Golf Balls For Sale

I had a conversation with a friend over the summer about her son starting to play golf. The topic of golf balls (and losing golf balls) came up, and I mentioned that we probably had several dozen from finding them in our neighborhood over the years from living in a golf course community. She also gave me the idea of selling these used golf balls. The Moose (12) talked about ways to make money, so I approached him and his brothers to see if they wanted to do it. They were all in.

Our first step was finding all of the golf balls in various boxes throughout the garage. Then, the kids washed and dried all of the balls. From there, they made a sign, put all of the golf balls in a shoe box, got some change together, and we went to the 16th hole near our house to sell them. 

We only saw a few groups on the first night, but the kids sold 10 balls for $7.25 and one of the golfers gave them an extra golf ball. The next day was huge for them. While one person bought 10 balls for $5 which was right at the asking price, someone else gave the kids $20 for 10 balls. Basically, he gave them a $10 tip. That depleted the golf ball inventory and with the start of the school year, the kids only went out to sell balls one more time. I've walked in the woods adjacent to the course a few times (with or without my kids) to search for more golf balls, and the balls we found are currently sitting in a bucket ready to be washed. 

The start of the school year also means the start of activities, so they really haven't had the opportunity to go out. If they're interested, maybe they'll try again once or twice this month before it gets too cold/dark. Overall, it's been a really good experience for the kids. There's no cost to them (it's not like they are paying for soap, water, and paper towels), so it's just a matter of time finding, preparing, and selling the golf balls. In probably only about 2 hours of actually selling the golf balls, they made about $45 or $15 each. Not bad for three elementary/middle school kids and much easier than a lemonade stand!

My Golf Course: Part II

Remember when I wrote that walking my golf course was my new happy place? Well, I took a few pictures from some recent walks. I even had a companion join me for one adventure.

It's going to be disappointing when the golfers start playing later hours, and when I can't walk because there will cicadas everywhere. In case you're wondering, I plan on writing several cicada posts in the next month or two. I can feel your excitement from here!

My Golf Course

I may have found a happy place. I’ve probably mentioned before that I live on/adjacent to a golf course, which sounds much fancier than it is. I pay homeowner association fees that help support the golf course, so I think I can fairly call it my golf course. Despite it being my golf course, I’m not actually allowed to just walk on it whenever I want to or at all. However, over the last two evenings, all of the golfers have finished their rounds, but there has still been some daylight, so I decided to walk on the cart path around the 14th and 15th holes. It’s really nice. Just me and a few geese. I wouldn’t say that it’s quiet since you can hear cars driving by, but it is some rare alone time for me. The walks have only lasted about 20 minutes, but I really hope that this becomes a regular thing.

Vote for the Guy with a Bad Back (Randomness)

- I received an e-mail from the Washington Nationals demanding that I vote for catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to the 2010 All-Star Team. Demand may be a little strong, however, the team pointed out that Pudge is currently third in the National League All-Star voting. The Nationals failed to mention in the e-mail that Pudge is on the disabled list with a lower back strain.

- More e-mail arrived in my Inbox courtesy of the Mario Lemieux Foundation. Among the great work that the Mario Lemieux Foundation does, they also featured this: MLF HOLDS SUCCESSFUL AUSTIN'S PLAYROOM PROJECT LUNCHEON & FUNDRAISER! Am I a terrible person for thinking that perhaps the Mario Lemieux Foundation should create a new acronym?

- Of the many memorable scenes in Sunday’s Lost finale, one stood out for me. Literally. Was I the only one who noticed the significant height difference between Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and Claire (Emile de Ravin)? Is Mitchell a giant or is Claire just short?

- This may be obsolete as coach Bob Bradley plans on announcing the full World Cup roster today, but I hope that Herculez Gomez represents the U.S. in South Africa. I feel like the U.S. has a better chance of success with Hercules (or Herculez) on our side.



- I hit the golf course for the first time in approximately a year and played as expected. I’m not very good. Actually I aspire to be not very good.

- Meanwhile, I was attacked by gnats on the golf course. Despite killing a few dozen of these annoying insects, they apparently did not get the message and continued to attack. Conversely, I killed one goose and the other geese took notice and stayed away from me.

- Actually, my best shot of the day occurred when two adult geese led six or seven baby geese into a lake. I was scared of hurting the young geese and managed to hit the ball off the tee and over the water. Unfortunately, I probably should have used a different club as my shot went well over the green as well.

- Did you know that Lindsay Lohan has a younger brother? Did you know that said younger brother just graduated from Ithaca College? Lindsay was unable to attend graduation, but I would have loved to have seen her hang out at Moonshadows.