Becoming a golf ball diver is relatively simple. All you really need is entry-level certification from a diving agency, active liability insurance, and a bit of experience. Maintaining this as your main source of income is the difficult bit.
Full Answer
How do I become a golf ball diver?
To become a golf ball diver you'll need to complete your scuba diving training to a high standard - normally HSE Scuba Part IV (which is professional dive training), and you'll need to have full commercial diving insurance.
What does a golf ball diver do?
Golf ball divers use their professional diving skills to retrieve lost golf balls from lakes and water features on golf courses. Use your diving skills to get paid to retrieve golf balls from lakes and water hazards on golf courses You'll need excellent diving skills and the ability and confidence to work in low visibility
How much does it cost to diving for a golf ball?
Perhaps Glenn’s $1 per ball is an exorbitant outlier, especially since water does affect the integrity and performance of golf balls. A quick search reveals a forum for SCUBA divers advertising a golf ball diving job that pays 10 cents per retrieved ball, a figure that would lead to a more realistic bottom line.
How do divers retrieve sunken golf balls?
Divers have reported that a typical pond will have as many as 500-2000 balls lying in the sunken depths, and so they have perfected several methods to use for retrieval: A dive crew of around three people work together, two in the water collecting balls and loading them into baskets, which they pass up to the third person on the water’s edge.
How do you become a golf ball diver?
Golf ball divers must be at least 18 years old and be certified for unrestricted commercial scuba diving. Certification may require up to 200 hours of dive experience, including low visibility diving, underwater navigation, and search and recovery.
How much does a golf ball diver make?
between $50,000 and $100,000 annuallyOver the past couple of decades, golf ball retrieval and recycling has become a multimillion-dollar industry, in which hardworking divers can earn between $50,000 and $100,000 annually, depending on the economy and a diver's stomach for harsh conditions. Still, the wealth does not come cheaply.
How do I get a job as a diver?
Contact your local PADI Dive Center or Resort and to learn more about becoming a PADI Professional. Some dive shops host special events where you can meet local dive professionals and learn about their career path. You can also read interviews with people in a variety of full-time scuba jobs on our website.
How do I start a golf ball diving business?
0:144:32How To Start A Golf Ball Retrieval Business - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipCourse all right and go into a local course. And what you can do is you can build a relationshipMoreCourse all right and go into a local course. And what you can do is you can build a relationship with the owners all right as a third-party outsource. For retrieving the golf balls.
How much do golf ball picker uppers make?
Golf Ball Picker pay FAQ How much does a Golf Ball Picker in United States make? The national average salary for a Golf Ball Picker is $54,118 per year in United States.
Can you make money selling golf balls?
Generally you'll be paid between 6 and 12 cents per ball selling them wholesale. If you're good at collecting, that can add up to hundreds of dollars daily. If you're not a diver, or you don't find more than a few hundred balls at a time, you might consider retailing the used golf balls yourself.
What qualifications do you need to be a diver?
To become a commercial diver you must attend a commercial diver training school. A leisure diving qualification isn't suitable for 99% of the work that's done underwater. It can cost several thousand pounds to train as a diver and the training lasts about 2 – 3 months.
What is the highest paying diving job?
Highest Paying Commercial Diving Jobs & CareersHAZMAT Diving: Considered one of the dirtiest jobs in commercial diving, HAZMAT commercial diving offers great compensation including benefits an average salary of over $58,000. ... Saturation Diving: ... Nuclear Diving: ... Off-Shore Commercial Diving:
How much do divers earn?
Generally speaking, saturation divers can make up to $30,000 – $45,000 per month. Annually, this can add up to over $180,000. A unique salary addition for saturation divers is “depth pay,” which can pay out an additional $1- $4 per foot. We should note that depth pay is for air and mixed gas diving.
What golf balls are worth money?
