I found a website that helps people make money from recycling found gold balls. I am trying to figure out how many balls it will take to make a little cash, and where to find them.

Today, walking around collecting aluminum cans I found three golf balls without trying. I think you need like 150 balls to send in each time, so it will take a while. And it needs to be certain kinds of balls. But as I am out collecting anyway, I will go for it.

A friend of mine found HEAPS of golf balls under an overlook in Sedona, which sounds like a fun area to explore and seek balls.

I can also look around outside of the grounds of golf courses, which could be fun - i could get some nice walks in pretty places.
make money selling used gold balls
We buy used golf balls

I found some more golf balls on different days. I will just keep collecting them until I have a large enough load to sell.

Apparently some balls are worthless and some are worth quite a bit!

Bob says to find some cheap municipal golf courses near you and go there with a bag. There are TONS of golf balls all over, you'll be doing the course a favor by cleaning them up

Bob says the best balls will be found on the most expensive courses. Bob finds great balls at a good course he plays at - and cheap balls at other courses. The trick is of course that good courses will get cranky if they see people just meandering on their course. But maybe you could bring a camera and say you're taking pictures (primarily)

The best places to find balls are where the foliage is thick, or near the water, etc. Places where a golfer would give up and start with a fresh ball rather than try to track it down. Bob comments those places might be dangerous to you - the reason nobody's been there is perhaps that it's a snake sort of place. So dress carefully while doing that

He warns you not to damage or cut the terrain to get to balls, that would annoy golf course people

On my can hunt today I found six more golf balls. I am getting an eye for seeing half buried balls! I never noticed golf balls before...and now I find myself wondering what the heck these balls are doing lying around in abandoned lots. Do people go to old lots and hit balls?

Lisa, tell Bob I really appreciate his insights. The cheap municipal courses - I just go and ask if I can pick up balls? They are okay with that? I figured I'd have to skulk around the outside of the courses; his way sounds less stressy.

Of course, Sedona has many super luxury EXPENSIVE courses, so I might not even really find a cheap course, unless there are ones in Camp Verde or Cottonwood. I can look around.

But really, some places will let me in and walk around to pick up balls?

Bob says if you have multiple municipal courses in the area to ask at the one further away and just ask if you can walk around the course. If they say no then you can try just going on the closest one with the assumption they aren't going to actively try to shoo you away.

It's important you're always very quiet on the course - if you make noise you'll be causing trouble for the golfers.

If there are golfers on the course it's important that you not be where they are golfing to. So wait for an opening in the chain of golfers (they play one after another) so you are in an open spot, and not actually be in the midst of someone trying to play a round.

Bob recommends finding someone who plays golf in the area and ask to tag along for free, that way you get a sense of how things work and heck you could look for balls while walking with them and you'll know that you're not in someone's way.

Bob is a genius. I love that idea of tagging along and getting the lay of the land and the golf culture.

This will be fun. the whole thing is on hold right now due to the move and total uncertainty issues of where I will be when. But i know it will be fun. Like an easter egg hunt.

It can get you fun walks in all sorts of different areas as you travel across the country. That way you clean out one golf course, then move on to the next.

Right - golf courses are usually very scenic areas. And looking for things is always fun. :-)

You've hit 1,000 posts! Woo hoo!

You could take up mini golf along the way