Can You Use Golf Balls That Have Been in the Water?

Find a perfectly good-looking Titleist Pro V1 in the reeds and you face a classic golfer's dilemma: is it okay to play, or is it a dud? The short answer is yes, you can absolutely use golf balls that have been in water, but the full story is more nuanced. This article breaks down exactly what happens to a ball when it's submerged, how to tell a good find from a bad one, and when you should (and shouldn't) put that treasure back in play.

The Short Answer (and Why It's Complicated)

You can use a golf ball that’s been in the water, but whether you should depends on two things: how long it was soaking and what kind of "water ball" it is. A ball you just sliced into the pond and fished out a minute later is perfectly fine. A ball that’s been sitting at the bottom of that same pond for two years is not.

This discussion really splits into two camps:

• Found Balls: These are the balls you might fish out of a hazard during your round. Their history is a mystery.
• Recycled &, Refurbished Balls: These are balls retrieved in bulk from courses, processed, and sold at a discount. Understanding the difference between these two categories is massive for your game.

At its core, the issue boils down to a performance trade-off. You might save a few dollars, but are you giving up precious yards and consistency in return? Let's get into the specifics.

What Actually Happens to a Golf Ball in Water?

To understand the damage, you first have to know how a modern golf ball is built. Think of it like a tiny, high-tech onion. At the very center is a rubber core, which is the engine of the ball. Around that core are one or more mantle layers, and on the very outside is the cover, which is either a soft urethane or a firmer ionomer (like Surlyn), complete with all its aerodynamic dimples.

This outer cover is incredibly durable and water-resistant, but it is not 100% waterproof. Over time, water can and will get through. This happens through two main ways:

1. Gas Permeability: Think of the cover material like a Gore-Tex jacket. It's designed to be watertight but still has microscopic pores. Water vapor can slowly penetrate the cover over extended periods of time, eventually reaching the core.
2. Cuts and Scuffs: A shot that hits a cart path, a tree, or even the sharp grooves of a wedge can create tiny scratches or cuts in the cover. These are open doors for water to enter much more quickly.

Once water gets inside and reaches the core, the real damage begins. The rubber core absorbs the moisture, which has two major negative effects. First, it makes the ball physically heavier. Second, and far more important, it reduces the core's ability to compress and rebound off the clubface. This property, known as the Coefficient of Restitution (COR), is what generates ball speed. A waterlogged core is essentially "dead." It won't have the same pop, resulting in a noticeable loss of distance and a change in feel and sound.

How Long Is Too Long in the Water?

This is the question every frugal golfer wants answered. While there are no hard-and-fast USGA lab studies on this, here are some reliable guidelines based on years of coaching and practical experience.

A Guideline for Soak Time

• For a few minutes to a day: Absolutely fine. If you fish your own ball out right away or even the next day, it will perform identically to a new ball once cleaned up. There's no scientific reason for it to have taken on any water.
• For about a week: Now it’s getting a little questionable. A high-quality urethane ball with a pristine cover is likely still okay. Its superior cover materials offer better resistance. However, if that ball has even a small scuff, a week might be long enough for some degradation to begin. You might see a small drop in performance.
• For a month or more: I would not recommend using this ball for any serious round of golf where your score matters. By this point, the odds of water penetration are very high, even for a ball that looks perfect on the outside. This ball is now officially a "shag ball" - perfect for practicing in your backyard or hitting on the range, but not for the course.
• For an unknown period (the classic "found ball"): You have to treat these with the most suspicion. Most balls found in hazards have been there for months, if not years. While you might get lucky, it’s most likely a compromised golf ball.

Recycled vs. Refurbished: The Single Most Important Distinction

If you're buying used balls online or in a pro shop, you’ll see words like "recycled," "refurbished," and "mint." It's essential to know what you’re buying because the difference in performance is night and day.

What are Recycled Golf Balls?

A recycled golf ball is simply a used ball that has been retrieved, cleaned, and sorted. That's it. It has its original cover, original dimples, and original brand markings. Companies sort these by model (Pro V1, Chrome Soft, etc.) and grade them based on their cosmetic condition. The typical grades are:

• Mint / 5A / AAAAA: Looks and feels like a brand-new ball. It has seen minimal use, maybe one or two holes before it was lost. These are the best ones to buy and offer performace nearly identical to new for a better price.
• Near Mint / 4A / AAAA: May have a tiny scuff, a player's mark, or a logo. Performance will still be excellent.
• Good / 3A / AAA: A "provably-used" grade. They will have visible wear, scuffs, and discoloration. These are fine for casual play or for beginners, but you may see a slight drop-off in performance.