Best Value Golf BallsTitleist Tour Speed 2022 Golf Ball. Specifications. ... Srixon Distance Golf Ball. Our Pick. ... Callaway Supersoft golf ball. Best For Average Swing Speeds. ... Titleist TruFeel 2022 Golf Ball. ... TaylorMade Soft Response 2022 Golf Ball. ... Cut Golf Cut DC Golf Ball. ... Callaway Warbird golf ball. ... Srixon Soft Feel golf ball.More items...•
Are old golf balls worth any money?
Because of the age and the craftsmanship put into these balls they are among the ones that have the highest price tag of collectible golf balls. These balls are referred to as antique, and goes for sums upwards of +$5000! See example from eBay below.
How many golf balls are in a pond?
Weynand, 28, averages about 200 to 300 balls per pond but said many variables can affect the amount of balls in a lake, from the season to the location to whether they came from a left-handed or right-handed shot.
How do two person dive crews work?
Roller. Two-person dive crews may work with a roller, which consists of metal discs on wheels. The roller’s metal grooves grasp balls as it moves through the water. Crewmembers stand on the ground at opposite ends of the pond and guide the roller by pulling on a wire connected to it.
What happens if a roller gets stuck in a pond?
If the roller gets stuck in mud or rocks, one of the crewmembers goes underwater to free it. After they have combed the pond, crewmembers pull the roller to the ground and pop out the golf balls. Rollers are limited by the size of the pond: Some ponds are too large to accommodate a roller.
How old do you have to be to dive golf ball?
Golf ball divers must be at least 18 years old and be certified for unrestricted commercial scuba diving. Certification may require up to 200 hours of dive experience, including low visibility diving, underwater navigation, and search and recovery.
How many ponds are there in a golf course?
A typical golf course has between 4 and 12 ponds. Divers spend 8 to 10 hours per day harvesting the ponds and may need multiple days to finish a job. Depending on the size of each pond, divers recover balls with the help of a dive crew or a roller.
How much do golf ball divers make?
Buyers include the golf course, retailers, and golf ball companies. Anecdotal information suggests that divers earn about $200 a day.
Why do golf ball divers work?
Golf ball divers work in crews for safety reasons . They may face danger from wildlife, such as alligators, and from objects hidden underwater. And scuba equipment is heavy, so obstacles such as a fishing line could trap and drown divers. The tasks are also physically demanding, repetitive, and tiring.
Why do golfers dive?
Golf ball divers enjoy working outside. Because golf courses are generally well maintained, the manicured landscapes are attractive and designed for comfortable walking. But the conditions that draw golfers to the course are often the ones that challenge divers.
How much money can a golf ball diver make?
How much money could you make as a golf ball diver? A golf ball diver usually earns from $50,000 to $100,000 a year, which is what we at MoneyMagpie call a decent sum. The independent diver or the company they represent usually signs an esclusive contract with 10-20 courses to retrieve their water hazard’s balls.
How many golf balls are recycled each year?
Every year, around one billion balls are produced, but nearly 100 million of these are later salvaged and recycled.
How much does Glenn Berger make retrieving golf balls?
Money doesn’t grow on trees. But maybe it lurks in shallow waters. Glenn Berger says he earns about $15 million a year retrieving golf balls from water hazards in golf courses around Florida. He dives for balls, collects them, cleans them and resells them to driving ranges for a buck a piece.
What is the golf capital of Florida?
Florida is the home of The Player’s Club, Sawgrass and the PGA TOUR’s headquarters, and is widely considered the golf capital of the nation. Because of the elite reputation of the course, players — even amateurs — who visit the TPC-Sawgrass course use high-quality balls that might sell for almost $50 per dozen.
How much do golf ball divers make a day?
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t collect statistics on golf ball divers specifically, its website suggests divers might earn about $200 a day.
Who is Jamie Cattanach?
Jamie Cattanach is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder and a Florida native. She’s never played a game of real golf — and she’s so bad at putt-putt that if she did, golf ball divers would be making millions easily.
