Are Golf Balls Bad for the Environment?
Hitting Golf Balls into the Ocean you say?
Ever see that Seinfeld episode where Kramer is driving Titlist golf balls into the water? What about that scene in the first season of Entourage where the boys are talking and hitting balls of the back deck? What could be more fun than hitting that perfect drive and rocket launching a few balls that you don’t have to chase after? It is certainly a guilty pleasure of mine.
Oooh, So it is bad..
Well that fun is apparently a huge environmental cost even if you don’t score a hole-in-one into a whale’s blowhole. It turns out that despite the golf balls small size it’s big pollution. I was curious so I did some digging and found this article from CNN. It can take a least a hundred & up to ONE THOUSAND years for a regular golf ball to break down. Not only that – when they do break down, they release heavy metals, various chemicals and microplastics that can poison nearby plants and wildlife. The Danish Golf Union has even got to calling discarded golf balls as “Humanity’s signature litter”.
The Solution So Far:
So far the solution to this has been to try to get people to knock it off. Cruise ships have banned the practice of hitting balls of the deck since the mid-90’s. Some places have made it a ticketable offense to hit balls into the environment. Most places recognize it as a form of pollution and litter.
Another solution is to try and clean them all up. Teenager Alex Weber of California also raised the alarm of the pollution caused by thousands of golf balls slowly rotting away in the ocean. Alex has a project aimed at educating people on this and trying to clean it all up.
But we know how people are. You can pass all the laws you like but if someone wants to drive a few out into the blue they will find a way to do it. You can try to clean up after them but can we really keep up?
The Answer! Biodegradable Golf Balls 🤩
So it got us thinking, why not make a golf ball that is made from simple ingredients that breaks down and doesn’t harm the environment? Instead of trying to stop people or clean up after them, make it so it won’t be a problem at all! That’s why we built Biodegradable Golf Canada – A Canadian company that makes biodegradable golf balls! They are made from harmless Polyvinyl Alcohol and Cornstarch. These water soluble golf balls dissolve completely in water in a few weeks. Now I can continue to enjoy the satisfying fun of smacking a few balls after a stressful day and not feel the slightest bit guilty that this activity has a negative environmental cost (how many activities can I say that about)?
If you’re interested – You can order a 24 Pack to start off here. Or if you’re feeling like blowing off a TON of stress you can get our 144 pack of Biodegradable / Water Soluble Golf Balls.
Categorised in: Why Green?
This post was written by Mitchell Schols