Naming Your Balls

Currently I play with a Titleist NXT Tour ball. I mark my golf balls with a blue dot. But otherwise my balls have no distinguishing characteristics. However, I think I may need to start naming them.

Several friends have names on their balls. Everything from simple initials, to animal nicknames and actors' names. I embrace all aspects of golf, but I have not ventured into personalized balls yet. I think it may be time.

Naming my golf balls seems almost as tricky as naming my kids. The name needs to be original and reflective of my personality, yet not too bizarre.

I've been called "Bridget" on the course after Bridget Jones. Besides the same last name, I think it has something to do with Bridget getting herself into crazy situations. I've also heard "Bubbles" once or twice. This one comes from my exuberant golfing style.

Those could work, or I could go with a saying. Something like:

"Drop It"
"PO" Previously Owned
"NYB" Not Your Ball
"Return to Sender"

There are golfers who don't like the idea of playing personalized balls. They don't want others to find their ball and know immediately who hit it into the trees. There's nowhere I haven't been on my golf course so this doesn't bother me. Besides, once you've shared stories about putting with your polka dot underwear showing, everything else seems trivial.

Plus, if I see someone playing a "Bridget" ball I can immediately tell them to give me back my ball. If I find a ball with a name on it I always return it to its original owner. For some reason, it just doesn't seem right to play with someone else's balls.