The verdict on recycled balls: They are a fantastic way for golfers to play premium balls on a budget. The only unknown is soak time, but by sticking to the Mint grade, you minimize that risk as these balls weren't in play long enough to get beaten up.

What are Refurbished Golf Balls?

Avoid these like the plague. A refurbished golf ball is a cosmetic imposter. The process involves taking any old ball, regardless of its original brand or condition, and aggressively fixing it. They literally strip and sand off the original cover and paint.

From there, they apply a new, cheap coat of paint and stamp a popular logo on it, like "Titleist Pro V1," along with a tiny mark that says "Refurbished." You have absolutely no idea what ball is under that shiny new paint job. It could be a premium ball, or it could be a cheap 2-piece range ball. More importantly, the sanding process fundamentally alters the ball's original, carefully engineered dimple depths and shapes, destroying its aerodynamics. You create a ball that is completely unpredictable in flight.

The verdict on refurbished balls: Do not use them. They perform terribly, are inconsistent, and are not legal for tournament play according to USGA rules since they have been altered.

Actionable Guide: When to Use (and When Not to) Water Balls

So, let's put it all together in a simple guide. Here’s when it’s totally fine to reach for a recycled ball and when you should stick with a fresh one.

Situations to Go for the Recycled Ball:

• Casual Practice & Practice Rounds: If you're just out to have fun and aren't focused on a career-low score, a recycled ball is perfect. Same goes for chipping and pitching in your backyard.
• High-Stakes Shots: Staring down a 200-yard carry over water? That's a great time to tee up a 50-cent recycled ball instead of a brand new $5 one. It takes the financial sting out of a potential disaster.
• For High-Handicappers & Beginners: If you're new to the game and lose several balls per round, spending top dollar is not a sound investment. Using Mint quality recycled balls gives you the feel of a premium ball for a fraction of the cost.

Situations to Put a New Ball in Play:

• Competitions and Tournaments: When every stroke counts, you want to eliminate every single variable. That means using a new or provably-good ball you trust.
• When You Need Max Performance: If you're seriously trying to break 90, 80, or 70, the consistency and distance of a new ball are your friends. Why give away yards or short-game spin to a questionable ball?
• For Club Fittings and Lessons: To get accurate data on your swing from a launch monitor, you need a consistent control variable. Always use the same model of new ball that you intend to play on the course.

How to Spot a Bad Water Ball: The Saltwater Float Test

Let's say you've accumulated a bucket of found balls and you want to weed out the duds. There’s a simple home test you can run.

The theory is that a waterlogged ball is both heavier and often unbalanced, with water pooling in one spot on the core. It’s not perfect, but it works surprisingly well.

The浮 test (or Saltwater Float Test):

1. Get a large glass or clear container and fill it with water.
2. Add a generous amount of salt (several tablespoons) and stir until it's completely dissolved. This increases the water's density.
3. Drop in a brand-new golf ball of any type to serve as your "control." It should float easily.
4. Drop your suspicious water ball into the solution.

The Result: A good ball will bob evenly on the surface. A bad, waterlogged ball will often sink to the bottom or float very low in the water. An especially bad sign is if it repeatedly settles with the same side facing up, indicating an unbalanced, soggy core. This is your cue to send that ball directly to your shag bag for good.

Final Thoughts

In the end, using golf balls that have been in water is a classic case of cost versus performance. For casual play or practice, using high-quality recycled balls is one of the smartest economic decisions a golfer can make. Just be sure to always opt for recycled, not refurbished, and stick with the Mint grade for the best results.

Making smart decisions like choosing the right ball is a big part of improving your scores. It’s about managing risk and playing with confidence, which can be tough to figure out alone on the course. We built Caddie AI to be that on-demand golf expert in your pocket. So, when you're facing a tough tee shot with water all down the left and trying to decide on club and target, you can get instant, simple strategy on the safest way to play the hole. It helps remove the guesswork, letting you commit to every shot with clarity and confidence.