged that was his ball.  The short story is that he had found one of my balls in an earlier round and was playing it that morning, and there was no way to tell his (found) ball from my (newly marked ball).  Otherwise, it works really well to put lots of dots all over the ball....as long as I don't lose one.

I always use a green sharpie and mark my ball in four spots by filling in a dimple.  I mark beside the number on both sides, on the alignment mark and on the side opposite the alignment mark.  That allows me to easily identify the ball pretty much whatever way it is sitting. 

I always take advantage of when Titleist offers free personalization and get my initials printed on the ball which I like better than marking the ball with a marker.