Can Golf Balls Get Waterlogged?

A quick splash in a water hazard isn't a death sentence for your premium golf ball, but the question of whether it can truly become waterlogged is a bit more complicated. While modern golf balls are incredible feats of engineering designed to resist moisture, they aren't completely invulnerable to a long-term underwater stay. This article will break down the science of how a golf ball interacts with water, explain how long it takes for performance to suffer, and give you the practical advice you need to decide if that experienced ball you just found is worth keeping in play.

The Simple Answer: Yes, But It's Not What You Think

Let's get straight to it: Can a modern, solid-core golf ball get waterlogged? Yes, it can, but it takes a lot longer and affects the ball differently than most golfers assume. Forget the old wives' tales of a ball getting heavy after a single bounced shot out of a creek. A brief swim for a few minutes, hours, or even a few days won't make a noticeable difference in the performance of a high-quality golf ball that's in good condition.

The confusion stems from the days of older, wound golf balls. Those classics featured a liquid-filled or rubber-band core wrapped in yards of tensioned rubber thread, all sealed by a soft, porous balata cover. For those balls, any cut or deep scuff was an open door for water to seep in, ruin the core, and render the ball a useless rock. Today’s balls are a different breed entirely. Their solid construction and tough, non-porous covers make them extremely resilient to water.

How Modern Golf Balls Fight Off Water (A Quick Science Lesson)

To understand why modern balls are so good at staying dry on the inside, you need to appreciate how they're built. It's essentially a multi-layer defense system designed for durability and performance, with water resistance being a major benefit.

The Multi-Layer Defense System

• The Core: The engine of the golf ball is its solid core, typically made from a synthetic rubber compound like polybutadiene. It’s a solid, non-porous material. Unlike a sponge, it has no empty spaces for water to easily fill. Its job is to compress and then spring back rapidly at impact, transferring energy to the ball.
• The Mantle/Casing Layers: In multi-piece balls (like a 3, 4, or 5-piece), there are one or more layers between the core and the cover. These layers are made of high-tech polymers and resins like ionomer. They are also solid and designed to control spin rates and enhance the feel of the ball.
• The Cover: This is the ball's first line of defense. The cover is typically made from one of two materials: Ionomer (like Surlyn), which is incredibly tough, cut-resistant, and highly water-resistant, or Urethane, which is a softer material favored on premium balls for its high spin and Tour-level feel, but is still extremely effective at keeping water out.

Because every layer from the inside out is solid and water-repellent, there's no easy path for water to get inside. It's only when a ball is submerged for an extended period that water molecules can begin the incredibly slow process of permeating the cover material.

Time Is The Enemy: Water's Slow-Motion Attack

The real question isn't if a ball can be damaged by water, but how long it takes. Studies and independent tests have tried to nail this down, and the general consensus points to time as the critical factor.

• Short Term (Up to 1-2 weeks): A golf ball sitting in a pond for a week or two is unlikely to show any measurable drop in performance. The cover is doing its job, and not enough time has passed for water to penetrate in a meaningful way. If you find a relatively new-looking ball in the water, feel free to wipe it off and put it in your bag.
• Medium Term (Several Weeks to Months): This is where things start to get murky. After several months underwater, a small but detectable amount of moisture may have penetrated the outer layers. The ball might lose a small percentage of its initial velocity, which could translate to a loss of a few yards on a drive. For most amateur golfers, this small change would still be almost impossible to notice.
• Long Term (A Year or More): A ball that has lived at the bottom of a lake for a year or more is a different story. Over this time, enough moisture can penetrate the cover and reach the inner layers, causing them to lose some of their elasticity. The bond between layers can be affected, and the ball’s compression can change. This is a fully "waterlogged" ball, and its performance will be significantly compromised.

The Cut and Scuff Exception: An important exception to all of this is physical damage. A ball with a deep cart-path scrape, a bad gouge from a rock, or a significant cut gives water a superhighway to the core. A damaged ball can become waterlogged much, much faster than a pristine one. If you find a ball that's badly scuffed, it’s best to relegate it to your shag bag.

How to Spot a "Dead" Ball and Why You Should Avoid It

Playing with a seriously waterlogged ball is like trying to compete with compromised equipment. You're introducing a negative variable into your game that you can't control, which can be frustrating and damaging to your confidence. Here’s what happens and how to spot it:

Telltale Signs of a Performance Drop

• Reduced Distance: This is the biggest consequence. A waterlogged core is less "lively." It doesn't rebound off the clubface with the same force, a measurement known as the Coefficient of Restitution (COR). This reduced "springiness" means slower ball speed and, consequestly, less distance - often 10-20 yards less on a tee shot.
• Inconsistent or Low Flight: The ball may feel dull or "heavy" at impact. It often flies lower on a flatter trajectory because it's not compressing correctly. This can also lead to more unpredictable flight patterns.
• Weird Sound and Feel: A waterlogged ball often has a dull, low-pitched "thud" sound on impact, especially with irons and putters, rather than the sharp, satisfying "click" of a healthy ball.

Discoloration can also be a clue. If a ball looks faded, stained, or has a chalky appearance, it's likely been exposed to the elements for a long time. However, a ball can look perfectly fine on the outside while being dead on the inside.

The Million-Dollar Question: Should You Play With Lake Balls?

This is one of the most common debates in golf, where the desire to save money runs up against the need for consistent performance. As a coach, my advice is to approach them with a clear understanding of what you're getting.

There's a big difference between "Recycled" and "Refurbished" lake balls.

• Recycled/Used Balls: These are simply balls recovered from ponds, washed, and sorted by brand and grade. The risk here is the unknown history. Was it underwater for a week or two years? You simply have no way of knowing. Buying top-grade (Mint or AAAA) recycled balls minimizes your risk, as these balls typically have no cosmetic blemishes, suggesting they weren't lost for long.
• Refurbished/Refinished Balls: These are a different category entirely. These balls are stripped of their original cover, repainted, and stamped with the original branding. Most golf experts and manufacturers advise against using these. The refinishing process adds a layer of paint that can BFill in the dimples, altering the ball's aerodynamics and making its flight unpredictable. They are cosmetically perfect but often perform poorly.

So, what's a golfer to do? If you're a high-handicapper or just starting out and lose several balls per round, playing with high-grade recycled balls can be a great way to save money without too much worry. But for any round that you take seriously, or as you start improving and want to eliminate variables, playing with a new or near-new ball is the smart move. The peace of mind from knowing your equipment is consistent is worth the extra cost.

Final Thoughts

To sum it up, while a modern golf ball is built like a tiny tank, a long enough stay in a water hazard will eventually reduce it to a poor-performing dud. A quick dip is harmless, but a truly "lake ball" that's been submerged for months will lose distance and fly unpredictably. The biggest issue with found or recycled balls isn't that they're all bad, but that you just don't know their history.

When you're faced with tricky lies or tough club choices on the course, removing variables is the key to confidence. Knowing your ball's performance is A+ is step one. For all the other uncertainties, we built Caddie AI to be your personal on-demand expert. If you find your ball in a terrible lie and aren't sure how to play it, you can take a picture, and it’ll give you a smart escape plan. Instead of guessing on club selection or strategy, you get instant, a Tour-level recommendation in your pocket, helping you commit to every shot with clarity and confidence.