BELLA VISTA -- Golfers at Dogwood Golf Course can get a deal on golf balls and do some good at the same time.
John Justice has been selling found golf balls in good condition at a discount for about 16 years with all proceeds going to charity. He lives on the third green and has a sign up on his fence.
It all started when he and his wife, Jean, built the home in 2005. He would walk around in the woods and pick up the lost balls and give them away to his friends. Then he had the idea to try to do some good in the world, so he started selling them to his friends and giving the money to charity. Then he started setting up a stand at bazaars and garage sales that First Methodist Church held. However, since the covid-19 pandemic shut down those events, he has been selling them out of his back yard.
"I only sell the really good ones," he said. "The rest I take to a company in Texas (Pro Golf). They refurbish 45 to 50 million golf balls per year."
He said a lot of the golf balls are fine, however, when people are buying them at the price he sells them at, they want the best. If they have scuffs or, more likely, if he picks up more than he can sell, he takes them to Pro Golf. They give him 11 cents per ball. Last time he went, he said, after he paid for his gasoline, he had $2,800 for charity.
Originally he gave the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. He has volunteered for them in the past doing carpentry. Then he started giving it to the United Methodist men's group. Overall, he has donated almost $39,000 to charity.
He noted people donate found golf balls to his cause.
"When you play golf and knock your ball in the weeds, you'll find three balls and none of them are yours," he said. "Every golfer has a bucket."
He said he still walks out virtually every day and, on a good day, picks up two or three dozen. On a bad day he picks up a dozen.
He has a second-hand washing machine to wash the balls. He is on his third washing machine, he said.
"Golf balls are tough on washing machines," he said.
The Titleist Pro V1 balls and the Callaway ERC balls that are $40 to $50 new are $10 per dozen, he said. Everything else is $5 per dozen.
"I make it a good deal for everyone," he said.
His name and phone number are on the sign on the fence. Most people call ahead, he said.
"It's one more little mission project to try to do something good for this world," he said.
Justice is an Air Force veteran, serving 21 years total along with two combat tours in Vietnam. He is a member of the Military Officers Association, a national lobbying organization that works to get pay raises for the military and protect veterans' benefits. He is on the board of directors of the Bella Vista Recycling Center and the board of directors of the Bella Vista Cemetery.