I met a lady about two years ago who owned a patent for this vary idea. Go to USPTO and search utility patents under "golf balls" or similiar

GPS golf balls and GPS monitors on golf carts - I'd pay $10 extra a round for that!

A company known as Radar Golf (www.radargolf.com)has come up with a product that claims to track a ball with a chip embedded in the ball in the manufacturing process. I can't wait to see it...Sounds like a great idea, but why would the ball manufacturers out there do this, as they make millions of dollars as a result of people losing (and having to buy new) balls. An alternative might be (Assuming the technology is there or achievable)to have a Sharpie-type pen that contains trackable magnetic ink that can be marked on any ball by the golfer, so that he can track any ball he marks.

As a golfer with bad eyes, this product (or Radar Golf's, it they can pull it off) would make the game infinitely more enjoyable for me.

I think this is an excellent idea. My father who has been golfing for over 70yrs now is slowly going blind and could really do with a device such as this!Do you know of anyone who is allready producing such an item?

I think it is a great idea and the GPS addition makes it even better. Affordable GPS may not be able to pinpoint to the exact spot in the rough, but get you pretty darn close. The beeping would take you right there.

As for manufacturers loosing sales do to the increase in finding balls that would have been lost; I don't see this as an issue. Whenever you loose a ball it is either gone (deep in the woods or in water) and will never be found. Or the ball is findable but lost in the rough. If it is in the rough then eventually someone else will find it and use it. So they won't buy a new ball and you do. If you find your ball using GPS/Beeping then you don't buy a new ball but the guy who would have found yours is now in need of a ball. Therefore I don't think this will affect the overall new golf ball market, just shift who is buying.

If the cost could be kept down this would be a great idea!

The cost would have to be comparable to a regular ball for it to gain acceptance in the golfing world though. Golf balls actually deteriorate pretty fast in play.Back when I was serious & competative I would change balls every three holes or so because the ball would either become deformed or scuffed. Scuffing affects the aerodynamics a lot. When you play for cash you want to take out as many variables as possible.Granted, today's balls don't deform or scuff to the same degree the old balata or surelyn balls did. But every time you whack one it deforms slightly and rebounds. After a while this takes a toll on the integrity of the ball.

At the present time I tend to play whatever I pick up. The game is much more enjoyable for me when I'm not playing for more than the fun of it. And it still peeves me to loose a ball on the edge of a fairway.... I'm all for a low price, trackable ball.

This is precisly the reason I did a Google on "GPS Golf Balls". Think about it - no more guessed yardage, no more lost (recoverable) balls. As someone new to golf, and a serious techy, I cannot believe no-one has done this yet.

Time to search USPTO .... anyone got some angel funding ;-)

ML

A variation on the idea would be to embed a corner reflector within the ball. This is a multiple reflector system for a specific radio frequency which is extremely inexpensive. A hand held radio frequency generator with a tight beam could be flashed around and when it gets a reflection response it would beep that woyld provide easy location. That would put the cost of the system in the hand held device like a remote control for a TV. I don't know what the embedding would do to the ball characteristics but it might prove tolerable.

Or perhaps you could live on the wild side: radioactive gofballs, with a geiger counter to find them. They are safe to store in a lead golf bag, and if they land in the water it shields the radiation.

If you did have a beeping golf ball it could distract others trying to hit the ball. It would be a good idea but instead of a beeping golf ball they could have a chip in it to track it with a tracking device.

Please visit www.batandballgolf.co.ukThanks

Changes the game:

A lost ball costs an additional stroke. Hit the ball on the course and you won't lose the ball. A beeping ball allows for people attempting to nail their drive with better assurance that they will be able to find a ball from a poor shot. This will have the affect of shortening the course and reducing strokes off of the game of the duffer.