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I was shocked when a greenkeeper friend recently told me that more than 400 million golf balls are lost every year.
All that plastic and synthetic rubber left lying around is an obvious environmental hazard.
But a new concept in biodegradable golf balls could be the answer to golf's environmental problem.
It means that even wayward golfers (like me) can afford to lose balls in lakes, hedgerows, and woodlands without worrying about harming wildlife and local ecosystems. Some balls even help feed the fish instead of killing them!
This year I've taken to the course to test the best eco-friendly golf balls in the US. It’s just a shame none of them can help with my chronic hook off the tee!
Why I Recommend It: The AlbusGolf EcoBioball biodegradable balls (certified by the OECD) will fully degrade in around 48hrs, leaving nothing behind but fish food.
Personal Experience: The golf courses I usually play in the Florida area have A LOT of water hazards, which unfortunately I am all too familiar with! So it was important to find a ball that was gentle in marine environments.
The EcoBioball is the most marine-friendly golf ball I found.
One word of caution: if you’re looking to shoot a low score, then these balls might not be the right choice. In my experience, they don’t fly as far as traditional golf balls (I was able to achieve between 70 and 80% of the usual distance with long irons, a little less with the driver).
However, if you’re practicing golf near water, or value sustainability over the length of your drive, these fish food balls might be perfect.
I love using them when playing with friends, family, or business associates because they’re very much ‘on message’ for TheRoundup and always a talking point.
Even if you don't lose the ball during your round, I would advise tossing it into the lake/ocean before hitting the 19th for a well-earned beer (especially if the course was damp). These balls are not designed to play multiple rounds over multiple weeks.
Hitting balls off a boat or the beach into a lake or ocean is great fun, and with the Ecobioball you can now do it with a clear conscience. They are more expensive, but you can save a few bucks and bulk-buy the 200 pack.
✔ Fully Water Soluble
✔ Non-Toxic
✔ Can be Customized with Your Name or Logo
Why I Recommend It: With a brand name like "Biodegradable Golf Balls" you'd expect it tto do exactly what it says on the tin - and it does. They're great for single-use hitting into water, or playing courses with a lot of water hazards.
Personal Experience: Biodegradable Golf Balls degrade slower than Ecobioballs. It takes weeks rather than days (which is still perfectly acceptable considering regular balls take more than 100 years!)
This slower rate of degradation means that the balls last longer and can be used for multiple rounds of golf over a period of about a week. After that time, I noticed they started falling apart, and performance dropped off.
Speaking of performance, I found that I could get these Biodegradable Golf Balls to fly further than Ecobioballs, but still not as far as standard golf balls.
If you’re playing a more serious round where your score counts, but you still don't want to sacrifice your eco-credentials, Biodegradable Golf Balls are probably a better option than Ecobioballs.
✔ High Performance
✔ 100% Recyclable
✔ No Harsh Chemicals or Pollutants
Why I Recommend It: Dixon Wind is a solid compromise between sustainabiility and performance. These balls are not biodegradable, but they are recyclable and free from the worst toxic materials like heavy metals. They travel a lot further than the dissolvable balls, and are suitable for tournament use.
Personal Experience: These Dixon Wind balls flew the farthest of all the eco golf balls I tested!
They're ideal for players with a slower swing speed, and they perform so well that many players say they go even further than their regular big-brand synthetic balls.
In my experience, they were about the same. In fact, if you switched out my Titleist for a Dixon Wind and asked me to play blindfolded, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
The trade-off is that they don't dissolve, so if you lose them in water, that's where they'll stay. However, at least they're less toxic than regular balls so even that would be an improvement.
The real difference is the balls you don't lose (or those that can be found again) as these can be recycled.
Why I Recommend It: These are lost balls that have been recovered from lakes and hazards on 2000 golf courses arounf the country. They are then cleaned reconditioned in a factory, quality checked, rated and resold. Buying these means no new balls are produced.
