Golf balls are a common purchase in the world of golf, due to how easy they can be to lose when you are starting out.
Golf balls are also due to be changed after about 8-10 rounds of golf.
However, when you go to the store, or order golf balls online, you may wonder why golf balls are sold in packs of 12! In this article, we will explain to you the reasons why golf balls are sold in packs of twelve.
Why Are Golf Balls Sold In Packs of 12?
There are many reasons why golf balls are sold in packs of 12. Down below, you can find those reasons out for yourself.
Reason #1: You need more than 1 ball
Have you ever went a full round of 18 holes of golf without losing a single golf ball?
For most players, the answer is no. For the players who answered yes, great, but there are probably some rounds of golf where you lose balls.
Since golf balls are so easy to lose while playing, it does not make sense to only sell 1 golf ball.
12 golf balls is a decent amount of golf balls that should last you at least a few rounds, unless you lose balls constantly.
Even bad golf players are unlikely to lose more than 12 balls during a single round of golf…
There is a funny saying in golf, not meant to be taken too lightly, that goes:
“If you lose 12 balls in a single round of golf, it is time to switch sports”.
If you are one of those players who does lose that many golf balls, do not worry! Practice more, and you will lose less balls, and save yourself some money.
Reason #2: Marketing: 12 balls make you feel like you get your money’s worth
The second reason behind golf balls being packaged in packs of twelve is a marketing reason.
Through the lens of marketing, golf ball manufacturers want their customers to feel like they are getting a lot of value for their money’s worth.
With packs of 12 golf balls, it feels like you are getting a lot of golf balls. It feels like you are receiving a lot of value.
Imagine if golf balls were sold in packs of 1, at 1/12th of the price of a pack of 12. The price would be proportional, but would it really feel like you are receiving a large chunk of value?
Furthermore, golf manufacturers would rather sell you more golf balls rather than less, so they package them in 12 rather than in lower numbers.
Even if you might only need 4-5 golf balls for a few rounds of golf, manufacturers would rather sell you 12 golf balls right away in order to guarantee the sale of those extra balls you will not need yet.
Reason #3: Packaging Ease
The third reason behind why golf balls are sold in packs of twelve is because of packaging ease.
Boxes are 12 golf balls are easier to package and more convenient than just about any other packaging configuration when it comes to golf balls.
12 seems to be the optimal number of balls to include per pack, in terms of convenience & shipping productivity.
To illustrate this ease of packaging, imagine designing a pack of 7 golf balls. How would it look?
You cannot make a square or rectangular packaging for 7 golf balls, unless you waste precious material and leave empty space in the box.
With 7 golf balls, the packaging would have to be a long, single line of 7 golf balls, which is a bit of an awkward configuration to carry.
This box shape would be less convenient to manufacture, carry, or pack into a bigger box meant to ship out large quantities of packs of golf balls.
Putting 12 golf balls per package also optimizes productivity for manufacturers or authorized golf ball resellers.
A package of 12 golf balls has near optimal size, weight & shape factors when it comes to boxing packs, moving individual packs, setting them up on store shelves, etc.
For example, one could envision packs with only 4 golf balls in them. To move 12 golf balls, you would need to move 3 packs of 4 golf balls.
Instead of this, you could simply move 1 pack of 12 golf balls, which would result in the same volume of golf balls moved, with only a 3rd of the movement required. This is why packs of 12 golf balls are near optimal for operational productivity.
A pack of 12 golf balls weighs around 1.25lbs, and that weight can already be a lot to move for employees moving hundreds of boxes an hour.
If you packed too many more extra balls past 12 golf balls, the packs would be too heavy, and hard to sell to consumers who do not want to stock up on too many balls.
Reason #4: Tradition/Carry-Over from other items
The final reason behind why golf balls are sold in packs of 12 is because of past traditions, carry-overs from history, and deprecated conventions.
For example, a long time ago, in England, eggs were sold by the dozen. Why? Because you could by a dozen eggs in exchange for 1 shilling (a unit of currency).
Back then, it was convenient to trade a single unit of currency (rather than fractions of units) in exchange for twelve eggs.
Today, eggs are often still sold by the dozen, even though the initial reason behind that number of eggs per package no longer holds true.
Throughout history, how many items are packaged in a single pack is often inspired by looking at how many similar items are packaged per pack.
In the case of golf balls, items that are similar in size & color to eggs, it is possible that manufacturers chose to pack 12 golf balls per pack semi-arbitrarily, after comparing them to eggs.
Golf balls have been sold in packs of 12 for a long time, and it does not necessarily have to make any sense, just like in the case of eggs.
Conclusion
There you go! After reading this article, you now have learned the reasons behind why golf balls are sold in packs of 12!
As you have read, the reasons are varied and while some of the reasons make logical sense, others are just carry-overs from traditions of the past.
How often do you buy golf balls? Let us know in the comments down below!
