REVIEW: ProActive Player Select Ball Retriever

Rethink the "Hack" Status of a Ball Retriever
A sure sign of a “hack” is having a ball retriever; or so they say.  I’ve been one of those golfers that has refused to carry a ball retriever in my bag.  I don’t like playing behind the guy fishing for golf balls instead of keeping pace.  I don’t always want to admit that I hit my shot offline and now it is in the pond.  Additionally I don’t want to give up a slot or have a ball retriever clanging around with my clubs.  My recent use however over the ProActive Player Select Ball Retriever has me rethinking the “hack” status of having/using a ball retriever.
I’ve always thought of a ball retriever for fishing balls out of lakes.  Since moving to AZ, there are fewer water hazards on the golf courses than in MN/WI.  Many of the courses I play now, don’t have a single water hazard.  I felt even less of a need to have a ball retriever in my bag.  So when ProActive approached with their new product, I was fairly hesitant.  What would I use that for?  If you’ve played golf in AZ, you maybe already know where this is going.  Imagine hitting bomb of a drive that bounces just 3 inches off the fairway.  You’d assume that you can hit it or at worst pick it up under penalty.  Except in AZ that ball might be sitting under a cactus.  Maybe you can get a club to it, but sometimes you don’t even want your hand that close.  A ball retriever is a life saver on shots that might not even be that far off line.  The ProActive Player Select Ball Retriever is an easy way to protect your hands from cactus needles.
The ProActive Player Select Ball Retriever is a compact unit that fits in the side pocket of almost every golf bag.  It’s collapsed height is about 18″.  You can fully extend it to about 9′.  I personally prefer the toy “light-saber method”.  You flick your wrist and kind of “whip” the stick and all the extensions  instantly deploy and lock for reaching a golf ball.  The ball “grabbing” part or head on the end is like a bright green formed claw.  It can scoop the ball and locks it in so that you can turn it over even if you have to without losing the ball.  Once you’ve got the ball to a safe location you just pop it out easily.  The retriever then collapses into itself and there is a rubber grommet and “ball” peg that locks it collapsed.  You can discreetly put it back in the side pocket of your so even if you aren’t comfortable showing everyone you have a ball retriever, you can do your best to hide your secret.  Since it is all lightweight plastic, you have no worries about it rusting either.

 I’m not sure the “hack” status will ever go away if you use a ball retriever, but with the rise in the cost of golf balls and the numerous times during your round that your ball is in sight, if only you could reach it, the ProActive Player Select Ball Retriever is super slick.  Maybe you just might want to rethink that “hack” status and get a ball retriever, plus if you are still a little embarrassed, this one fits inside your bag so no one will ever know you carry one.  You’ll probably find this one hiding in my bag.

For more information: Link to Amazon

Quick Hits:
+Compact
+Easy to use “claw”
+Effective for both water and cactus retrieval
+Fits inside golf bag
+Lightweight
+All plastic

+Sometimes still not long enough