How to Tell if a Golf Ball Is Bad

Ever find a like new golf ball nestled in the rough and wonder if it's truly good to go? Tossing a ball just because of a small scuff feels wasteful, but playing a dud could cost you precious strokes. This guide clears up the confusion, giving you simple and effective ways to tell if a golf ball is still a gamer or if it belongs in the shag bag for good.

Why Playing a Worn-Out Ball Hurts Your Game

You might think a little scuff or a bit of age doesn't matter much, but the physical integrity of a golf ball is directly tied to its performance. The dimples are engineered for a very specific aerodynamic purpose: to reduce drag and create lift, helping the ball fly farther and stay in the air longer. The core and mantle layers are designed to transfer energy efficiently from the clubface for maximum ball speed.

When a ball is bad, this finely tuned system breaks down. Here’s what happens:

• Loss of Distance: A compromised core, either from being waterlogged or from age, won't compress and rebound as effectively. This means less ball speed off the face, which translates directly to shorter drives and iron shots.
• Inconsistent Flight: Damaged dimples can ruin a ball's aerodynamic properties. A major scuff or cut on one side can cause the ball to fly unpredictably, leading to hooks, slices, or a sudden drop out of the air. You lose the ability to trust where your shot is going.
• Reduced Spin: A heavily abraded or worn cover won't grip the grooves on your wedges or irons properly. This makes it harder to get the backspin you need for control and stopping power around the greens.

In short, playing a bad ball introduces variables you can't control. Golf is hard enough without having to second-guess your equipment. A good ball gives you a consistent baseline, so you know the result of a shot is because of your swing, not a faulty piece of gear.

The Visual Inspection: Your First Line of Defense

Most of the time, you can tell if a ball is bad just by looking at it. Before you even think about putting a found ball in your bag, run it through this quick checklist. Grab the ball and hold it in good light, turning it over slowly to inspect the entire surface.

Step 1: Look for Cracks and Deep Cuts

This is the most critical check. Any ball with a visible crack in the cover is permanently retired. A crack means the integrity of the ball is completely shot, and it will perform poorly in every way imaginable. This isn't a scuff, it’s a structural failure.

Similarly, look for deep cuts or gashes. Hitting a cart path, a sharp rock, or even the leading edge of a wedge can sometimes gouge the cover of a ball. A minor surface scratch is one thing, but if you can feel a deep groove with your fingernail that cuts into the cover material, that's bad news. These deep cuts act like rudders, sending the ball on a flight path you didn't intend.

Step 2: Assess Scuffs and Abrasions

This is where things get a bit more subjective. Not all scuffs are created equal. You need to distinguish between minor cosmetic blemishes and damage that will affect aerodynamics.

• