Will Golf Balls Go Bad?
Will golf balls go bad when stored away for a long time?
Golf balls are an important part of any golfer’s game. Keeping a stockpile on reserve in your garage, basement, or car trunk can be helpful throughout a golf season. This is because golfers lose golf balls at a high rate, especially if they are just learning the game or if their local course is difficult.
But how long are golf balls “good” for? Do they expire? Can golf balls go bad if kept in storage for too long?
How Golf Balls Are Made
When determining if golf balls have a shelf life or expiration date, it’s important to understand the composition of most modern golf ball designs.
At their core, golf balls are made of rubber materials. The exact composition of a golf ball’s core may differ from one brand or model to the next, but ultimately the modern golf ball features a solid core of a highly reactive material.
A golf ball’s core may then be wrapped or surrounded by other materials to create “layers.” These layers can consist of many different, pliable materials such as plastic, rubber, or resin. The most used materials in modern golf balls include Surlyn, or a urethane composite. When you hear about a golf ball have a 2-, 3-, or 4-piece construction, the marketing material is usually referring to the layers created by the overlapping internal construction of the ball.
Golf balls of older generations were constructed of a wound rubber core, which included multiple “bands” wound together to form a solid. Over time, this core could lose its properties and loosen, which would impact the performance of the ball. Modern technology and manufacturing improvements have all but eliminated this concern, however, due to the solid, single construction of cores in today’s golf ball options.
Storage of Golf Balls
As mentioned earlier, most golfers will choose to store their golf balls in their garage, basement, shed, or car trunk. Other golfers may choose to pack their golf bags with as many golf balls as possible. Regardless, the number of places to store a box of golf balls are numerous. This makes determining whether your golf balls will go bad or expire more difficult to predict.
However, as with most sport equipment, you want to make sure you store your golf balls in a dry, covered, cool area throughout the year. Any object that is made of plastic or similar composite materials may succumb to the elements if the rest in an area that’s hot, humid, or wet for an extended period. Therefore it’s never recommended to keep your golf equipment – including golf balls – in your car trunk for a long time.
So, Can Golf Balls Go Bad?
There are many schools of thought on proper golf ball storage and maintenance, but generally speaking, the answer to this question is “No.” At least, not any time soon.
Due to the highly durable nature of golf ball construction – which makes sense, since we are usually hitting them with solid, metal objects repeatedly – it is extremely rare for an unused golf ball’s performance to expire or degrade over time. Golfweek, for example, suggests that an unused golf ball will have the same performance over ten years later if left unused and in storage. That’s a heck of a shelf life for any product.
This may change, however, if a golf ball has been used for multiple golf holes. If the outer cover of a golf ball is damaged in any way, it’s entirely possible that moisture can creep into the ball’s core, which can cause degradation or mildew to form. This is also true if you fish the golf ball out of a pond, for example, and let it sit for an extended period.
As with any product that is manufactured in bulk, there are risks of defects in golf balls, even brand new ones. Always inspect your golf balls before putting them into play for the first time, checking for scratches, cuts, scuffs, or any blemish that may negatively impact the durability of the ball after repeated use.
