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Sport: Golf: Ball
Radioactive golf ball   (+2)  [vote for, against]
Easy to find, glows in the dark

Basically the radioactive golf ball is a regular golf ball painted in some low level radioactive paint. The point being that the said hot golf ball can always be easily located with with Geiger counter, even in the thickest cover. (with the possible exception of the three-mile island open) The other neat side effect is that they would be luminous, making a whole new fad for night time golf tournaments. Picture the midnight cup with glowing balls flying through the sky like shooting stars. Of cause protective gear like say lead lined gloves and trouser pockets would be required by the players! But than any product you can bundle with peripheries is bound to be a winner.
-- Bronzewing, Aug 09 2004

Irradiated Golf Ball http://www.orau.org...neous/golfballs.htm
Might present new challenges to skillfully playing the game. [jurist, Oct 04 2004]

Night Golf http://glowproducts.../glow-golfball.html
Glow in the dark golf balls [goff, Oct 04 2004]

baked, sort of. https://www.faceboo...2168&type=1&theater
[blissmiss, Dec 26 2014]

//perliferies//???

Did you, perchance, mean "peripheral" benefits, aspects or devices?
-- jurist, Aug 09 2004


Thanks for correcting my sleep deprived spelling!
-- Bronzewing, Aug 09 2004


sp: off course
-- po, Aug 09 2004


I'm afraid radioactive does not mean luminous - common misconception that any radioactive items glow in the dark.
-- jonthegeologist, Aug 09 2004


Luminous golf balls for Night golf already exists. Very strange game to play (When I played it we all had a potholers torch on our heads - especially needed on the green). See link. There is no reason that a radioactive golf ball would glow in any way.
However, the locate via Geiger counter is a good idea.
-- goff, Aug 09 2004


Regular use of this product would also eliminate the high grass, as it died back from previously lost balls.
-- bungston, Aug 09 2004


I play golf. I own a Geiger counter. Where do I sign up??
-- gnomethang, Aug 09 2004


Hey, same here. I wonder if we can convince anyone to raid a golf range in Chernobyl.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 09 2004


If it's radium paint it will glow... and give off enough radiation to be harmful. But a slightly radioactive ball and hunting with a geiger counter is actually not a bad idea.

I work in a nuclear facility, and a little radiation is nowhere near as bad for you as many people think. In fact, small doses may be beneficial.
-- eulachon, Aug 09 2004


eulachon, there's a cashier's check here from an M. Burns for you to sign for...
-- RayfordSteele, Aug 09 2004


Yes, Uranium golf balls sound so much better than Titanium.
However, if the golf ball had a tuned circuit inside, then could it be located with a small transmitter? A good play on the word 'Ping'.
-- Ling, Aug 09 2004


Hey, post it and call it the "Ling Ping".
-- spacemoggy, Aug 10 2004


Link to a study on radiation dosages and cancer added...

If scared, you could always store the golf balls in a lead-lined compartment in your bag. But the only part of you that would really get any dose is your hand when you pick up your ball - radiation levels fall off exponentially with distance.
-- eulachon, Aug 10 2004


How many golf balls would it take to turn the stock pile lights out?
-- wjt, Dec 27 2014


Based on the U.S. Plutonium stockpile alone, at least seven billion to achieve a noticeable reduction.

However, Pu, being an alpha rather than a beta emitter, isn't an ideal excitation source for radioluminescence.
-- 8th of 7, Dec 28 2014


That's only 115 balls per golfer, worldwide for the U.S. Plutonium (assuming U.S. billion). Just don't keep them in the same drawer. The pro shops might be a bit toasty and the Geiger counters might get annoying.

Does this suggest we are not finding fitting uses for our waste radioactive resources?
-- wjt, Dec 28 2014



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