There’s something special about a brand spanking new golf ball with its shiny white gleam and smooth feel. Whether you’re standing over a tee shot or lining up a putt for a birdie, a new golf ball just seems to make things easier and much more pleasant: it’s no wonder the pros use a new golf ball on every hole.
A clean golf ball keeps the dirt off and allows the dimples to do their magic, meaning they can make the most out of their aerodynamic design and fly further and straighter through the air.
But have you ever thought there might be a right and wrong way to clean your beloved golf ball? After all, a good golf ball like the Titleist ProV1 can set you back a pretty penny.
In this article, I will take a look at the best and safest ways to clean your golf ball without scuffing it up and making a mess all over the kitchen floor.
Let’s get started.
What’s The Best Way To Clean Your Golf Ball?
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Believe it or not, there are many different ways to clean your golf ball, and they’re not as time-consuming or as complicated as you might think.
The easiest way to wash your golf balls is in a bucket of hot soapy water with a soft microfibre cloth or sponge.
Using a soft microfibre cloth allows you to wipe the dirt off quite aggressively without fear of scratching your expensive golf ball. The hot soapy water helps to get rid of the dirt and grime and keeps the dimples free from grains of sand.
Do not use acidic cleaning agents, though, because these can damage the outer shell of your golf ball, leaving it prone to further wear and more than likely meaning it won’t roll straight on the green.
If you’re like most golfers, we generally mark our golf balls, so they’re easily identifiable out on the course. To get the ink off, you can use nail polish remover, or for extreme cases, you can even use a denture cleaning agent that comes in tablet form.
Can You Clean Your Golf Balls At Home?
Put simply, YES. I use this method every once and a while because it’s very straightforward, although I do have to cop a fair roasting from my wife asking where all the dishwashing detergent has gone.
Similar to the bucket method, fill the sink with hot soapy water and use a sponge to wash the dirt and grime away. I then like to transfer the golf balls to a separate sink filled with fresh cold water just to ensure I don’t damage the inner rubber core by heating them up too much.
After that, you can leave them outside to dry or wipe them with a towel; then, they’re ready to pop straight back into your golf bag in preparation for your next golf tournament. Just be sure not to use too much detergent!
How To Clean Golf Balls From A Lake
As a youngster, I used to work at a golf driving range that my best friend’s family owned. Adjacent to the driving range, they also owned a short par 3 course that just happened to be located around the skirts of a big lake. After our shift at the range had finished, every Saturday, my friend and I would go fishing for golf balls in the lake; we actually made some good pocket money.
But let me tell you, man were those golf balls dirty. Most of the balls were covered in green algae, and depending on how long they’d been down there, some were water logged; those had to be thrown away.
We followed the same procedure as above and used hot soapy water and a soft microfibre cloth to get the grime off, with the only difference being we needed a heck of a lot of elbow grease. It was well worth it, though, because we used to re-sell the second-hand golf balls in bags of 25 and 50.
Can You Put Golf Balls In A Washing Machine?
Although it might sound silly or quite simply absurd, cleaning your golf balls in the washing machine is actually a great way to keep them clean; it’s much easier too.
Depending on how big your washing machine is, you can load up to 100 balls at a time; just be careful not to overload it with weight, though.
It’s an excellent method to use if you have a ton of golf balls that need cleaning, especially if they’re considerably dirty. You can run the golf balls through the washing cycle once, then give them a second going over by hand with a microfibre cloth and leave them out to dry.
A dishwasher is also a viable option, although I would caution against this, particularly if your dishwasher is a cheap model that damages easily.
