CHAMPKEY Two-Sided 6Ft / 9Ft / 12Ft / 14.5Ft Golf Ball Retriever Lite Version - Premium Stainless Steel Telescopic Golf Ball Picker

I've been playing golf for about 50 years. Have used just about every conceivable sort of ball retriever. Even high end ones - last one was that Callaway with the head cover. Looks amazing, but turned out to be a slight pain to use. Loosening shaft lengths, and really, who wants to take a headcover off a retriever every time you use it? And it often took a bit of fumbling around to grab the ball - but most are like that, so no big deal.This one looked a bit strange online. Didn't actually see how it could work, but the reviews were good enough to give it a chance. Nothing spring-loaded, or with the bar (virtually all of them have one or the other in some form or another). but just a plain, round, rubber circle. But wowser. Easier to use than anything I've ever had. No moving parts, Almost seems to draw the ball into it, and it is just as easy to pop the ball out. Whoever engineered this really thought through the details - from design to materials to manufacture.Just got it, so haven't used it on the course yet, but I did try it out in my yard. The shaft is well made and solid - it does start to bend a bit at full extension (I got the 12' model), but all of them do. And tried it in water (in a pond behind my house) - equally easy. On a whim, I have a box full of practice balls, and was able to quickly grab a single ball out of it with no problem - not certain if any other ball retriever could do that as seamlessly.Bottom line? I realize a ball retriever is a very minor piece of golf equipment. In fact, it you're any good, you'll only use it once or twice a season. But as they go, this is absolutely the best at what it is supposed to do. It is elegant in its simplicity.

Works great, very light weight. Very happy with this purchase.Caution: make sure you store it in a side pocket. Don't put it in the top of your golf bag with your clubs. It will collapse down and be at the bottom of the bag before you know it and you'll have to take out all your clubs to get it! I speak from experience!

Love the compact size and light weight compared to other options. Only issue is that some joints tend to stick if you don't dry off after every wet use, and you must keep it lubed up frequently. First one i purchased I broke because I didn't do those 2 things, but I like it enough to buy again and take care of it better.

Ball retrievers have always been frowned upon. Slow golfers even worse. I spent a long time trying not to be "that guy." I would still go into the woods and grab a few balls if I happen to see any but maybe it's due to pride, ego, hubris, whatever you want to call it I stayed a way from buying a ball retriever. It was a bit embarrassing when my dad would pull out his 3ft when closed, retriever that weighed 10 lbs to get a ball in the water. Now that I'm older I care less about optics and am far from a slow golfer. A friend recommended this retriever and it's been a welcome addition to the bag. First it weighs way less than those indestructible ones of the past. Not to mention it folds small and fits inside your bag rather than taking up a club spot. There are no moving parts other than the telescoping pole so should last relatively long, but it's hit or miss with these things on Amazon. For all the reviews that complained it broke, you just need to have a little common sense. You can't apply a ton of pressure and expect it to hold like a metal rod, or bend and not break like a fishing pole. Just use your judgement. Even if you wouldn't use every round, it's really nice to have when your prov1 is just out of reach in the pond or in a bush of thorns.TIP: when ball is in retriever, turn sideways to pull back.

I really liked this! Until, suddenly, it started to come apart when I would reach for a golf ball. The pole would telescope but then instead of stopping at the end of that section, it would just come out. And put the pole into 2 pieces. And at first is was at just one junction, but then it spread to many of the junctions. As if the metal had "relaxed" or loosened in such a way as to not be properly fitted. Maybe I got a bad unit from a batch that had a poor metal blend or something. I tried to take pliers and re-tighten that joints in question but it was fruitless.

We golf and find lots of golf balls. There are times when the kids won't play and hunt along with us. This design is different than other retrievers and may be the best. Essentially it uses two rubber rings to capture the golf ball. It's easy to pick them up and they are held securely. The 9 foot version we bought is built tough and seems like it will last. Finding a few premium balls will easily cover the purchase price.Only minor criticism is while the the handle is soft, it is on the large side. It will easily fit into a golf bag garment pocket, but not likely a retriever specific pocket like the ones on Bag Boy golf bags.

Decent unit. Will likely become the most valuable club in my bag!

I have had many ball retrievers and this is an evolutionary advance. Durable construction, mechanics easy to learn, and effective retrieval. The handle is a bit larger than my older ones (which were 3 feet shorter) - so some sacrifice with carrying - a smaller bag might have a bit of trouble. Still folds into the largest compartment of the bag. So far, so good.