If not a gift to the gods of golf, I use a ball until it uglies out (scuffs, etc). I might put a new one in play at the start of a round, but last week's ball will still be in the mix.

I generally play a ball for at least 18 holes. I usually switch my ball and glove at the turn. So, with no scuffs or cart path rashes, I will play a ball for at least two rounds.

Hi Michael,

If mine isn't showing any signs of wear I play it until I either lose it or scuff it up. Once scuffed I'll move to my shag bag to ensure I'm practicing with the same balls I play with. Generally speaking I'll use 1-2 balls per 18 holes.

Certainly a personal preference thing. I am too cheap to change out a good ball based on holes played. I will go as long as i can until i loose it or it gets too scuffed up.

My mental max is one round, maybe one round and one hole. Unless I birdie that 19th hole, it seems to get in my head that it won't perform as well and I'll either take it out of play on purpose, or lose it by accident because I'm thinking about it too much instead of the shot at hand... Oops!

I finished my 27th hole with the same ball (tour soft) yesterday and the ball was performing as good as when I took it out of the sleeve. It has had one good bounce off a tree and is showing some signs of scuffing but ball flight and putting are both what I would expect.

It is all personal preference/superstition when to change a ball.

For me, I just like starting with a "new" ball on the first tee each time I go out- I would then switch to another ball after a few holes, and they get used up that way and so on... In the past, when I buy a box, I would mix all four sleeves with different numbers as I mark them with my dots. Adding one new ball in the rotation each time I go out gives me the feeling that I'm always playing with a new ball all day... all weekend... all year.

In the early 2000, I used to play the ball until it's shredded (not literal) or lost. I remember playing the same Pro V1 without the shine, almost yellowish in color, but it was perfectly an okay ball to play, and it lasted me about 3 weeks with about 12 rounds in it until I saw it next to one of my newer ball... I just didn't want to play it- put it that way. I wanted to play a new ball. So would it have lasted longer? My guess was, a new model ball or driver would have come out of its release and the ball will probably still be playable. They're very durable in my opinion.
Hope that helps answer your question.

Play it until you lose it and/or rotate two balls between nines until both are lost

At 4 bucks a ball, I don't give up on them that easily. I will however, always pull out a new ball for an important round. But for everyday play I will play a new ball until I lose it or it looks a bit beat up. I have played 6 or 7 rounds with the same Pro V or AVX, but typically, usually about 2-3 rounds a ball. If it's still playable, I keep it in the bag for those days when I want to try shots over forced carries that I'm not 100% confident about making.

If I hit the ball well and don't hit off cart paths & trees, rocks or water I'll use it for 2-3 rounds. But I always tee up a new ball at the start of every round. After 3 rounds or severe scuffing it goes in my shag bag for practice purposes. I don't hit one hard enough to mess it up from just playing. Lol

I am pretty certain the pros change to a new ball every 3 holes. But of course they don't pay for them like you and I do. I usually play with the same ball every 2-3 rounds unless it gets scuffed.

I use a ball until it is damaged or lost. That’s generally no more than a couple of rounds (I do lose balls from time to time) but I remember once I played 72 holes with the same ProV1x before s——king it into the woods.

I just played 44 straight holes with a Titleist Trusoft but it found a watery grave on the 45th (my 9th of the day). This is an absolute personal best and might never be matched! I usually lose a ball or two (or more) per round and then it's reload time...

If it doesn't have too many scuffs I will usually play it. If I'm playing in a tournament or a good $ match I'll always put a new Giahotsauce ball into play.
Once a ball gets scuffed up I usually just use it for practice and toss it in the shag bag.

I play with mine until I lose it. I don't lose many, so they stay for awhile. I will say that if I have an important round or tournament, I will break out a new one (usually one with my custom play number like my profile pic).