Old guy, I would say just pay attention to the ball's reaction. With polished balls the polished surface begins to wear off after a while - the finish starts to look hazy in the track area. But this is not a problem so long as you like the ball's reaction. You only need to be concerned about surface preparation if the ball starts to roll out, or doesn't snap as hard on the backend, or whatever. then just take it to the pro shop and have it taken down to around 600 grit, then gradually higher grits until finishing with the factory finish (1500-grit polish?).