2021 Ball Retriever Buyer’s Guide
If you’re a follower of our NoPuttsGiven podcast, you’ve heard our conversations about ball retrievers. Other than saving you potentially hundreds of dollars by fishing out those wayward shots, they can save lives. No idea what we’re talking about? You have to listen to NoPuttsGiven!
In all seriousness, a ball retriever is a smart investment for those who spend a lot of money on golf balls every year. Yes, they might have a stigma equivalent to being the pocket protectors of golf but you’ll be saving money. Hell, you might even come out with a profit by the end of your round.
Whether you’re looking to buy a ball retriever today, seeking buying advice to get started or just want a closer look at what’s on the market, this guide will help you find the right ball retriever.
Features That Matter
Ball Security
You can’t retrieve it if you can’t secure it. Scoop designs work best for soft mud but the ball can fall out if the retriever turns upside down. Well-designed options like the I Gotcha excel at securing the ball but can struggle with softer ground.
Shaft Length
Size does matter! If you have a ball retriever that is too short, you won’t be able to reach balls deeper in penalty areas. Granted, you may never reach the one that’s in the middle of the lake but the longer the shaft, the greater your chance to retrieve your ball.
Ball retrievers that have the greatest reach are Callaway and Orlimar. Inesis wasn’t too far behind.
Handle
At full extension, some models get heavy and dig into your palms. Pick a retriever with a comfortable handle like the I Gotcha and Golf Ball Gopher
Stability
When extended to full length, does the ball retriever droop or even snap? Some models like the I Gotcha are made from sturdier materials and hold their rigidity. Products that are lightweight tend to bend more and are less durable.
EXPERT TIP - Ball Security
If you are worried about your golf ball falling out when transporting out of a hazard, look for a retriever that has a lock mechanism associated with it for added ball security.
THE BEST BALL RETRIEVERS 2021 - FEATURES
| Product | Distance Covered | Weight | Retracted Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Callaway Check Price | 15FT | 1.5LB | 4FT |
 | Golf Ball Gopher Check Price | 7.8FT | 1LB | 3FT |
 | I Gotcha Check Price | 14FT | 1.1LB | 20.5 INCH |
| I Gotcha Executive Check Price | 6.9FT | 0.4LB | 15.5 INCH |
 | I Gotcha Jawz Check Price | 14FT | 1.2LB | 21 INCH |
 | Inesis 100 Telescopic Check Price | 14.7FT | 1LB | 3.7FT |
 | Orlimar Check Price | 15FT | 1.1LB | 4FT |
 | Pro Active Sports Check Price | 9FT | 0.4LB | 19 INCH |
 | Search N Rescue Blue Rescue Check Price | 14FT | 1.7LB | 4FT |
 | Search N Rescue Orange Trapper Check Price | 9FT | 0.4LB | 20 INCH |
More Tips
- To allow more room to get your clubs in and out of your bag, pick a ball retriever that is small, compact and fits in your side pocket.
- If you play a course with a lot of water, a ball retriever might be a must. Otherwise, skip it.
- To prevent bending, look for a model with high-quality aluminum to keep its rigidity.
How We Test
We're here to help you find the perfect golf ball retriever to fit your needs.
To do that, we employ a thorough and fully independent testing process that leaves no feature unexplored, no detail unchecked, and no stone unturned.
Our Metrics
Ball retrievers are tested head to head using rigorous protocols.
The metrics we consider when rating Golf Ball Retriever include Extension, Ball Security, Sturdiness, Handle, and Storage.
