Do Golf Balls Go Bad?

We’ve all been there. You’re digging through the garage, cleaning out that old golf bag and you find a sleeve of balls you forgot you had. Maybe they’re from a corporate outing three years ago or perhaps they’re leftovers from that box you bought in bulk because the price was too good to pass up.

The question is: Are they still good?

Good question. The answer depends largely on what kind of golf balls we’re talking about and just how long they’ve been sitting around.

The balata days

In the days of wound golf balls (yore), balata didn’t just go bad; it practically had an expiration date.

Balata balls were essentially liquid-filled time bombs. The liquid core would evaporate over time, causing the balls to shrink, lose weight and go out of round. We’re not talking about subtle changes. I’ve attempted to measure old balata balls on compression gauge only to discover they had shrunk so much that they were too small for the equipment to even register a reading.

Beyond the core issues, those soft balata covers would get absolutely slashed after just a few holes of play. Between the durability problems and the shelf-life issues, balata balls were high maintenance in every sense.

Modern solid-core reality

Today’s golf balls are a different animal entirely. With solid core construction, there’s no liquid to evaporate which means the dramatic degradation we saw with balata is largely a thing of the past.

But that doesn’t mean modern balls don’t change at all.

Golf ball cores behave a bit like epoxy in that there’s a curing process that continues long after manufacturing. It’s a slow process, so a ball that sits for a few years will typically get firmer over time.

Think of it this way: a ball that measures 90 compression when you buy it could be pushing closer to 100 compression after sitting for two or three years. After that initial period, the curing process levels off and balls don’t continue to firm up as rapidly.

Will you notice the difference?

For most golfers, probably not. The changes that occur over a few years are subtle enough that they’re unlikely to significantly impact your game. This is why prior-generation inventory is often worth the savings. You’re getting essentially the same performance at a discounted price.

But if we’re talking about really old balls, the change can be dramatic.

I once measured some ancient Top-Flite XL3000s at nearly 130 compression. Now, the XL3000 was never what you’d call a soft ball to begin with but those numbers suggest that balls sitting around for upwards of a decade are going to perform dramatically differently than when they were new.

The bottom line

Modern golf balls don’t “go bad” in the traditional sense but they do change. For casual play with balls that are a few years old, you’re probably fine. But if you’re serious about performance and consistency or if those balls have been sitting in your garage since the Clinton administration, it might be time to pony up for some freshies.

The good news? Unlike the balata days, you don’t have to worry about your golf balls shrinking to the point where they’ll get lost in the ball washer.