has anyone tried this yet - unbelievable! its so simple i did not even know about balls not being round. marking my ball has really enhanced my putting(i use the parallel lines) and now i just check my ball is still round after every hole. i have just reduced by an average of 2 shots a round since carrying it with me - mainly around the greens area which is where i am traditionally weak.

great site by the way!!

Is it really worthwhile? I mean are modern balls really that bad?

you would have thought so but its not the case - i went through my bag and most the balls i had where out of shape - marking the ball is a great way to reduce shots as it acts as a visual aid when lining up a putt as well - the pro''s change their balls every few holes for this reason - they go oval shaped

I've always marked a putting line on my ball and for me it really helps but some people don't like a line on their ball. I recently won one of these gradeaball thingys and found that all types of balls (even brand new Pro V1's) were a reject!

It's not your company by the way Richard? LOL

all types of balls is a big statement! the only balls that dont go through the green ring are out of shape - if they are new balls, remember anything mass produced has a certain % of faulties - including golf balls. most new branded balls will go through the green ring i have found for sure - i know what you mean about marking balls - everyone should do it - its a big help - even the tiger does it and many others....gradeaball is great for marking as well. If i where the inventor i would be happy for the future - unfortunatly im not!!

I might look into getting one, the only problem is, i'm not a pro I'm not given free golf balls every week.

Do I really want to throw away golf balls that have beeen used for one round that have cost me £30?

I can only say what I did with the golf balls in my bag. I had about 5 or 6 diferent types and they all failed! The Pro v's were brand spanking new out of the box, so are you saying that I had a bad box of 12? And the 6 new srixon ADT333's I won in a comp were also faulty? Interesting.

BTW - just to clarify a point, I didn't ask you if you were the inventor. Do you sell them though? This wouldn't be the first time a new forum member tries to "push" his wares here. Funny that you join up and start promoting a new product, that's all.

Kate, If all of those balls are so called out of round, then to me they're not the only things that are not Manufactured 100% to specification.

Sounds like a dodgy gradeaball to me, but if this product is as good as Richard is claiming could you take these defective balls back to the retailer and demand 12 balls that are 100% round and all pass through the appropriate ring?

I am looking forward to the release of gradeahole. I am sure most at my club are not 100% perfectly round, why else would my putts keep flying round the lip instead of dropping???
:¬)

I would be happy just to keep a ball long enough for it to go out of shape. Though defective balls sounds like a fine excuse for my dodgy shots

Sorry for the late reply but I have been away on business, but have really thought about the responses I had when posting a tread the other week so i hope to cover them and I will add in my own bits about me/Gradeaball.

I have been in manufacturing – mainly consumer electronics for nearly 15 years with my business partner Clive. Clive developed the Gradeaball. We have been developing it over the last 2 years as a device to use around the greens area.
The product is around 10 weeks old and was launched at the London Golf show and has been a huge hit with the people who have seen it. Pro shops from Wentworth to Royal Wimbledon stock it and believe it’s a great device.
Marking your ball for putting assistance is a massive aid that quickly reduces putts. The pro’s change their balls every few holes for the reason that the golf balls go out of shape – they go oval shape. This will cost you shots as the ball does not roll true no matter how well you line the putt up. The green ring allows a “competitive” ball pass through it with ease. The red ring allows you to grade your balls between “non competitive” and “nothing more than a practice” ball which means you don’t always have to use a new ball as that would get expensive, but you can use the “best” shape balls you have
If you go to www.gradeaball.com you can see what it does, the various ways to mark balls etc....

All the brands of new balls pass through the green hole – some are slightly tighter than others, but if you play Srixon balls then your box of 12 new balls should all feel the same passing through – same for Titleist or anyone else. If there are balls that don’t pass through the way the others do then I guess the ball is not spherically round like the other balls – you would have to ask the manufacturer about that. This is designed to be able to check your ball as you walk of every green.
I think I need to apologise as well for posing as a non manufacturer - so sorry for that - I do feel I used bad etiquette.
I hope no one has taken offence and I hope I covered it all off – I like the gradehole idea a lot!!

I wonder if this is the device I saw at the London Golf Show. It seemed quite impressive and after the demo, I mentioned that it looked very nice. I asked how much and when I was told £9.99, I quickly enquired as to the sanity of this gentleman? Three stamped/moulded nylon rings for a tenner - you are having a laugh. Made somewhere in the Far East for a few pence.

Another contribution to Rip-off Britain me fears....

How can you be sure that the problem with with your ball and not an out of shape gradeaball?

i maybe should have mentioned this as well - the product has been proudly designed and manufacturered in the UK which has it costs, but also the accuracy of the plastic injection mouldings makes it within 100,000 of an inch - it is quality British precision engineering.

we heard you first time :)
Think i'll just keep playing with mine till i lose 'em :)

Greg, if you push 12 balls through and 11 go through the same way but 1 does not, why would it be the device - its accurate and designed to last.

...and the band played on...

Sheesh - not rocket science producing a circular ring with diameter of 42.67mm, another of 42.68mm and a third of 42.69mm.

£9.99 plus postage I see?

Even R&A Ball specifications allow for 25% of balls to not fall through a ring of no less than 42.67mm at a temperature of 23 +- 1°C

i say your rather aggressive for no reason on your 2 comments but i will think about a response when i have the time again - as for rocket science etc - no one had come up with the idea until now so maybe it was not so easy to invent for us, but i agree we have not put a human on the moon. Thanks for your constructive input though so far and the support for its innovativeness i can feel from your kind words is appreciated. Have a nice evening

I always mark my balls with an alignment line as i find it helps me line up my putting - I dont however use a gradeaball, instead i use an old egg cup!

1, put ball in egg cup and draw line.
2, put ball in egg cup the other way round and draw line.
3, Ta-da! You now have two lines that border the equator of the ball.

Maybe i could start flogging egg cups on ebay for £9.99 as golf ball markers.

Seriously though, do balls really get knocked out of shape?

Hi Richard - my balls are very oval shaped (probably overuse) and my wife absolutely forbids me to buy one of your highly researched and developed circular thingy wotsits. She takes great glee in seeing my balls dribble off line at the last minute as it means she wins.

Of course if it was down to me I'd buy one in a flash.