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THE BEST BALL RETRIEVERS 2021 - RESULTS
| Product | Extension | Ball Security | Sturdiness | Handle | Storage | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Gotcha Check Price | 3rd | 2nd | 6th | 1st | 3rd | 85 |
| I Gotcha Jawz Check Price | 3rd | 4th | 6th | 1st | 3rd | 83 |
| Golf Ball Gopher Check Price | 9th | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 6th | 80 |
| I Gotcha Executive Check Price | 10th | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 79.5 |
| Inesis 100 Telescopic Check Price | 1st | 7th | 2nd | 9th | 7th | 79 |
| Search N Rescue Blue Rescue Check Price | 3rd | 5th | 6th | 1st | 7th | 79 |
| Callaway Check Price | 1st | 5th | 9th | 7th | 7th | 78.5 |
| Orlimar Check Price | 3rd | 9th | 1st | 7th | 7th | 78 |
| Search N Rescue Orange Trapper Check Price | 7th | 8th | 10th | 1st | 3rd | 78 |
| Pro Active Sports Check Price | 8th | 9th | 2nd | 9th | 1st | 74.5 |
What do I need to know about a ball retriever?
Q: Why do I need a ball retriever? They seem stupid!
A: There is definitely a stigma attached to ball retrievers but they will save you money. According to CNN and Golf.com, more than 300 million balls are lost every year in America alone. The average premium ball costs around $4 so the cost of lost balls adds up quickly. If you can retrieve a couple of dozen balls (or more) a year, it might be worth the sideways looks from your playing partners.
Q: Is a longer ball retriever better than a shorter retriever?
A: Almost always. It’s obvious enough: a longer ball retriever gives you more reach which means fewer lost balls and perhaps a few extras for the shag bag.
Q: Aren’t all golf ball retrievers the same?
A: No. Some have a scooping device to collect the ball while others, like the I Gotcha, have a locking mechanism for easy collection and added ball security.
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Ryan
1 year agoI’ve had the 18ft (or whatever the largest size is) for around 9 months now.. It was great in the beginning but the flange from one segment to the other wear out very quickly.. I’ve now got 3 sections that I’ve had to epoxy together… Recently I lost the last segment with the ‘jawz’ head into the water. Now it has the scoop hood of another broken scoop epoxied onto the end.
Great in the beginning but does not last
Ballhawk
1 year agoI pick up 20 or 30 balls most ever time I go out. I have to, I lose a lot them too in my quest to break 100. So I’m here to tell you the best ball retriever on the market is the “Search’n Rescue”. I know this from results not from testing. I have an “Igotcha” and it’s cool with the spring loaded grabber but it doesn’t work well on a soft surface like the silt bottom of a golf course pond except maybe in the middle of the summer.
Snoopy
1 year agoI completely agree with the above post. I’ve tried 4 or 5 different models over the years and the one I keep in my golf bag is the “Search N Rescue” because it just flat out works in many different conditions.
Marq
1 year agoBased on the recommendations previously here, I bought the “I gotcha jaws” model. Not good. The head swivels so the slightest movement in brush or in water makes retrieval frustratingly difficult. Looks really cute, but, like some of my ex-girlfriends, that was about the extent of its usefulness.
Get the plain old extending model with the orange round tip at the end. $20 for a decent size one. Don’t abuse it and it will last a decent while.
I miss, I miss, I make
1 year agoAt my home course these would be useless in the ponds as the vegetation is such that ball would be obscured in the weeds unless they were well within reach of a wedge used to drag the ball out. HOWEVER which retriever might be best for reaching into blackberries or other deadly hazards?
John
1 year agoHit check price on the Golf Ball Gopher link to see how it works
Donald
1 year agoI noticed in the “More Tips” column that if you don’t have a course with water, skip it. I beg to differ. I live in AZ and everything that grows here has stickers. The first time I rode my bike under one of our local trees and put my hand up to push a light branch out of the way, my arm looked like it had been attacked by a bobcat. I know, you think I am exaggerating and I am, just a little., but these tree limbs have thorns bigger than a rose bush. Most of the ground cover is also very thick. The other value of the I Gotcha is it goes in flat until you push it down on the ball, so maneuver criteria is important. I have pulled tons of balls out that couldn’t be reached with a club or other kinds of ball retrievers.
Dave Tutelman
1 year agoI’m an incurable ball hunter; got that way because balls were hard to come by when I was a kid. I have had a succession of ball retrievers over the years. A half-dozen years ago, I got an I Gotcha ball retriever, somewhat used, at a yard sale for about a buck. Best one I ever had! It is still in my bag, even though I have repaired it several times. A few comments:
(1) Mine may be an older model than the one you tested; it only extends to about 10 feet, not 14.
