Condition is much more important than age when it comes to performance.
At some point, we’ve all run low on golf balls during a round and been forced to seek “alternative options” in a nearby pond or trees. The balls you find on those expeditions might feature yellowing of the cover, scuff marks or paint loss – maybe all three.
Those well-worn pellets serve a purpose in the moment, but it’s natural to wonder if you’re sacrificing performance by playing something that might be well past its prime.
If you’ve never checked, you won’t find an expiration date stamped on a box of golf balls like you do a bottle of milk. The cover and core materials aren’t designed to last forever, but you don’t have to worry about a ball that’s 12 or 24 months old wilting away on the course.
Durability has improved exponentially since the days of the ultra-soft balata ball when it didn’t take much to shear the cover on a well-struck wedge. It’s now possible to play the same ball for 72-plus holes. If that sounds ludicrous, consider that pro Alex Chiarella won PGA Tour Canada’s 2019 Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open using the same Titleist Pro V1x for all four rounds.
Unfortunately, most weekend golfers don’t have the accuracy to play the same ball for that many holes. If you’re one of the lucky few who manages to keep a ball in play for long stretches, the only thing you need to keep track of is cover wear. It might seem logical to worry about a ball when the paint starts to come off, but according to Titleist, it’s the dreaded scuff mark that should be your main concern.
“Our rule of thumb for regular golfers is that as long as paint loss, a scuff or defacement of the golf ball is less than the size of a small coin, it should be good to go,” a Titleist representative told us.
Again, today’s covers can withstand numerous wedge shots without seeing a dip in performance. The coin-size (or larger) marks you need to worry about generally come from an errant shot skipping off a cartpath or grazing a tree. It’s time to find a new ball when you see noticeable gashes or material missing on a section of the cover.
Could you roll the dice and keep on playing such a ball? No one is going to pull you off the course for continuing on with a battered egg. However, if the wear is enough to alter launch, spin and dispersion, you run the risk of flushing one and watching it fly off line.
For those who like to collect balls from water hazards, be advised that it’s difficult to predict performance in the moment. For starters, there’s no telling how long the ball has een submerged in the water, so it’s tough to say whether performance will take a hit.
Most of today’s premium balls have a water-resistant coating, so it’s possible that something you find along the bank will still be good to go. That said, it’s still a gamble.
“All ball materials will absorb moisture at different rates, and anything submerged in water represents the most extreme condition,” our Titleist representative said. “If you don’t know how long it was in the water, there is a high probability that the ball will not perform as designed.”
Wondering where golf balls should be stored to preserve performance? It’s best to keep them in a dry location where the temperature hovers about 21 degrees. Think inside a home office or a storage closet where your clubs might already reside.
Following these few rules will ensure that your golf balls are good to go for the foreseeable future. Now you only have to worry about keeping them in play.
Photograph: Stephen Denton
