Golf seems like such an innocuous sport, but it can have a pretty significant environmental impact. Leaving aside the considerable quantity of pesticides, fertilizers and water used to keep greens green, consider lowly golf balls. These small spheres are practically indestructible so they can withstand the force of a powerfully swung club. They don’t crack up when they’re hit; you can imagine how long they take to decompose if they’re lost in the woods. It’s estimated that more than 100 million golf balls end up in rivers, lakes, streams, forests, and meadows each year. That’s a lot of balls for Mother Nature to contend with.
Enter the biodegradable golf ball. Dixon ($39.95 per 12-pack; pictured left) has developed a biodegradable ball that decomposes in water and leaves no residue behind. Another benefit: each Dixon pack includes a return mail pouch so you can easily recycle old balls for new ones. EcoGolfBalls are cheaper at $10 for a pack of 12, and also degrade quickly in water. Wilson Eco-core golf balls are molded around recycled rubber tires, though they don’t biodegrade. All three brands come in recyclable packaging made from recycled materials.
What about other golf gear?
Golf Tees: Biodegradable golf tees are becoming the rage for golfers concerned about their eco-impact. Dixon, Ecogolf, and Golf Tee XT all make biodegradable tees. Ask the pro shop to order them if they’re already not in stock. You can also check local sporting goods stores and Wal-Mart, as well as online.
Golf Bags
Currently the only eco bag on the market is the Wilson Staff Eco-Carry, made from recycled plastic soda bottles. It’s lightweight and durable, given the fibers are essentially respun plastic fabric.
Clothing: Pickings are slim in the eco-friendly golf wear department. All Apparel & Accessories sells a variety of reasonably priced polos for men and women made from 100% organic cotton. Spreadshirt offers men’s and women’s tees in a polyester/organic cotton blend. Dixon sells caps made from organic cotton. At least as far as we can tell, nobody’s making plaid golf pants out of recycled fibers.
What about golf courses themselves? Golf Digest does a good job here of enumerating the specific environmental challenges conventional golf courses post. Featured quote: “THE PESTICIDES THAT GOLF COURSES USE, AND THE ONES THAT PEOPLE THROW ON THEIR LAWNS, PERHAPS ARE NOT AS SAFE AS WE BLITHELY ASSUME THEM TO BE.”
Meanwhile,Audubon International has created a Cooperative Sanctuary program to help golf courses conserve water, minimize chemical use, and protect wildlife.
Want to see who’s doing it right? Check out Greenopia’s list of the seven most eco-friendly golf courses.
(Research assistance by Katie Kelleher)
11 thoughts on “Biodegradable Golf Balls and Tees Offer Best Options – But Don’t Forget to Take Care of the Greens, Too”
So, these golf balls just decompose whenever its moist out there? These are kinda safe then when alligators swallow them.
They’re supposed to perform just as well as conventional golf balls. Why don’t you try them and let us know? We’d appreciate it (I’m not a golfer, so I’m not sure whether I’d be the best judge of actual performance!). Thanks.
I am not sure if any Dixon golf balls are biodegradable. “Earth-Friendly” yes, whatever that means. Each golf ball should be considered litter. In my town there’s a $100 fine for littering…but…they don’t enforce it except for exceptional offenders. Multiply that $100 for each ball and I imagine you’ll suddenly have some action on this issue. I would like to know where the 100 million lost golf balls statistic comes from? There are certainly millions of golf balls produced each year. Where do they go? The answer is, like your car keys, where you left them.
I scrounge hundreds (thousands?) of golf balls at my local cheesy 9 hole course. The reason is they don’t manage the weeds. There is fairway and out-of-play and nothing in between. Any golfer with the slightest hook or slice needs to bring an extra dozen golf balls to the course. No lie! Golfers won’t even attempt to retrieve their balls. There are thorn bushes, poison ivy, deer ticks, spider webs and huge piles of deer pooh. It’s basically due to management that doesn’t care.
If there is a biodegradable golf ball that outperforms usual suspects and is cheaper, somebody needs to get the word out!
Thanks, Alan. I hope you’ll come back!
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Golf can have both a positive and negative impact on the environment.The negative environmental problems can be reduced.This post has came up with good ideas for the same.I am contended with this post!
Thanks for all your comments.
May I share my idea : How to Search the Best Golf Ball?
With the advent of modern day technology, golf balls fly farther and roll further than they ever had before. With new multilayer golf ball technology, you can decrease the amount of greens you miss and increase the amount of carry get off the tee. At face value golf balls seem like a very simple piece of sporting equipment, but if you cut one in half and really look inside, there is ingenious technology at work.
Most manufacturers will make specific kinds of golf balls for specific types of players. If you are lacking with either distance, spamming, or accuracy, then there is absolutely a golf ball on the market that can really help your game.
Distance
Many players put an emphasis on distance when talking about how their golf game is improving. The farther a person can hit it, the better a golfer they think they become. Now, whether or not this is true, golf ball manufacturers have come out with groundbreaking technology that can be game changing for any player. The reason why manufacturers construct golf balls that go farther than ever before, is that with multilayer core technology the golf ball more dynamically compresses and launch at a faster velocity. It is not uncommon for an amateur golfer to pick a better golf ball that suits his game and in turn gain between 5 and 10 yards.
Accuracy
Along with providing more distance, the multilayer core technology has caused golf balls to become more accurate. The reason that golf balls have become more accurate is that nowadays, when they are struck off the tee, multi core technology causes the ball to rotate less to the left and right. This means for the everyday golfer, if you have a tendency to slice the ball, with new golf balls your slice will travel less off-line. This is great news for players looking to get the most out of the golf ball that they are playing. If you want to be more accurate with every club in your bag, you should seriously consider going out and looking for a more modern golf ball.
Price Point
Between the different golf ball manufacturers there is going to be a broad range of prices per golf ball. Game improvement type balls are going to run you a lot less money than a more professional type golf ball will. Golf balls specifically designed to provide more distance will be cheaper and more readily available than golf balls designed to increase spin and improve control. The less experienced player is recommended to buy and start off with a cheaper golf alternative and then slowly transition to more expensive golf balls. Higher-end balls can cost you upwards of five dollars per ball.
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