(2) The plastic outer ring — the “heart and brains” of the retriever — is a little fragile. It has broken twice since I have owned it. I repaired it with a strip of fiberglass fabric wrapped around it and impregnated with shafting epoxy.. Be careful wrapping it, so the patch doesn’t interfere with the inner ring.
Jackie Santopietro
1 year agoNow this article is in my wheel house. Search n rescue makes my fav and i gotcha is a pain in the buttocks if there are leaves in the pond etc. With that said, I have never owned a retriever that hasn’t paid for itself in a month or two.
Steve Gawron
1 year agoI always use old reliable, the “Callaway 15′ Ball Retriever”. It is collapsible and extends quite a distance. It takes a little time to get used to it, but once you master it, it lasts forever. Nothing to jam, break, or replace.. Their are less expensive similar versions, but hiding it in a side pocket overcomes the ball retriever snobs..
JAS
1 year agoTried all different kinds. Search N Rescue was the “easiest” to retrieve balls quickly.
WYBob
1 year agoI agree with MGS’s choice of the I Gotcha retriever. It works well and fits easily into the side pocket of a golf bag. A good follow-on article would be how long a ball can be in the water and still perform at near-peak performance. It’s one thing to retrieve your own ball if you dink it into the drink- you know has been wet for only a few minutes. and will be okay. But many golfers can’t resist the temptation to start “fishing” for any and all balls within reach of their ball retriever. This can cause delays in playing their next shot, which in turn affects the pace of play. If they understood the impact on the performance of the ball due to time in the water, they might resist the temptation to “fish” during a round. Consider it a public service.
Mike
1 year agoI’ve admit fished more than a few new+looking balls out of water BUT NEVER doing around the play. I’ll stop at a hold of two at the end of my round when the course is empty. That is an absolute cardinal sin to pull out a ball retriever & start fishing for multiple boils, guaranteed you’ll get nasty yells from me & my foursome.
Tom54
1 year agoWas Club Pro Guy even consulted during this test?
L. John Miller
1 year agoThere was no rating or even comment re the grip on the ball retrievers reviewed. Size ? Re- grip available? Please advise.
Ell
1 year agowere any of these ball retrievers used in soft bottoms like the lagoons in Louisiana golf courses?
Harry Nodwell
1 year agoWe have very soft river beds here and the top 3 models performed well
cannon369
1 year agoI have found that with the Gotcha type mechanism, if the conditions are soft just use it with the swivel arm already open. Allows it to slip in to the mud and still grab the ball.
Ryano
1 year agoI’ve had the 18ft (or whatever the largest size is) for around 9 months now.. It was great in the beginning but the flange from one segment to the other wear out very quickly.. I’ve now got 3 sections that I’ve had to epoxy together… Recently I lost the last segment with the ‘jawz’ head into the water. Now it has the scoop hood of another broken scoop epoxied onto the end.
Great in the beginning but does not last.
DA
1 year agoI got a “Gotcha” Jaws. Works well, compact, fits nicely in a side pocket in the bag and extents nicely. Good product.
Used to be an ant-retriever snob until one day I was reaching into a large thorny, plant thing for a golf ball and got poked in the eye with the end of a branch.
It was a ProV1, wasn’t going to pass it by.
Harry Nodwell
1 year agoWelcome to the light. I feel ya on the Pro V1. They are like gold when you find them
Justin P.
1 year agoI can save money AND improve scores by laying up too but you won’t be seeing me do that either!
Harry Nodwell
1 year agoTeam Dingers
The Pat K.
1 year agoThe I Gotcha line is the best. I’ve had mine for years!
shortside
1 year agoAgreed
Scott S
1 year agoThe most important piece of equipment in your bag. As driver, iron, and putter fads will fade over the years, I have had the same retriever for 10+ years. I may disagree with your rankings, as not one is over 15 ft in length. Do yourself a favor buy one over 20′ and reach the balls that everyone else couldn’t reach.