You’ve been playing golf for so long, and now you have some balls that are incredibly worn off. While you might think they’re durable and rigid, they often deteriorate faster than you might then. So, you might get a bunch of them that have nowhere to go, which is why we’re going to discuss what to do with your old golf balls.
Some people recycle their golf balls, and many companies already do that. You can give them to your children or young people to have fun with. However, sometimes you want to find more innovative ways of using your worn-out balls. But do not worry; you have multiple different approaches to this. Below is a detailed list of things you can do.
One last bit of advice we have is that you should never throw them out. We recommend the more environmentally-friendly approach where you use the golf balls for other purposes to reduce the carbon print.
9 Ways to Use Old Golf Balls
No. 1: Sell Them
The first thing you need to do is do your research and find an adequate website that buys used golf balls. They might be using them for numerous reasons; refabricating them, giving them to other people, or using them for different purposes.
Through your search engine, search for “golf ball recycling companies near me,” and you’ll get a list of different places you can contact. You will get suggestions based on where you currently are, making things more convenient.
Two websites you can check are Lost Golf Balls and Golf Ball Planet. Most companies offer a service where they come and pick the golf balls from your home themselves; that’s why we recommend finding a place that’s relatively close to you.
Keep in mind that many companies only accept a minimum of 5,000 golf balls, which might be a problem if you have a few hundred of them. Hence, we recommend you save up all your used golf balls first and send them in bulk. Also, some companies take them in hundreds, so make sure you contact them and ask them for the minimum amount they accept.
Some people do not want to purchase brand new golf balls and would rather spend less money, even if they’re used ones. On the other hand, if you have a much smaller quantity of balls, you could offer them through a resale website. You can check out Craiglist or Facebook and check the typical prices for used balls before providing them.
No. 2: Give Them to Local Golf Courses
If you do not use multiple golf balls and have a smaller number, you can contact golf courses around you. Some accept used ones and are more than happy to take them in.
Hence, contact nearby courses or driving ranges and ask them whether they accept them.
Some places will give you a small amount of money for your balls, while others provide them as a donation.
No. 3: Use as a Massager
We all love massages, don’t we? That’s why instead of buying your massage machine or going to a fancy place to splurge, you can create your tiny device. Golf balls have approximately the same weight and shape as hot stones, so that you can use them similarly.
However, we also know that used golf balls gather an incredible amount of dirt and bacteria through their journey on golf courses. That’s why they should not come into immediate, prolonged contact with your skin. Hence, you must clean them with some water, dry them off with a clean towel, then sanitize them with alcohol. But we also recommend a more elaborate way of cleaning them to be on the safer side.
There are a few ways of using them as a ball massage, and some are:
- Back massage: You can place the ball on the floor and roll over it, which is how sports massage balls work. You can also sandwich it against a wall, put your back against it, and roll it up, down, and sideways. You can also always ask someone to do it for you.
- Foot massage: Apply small amounts of pressure while stepping on the ball and roll your foot against it. Gently roll it from your toes to your heels a few times.
No. 4: Make Crafts

There are numerous things to make with golf balls. Instead of throwing them out, you can use them as ornaments, decorations, or elements in a game. Golf balls work perfectly with science fair projects, toys for children, and even Christmas decorations. Here are a few ideas for you to use:
- Snowmen Christmas decoration: You will need a hot glue gun for this project. Use a small amount of glue on a golf ball, then stick another golf ball on the area you applied glue to. Hold them together for a few seconds to secure them, then use a permanent marker to draw on them. You can add your personal touches, create a small scarf and hat out of fabric, and dress the little man up.
- Sun decoration: A golf ball can be an excellent core for the sun. You need to drill a small hole right in the middle and screw in an eyelet screw. Then, put some hot glue on the head of a golf tee, and put that onto the golf ball. Add as many golf tees as you want to create the rays of the sun all around the core. Now, you need to paint the whole thing, and you’re good to go! Thread a ribbon through the eyelet, tie a knot, and put it up as a decoration.
No. 5: Emergency Sink Plug
Somehow, we have all managed to lose or misplace our sink plugs at some point in life. If you’re one of the unlucky ones who never found it, then here is another way to repurpose golf balls.
Golf balls have the same diameter as most drain pipes, which is why you can use them for this purpose. Hence, you need to place the golf ball over the tube, but first, make sure that the ball is slightly larger than the pipe to eliminate the risk of it falling and blocking the flow.
No. 6: Decorate Garden

If you’re a golfer and a garden fanatic, then we might have found just the thing to mix both.
If you are still looking for what to do with used golf balls, consider combining your hobbies.
Creating different designs is a great idea if you have different colors of balls lying around. You can use the balls to decorate various aspects of your garden.
You can line up a footpath with them, spread them all around the backyard to resemble pebbles, or make shapes and patterns all around.
No. 7: Meat Tenderizer
This might sound very absurd, but trust us, this works. If you have misplaced your meat tenderizer, then you can use one of your used golf balls for it. These balls provide incredible pressure due to their small size, creating the same effect. You roll the ball over the piece of meat and add some force to get the job done.
However, as mentioned earlier, a vital step you need to follow through is sterilizing the balls. It would be best to kill all the harmful bacteria and mud accumulated; otherwise, you risk infecting the pieces of meat.
No. 8: Practice at Home
Another great way to optimize your used balls is using them at home. You can create your own simple, miniature course at home and practice your swing, techniques, and motion with old balls. We recommend doing so because you do not want to waste brand new balls at home simply practicing. We all know we would instead use them on an actual course in games that matter.
Hence, use them at home to practice, or give them to your younger ones. This way, you can also encourage your children to practice a hobby you enjoy and make them a part of it.
No. 9: Give Them to Charity
As you cannot ever use old golf balls in professional tournaments, another alternative that we love is giving them away to charity. Amateur golfers can use them instead of buying their own, or others might use them for other innovations. Giving away is always such a satisfying feeling that you should not put it on the back burner.
Conclusion: What to Do with Old Golf Balls
The only thing we recommend you NOT to do is throw the golf balls away. You do not want to contribute to the world’s pollution, and golf balls take hundreds of years to decompose. Hence, we advise you to go through the list above, choose whichever suits you more, and follow through with it. You can even get more creative and develop a different design or way to use your old golf balls! There is no limit on what you can do with them as their dimensions are similar to numerous other objects, so they can always act as replacements.
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