Companies Tackle Plastic Pollution With Dissolving Golf Balls

Thought Question: What’s a small change you could make in your everyday life that would help keep the earth cleaner and healthier?

Most links lizards tend to quickly forget about those errant golf balls they shank far into the woods or deep in a lake, but they don’t just disappear. These little dimpled spheres can languish for centuries, releasing microplastics and heavy metals into the environment. Ill-fated animals, who confuse them for eggs, can die from trying to eat them. 

Two companies are trying to address this lesser known hazard. One is in Canada. The other is in Spain. They've both come up with an eco-friendly fix. They're selling golf balls that break down in a matter of weeks. Plus, these new balls release harmless substances into the environment.    

Biodegradable Golf Balls (BGB) of Vancouver sells a dissolving ball made of corn starch. Albus Golf of Barcelona sells one that contains a fish food core for marine creatures to eat as the ball dissolves. 

“A lot of people have tried to tackle golf ball pollution with divers, signage, policy changes, and fines, but these solutions haven’t really landed with people so far,” BGB states on its website.  

The balls cost roughly $35 for a dozen. They're not approved for tournament play. They don’t tend to fly as far. They also lack the spin and control of normal balls. These are shortcomings professional golfers would notice more than hackers. Therefore, these new balls are a welcome solution to golfers who like to launch balls into lakes and rivers and from the decks of cruise ships. 

Golfers lose about 1.5 million balls a year. CNN estimated that if laid end to end, they would stretch around the Earth at least one and a half times.  

Photo of golf ball sitting on a tee from Unsplash courtesy of Will Porada.