poker chips as golf ball markers

Does anybody use a poker chip to mark their ball? Or does anybody understand why people do this?

Golf monthly are giving away one of these markers in their current edition. Seems idiotic to me... a big chunk of plastic with golf monthly emblazoned on it... most pointless free gift ever.

Odyssey have been giving them away for years with the headcovers for their putters and I think their popularity has soared since online poker became prevalent and big money pro tournaments appeared on tv. I guess it's just a way for others to cash in on that.

I see more and more clubs in the states moving over towards the poker chip as a ball marker now. Thing is those things are huge and do look a bit silly on the greens. You'd be forever moving that thing to avoid other people's lines close to the hole.

PS Congrats Ray, hope you had a great time

I have one that a mate gave to me - He gave out a couple, a $1000 one for his partner and a $1 one for me.

Always seemed too big to be a ball marker to me but I see more and more being used and sold. I'm with grumpy about having to move it. I would also want it moved a fair distance. If a normal marker is near my line then I am not going to worry about it knocking my ball off line as it was off line and not going to make much difference but a poker chip on the other hand.

They're much too big as far as I can see. According to Golf Monthly, it's worth £5! Might as well use a £2 coin and save £3.

Makes me laugh to see them used. Pretentious? Toi? Yes, absolutely.

A lad I occasionally play with uses one. Certainly stands out, and for me would be a better use for a casino chip than the purpose for which it was originally designed!

I guess it could distract someone who sees it in their peripheral vision on the green. If that is the case, do you have a right to make the user change it to something less obtrusive? I'm sure anyone I normally play with would be happy to change if asked (as I would), but I guess there must be the do or die match players that may see any distraction as an advantage!

I've got a casino chip from when I had a trip to vegas many moons ago with the ex, which I have used as a marker. Used it once, felt a prat now I just use whatever coin is in my pocket at the time

I use a 12 inch LP for a ball marker.

super_realist wrote:I use a 12 inch LP for a ball marker.

I'd like to see that. Be especially good if you did that after one of your playing partners had placed his casino chip...

When I was at Uni we had a group of wide boys we were friends with. First boy stuck down a 50p as his marker, next guy called him a tight wad and put down a quid, not to be out done the third pulled out a tenner (a lot of money for a student) and stuck it to the ground with a tee peg as his marker. Game over.

I used to use a white poker dollar chip on the green, but not when it was anywhere close to the hole or in someones way.

Because...the diameter of chip is very close to diameter of golf ball, and it was white. I could see the chip from anywhere while the other guys were putting so I could be reading my putt while others were putting.

When I got close to a hole or I was in someones way, I would use a dime or nickel. Never a penny, as I had a hard time seeing a penny on green grass.

I was very confused when I saw European Tour poker chips on sale in the ET merchandise area at the BMW PGA in May, in a "what the hell...?" sort of fashion.

Not sure if I figured out if they were meant to be used as ball markers or whether the oversized penny dropped when I saw or read that a certain pro uses one [Danny Willett perhaps?].

Other than increasing the chances of impeding another player's putt, I don't have a serious issue with using them. A problem I have given that I wear a glove on both hands is that (a) it's a faff to take them off for putting, so I don't usually bother, such that (b) it can be quite difficult locating a coin in my pocket, especially if it's the same pocket carrying a spare ball, tees and/or pitchmark tool. I can see that having a large ball marker would be helpful for me in that regard... I wonder if Tommy Gainey has tried one???

What a complete load of utter twaddle! I agree with NBS.

If someone I played with used one of those, I would have to try and stop myself laughing every time they fished it out of their pocket and made a fool of themselves - yet again!

Just bought this months GM and as said on the tin it came with poker chip. Its bloody huge! Bigger than a 2pound coin no way would I put that down as a marker

Looking at the official merchandise for The Open this year, they seem to be selling items described as "bling ballmarkers" in 3 different colours. Presumably they are the size of poker chips, but photos can be deceiving.

http://opengolfshop.com/stores/open/products/product_details.aspx?pid=108322
http://opengolfshop.com/stores/open/products/product_details.aspx?pid=108325
http://opengolfshop.com/stores/open/products/product_details.aspx?pid=108324

Fantastic.

Will make excellent joke presents.

Oh dear. There I was thinking The Open was a classy event .

I have a vague and probably incorrect recollection that the rules pretty much say that you can use 'anything' to mark your ball.

Can you use another ball?

Imo those Open markers are more hideous than the Poker Chips! What were they thinking, are they trying to get more chavs into golf. Who is show casing them Goldy Looking Chain?

At least the Open markers are better than the green ones that an Irish bank used in give away promotion packs.

And yes there were green tees and pencils!!

1GrumpyGolfer wrote:
PS Congrats Ray, hope you had a great time

Cheers Grumps. It was awesome

they are massive but i mark my ball with anything i have on me- i lose markers like brain cells

Didn't Brian Barnes once mark his ball with a can of beer at a tour event?

I'd love to see someone like Daly do that at the Open. Maybe Shane Lowry could use a burger to mark his ball.

If somebody making a putt can get distracted by another ball marker,
then they need to learn to how to focus.

ronin47