Personal Experience: Ok. So these recycled golf balls are not biodegradable. But I've decided to include them because they’re quality recycled balls at an excellent price.
If you’re looking for colored balls but don't want to buy new ones and add to the U.S. golf ball waste problem, you can't go wrong with these balls at just 50¢ each.
The batch I got sent was of outstanding quality. A few of the balls were lightly scuffed, and around 15 had a company's logo stamped on them. But, they all performed like new.
Not keen on colored balls? These Titleist Recycled Golf Balls are also of excellent quality and good value for money.
Buying used balls means that no new resources were used to create your golf balls. They also perform better than the biodegradable golf balls I tested.
Golf is one of the oldest modern-day sports in the world. Its origins date back to Scotland in the 15th century.
It was initially so popular that people started neglecting military training. This eventually led to the sport being banned by King James II in 1457.
Most people ignored the ban, and the sport exploded in popularity in the early 1500s, when King James IV of Scotland became the world’s first golfing monarch.
Back in these early days of the sport, three types of ball were traditionally used:
The core of most modern balls is usually synthetic rubber. The cover can be made from Surlyn or urethane. Some golf ball manufacturers have additional layers with different materials to improve how they fly and how they feel when you hit them.
None of these materials are biodegradable, and they can take over 100 years to fully dissolve. As they do, they can release toxic chemicals which can harm marine life.
If a golf ball is lost on land, some birds and small animals may mistake them for food and can choke on them if swallowed.
One interesting biodegradable golf ball development I have my eye on is the lobster shell research from the University of Maine’s Office of Research Development.
There’ve been no updates for a few years, so it appears to have hit a snag.
However, if they ever perfect environmentally friendly golf balls made from lobster shells destined for landfill, I’ll update this article.
Steer clear of golf balls made from virgin plastics and heavy metal materials. These take hundreds of years to decompose and just add to the planet's existing plastic pollution problem.
Look out for a biodegradable ball made from eco-friendly materials such as corn starch and polyvinyl alcohol (a fully biodegradable plastic alternative).
Cards on the table time. Your eco-friendly golf ball options are limited if you're looking for ultimate performance.
In my experience, the ball speed is lower. Biodegradable balls reduce your distance by around 30%, and eco-friendly balls reduce your distance by around 15%.
Dixon Wind is your best option if performance is important.
Look for ethical manufacturers that use eco-friendly materials and treat their workers with respect.
Eco-friendly certifications can help put your mind at ease that you’re buying the best biodegradable golf balls from an ethical manufacturer.
You can also rest assured that I’ll only ever recommend products and services from ethical manufacturers, suppliers, brands, etc.
Hitting golf balls into the ocean is certainly a fun activity, but the answer depends on what type of golf ball you are using.
Traditional golf balls are made from materials such as rubber and plastic that do not biodegrade and can cause harm to marine life, so hitting them into the ocean is not recommended.
However, biodegradable golf balls, like ECOBIOBALL, are specifically designed to break down naturally without causing harm to the environment. So hitting these into the ocean is OK.
Always remember, though, that even if you have dissolvable golf balls, it is still important to follow local rules and regulations regarding golf course etiquette and environmental protection.
No. However, The Plastic Pick-Up movement (started by Alex and her dad in 2016) has definitely sped up the development of eco-friendly golf balls.
Some brands (like Albus Golf Ecobioball) take a few days. Other brands (like Biodegradable Golf Balls) take longer, but even so, these balls dissolve in a few weeks.
Golf in the U.S. is booming. Forbes reports that almost 25 million Americans play the game.
That adds to a lot of golf balls being used (AND LOST!) each year. Around 300 million, according to CNN!
It can take up to 1,000 years for a standard golf ball to decompose, so we should all be looking to reduce the environmental impact of our game by switching to eco-friendly balls.
Where do you buy your eco-friendly balls for playing golf close to water? Have I missed your favorite brand? Drop me a line and let me know.
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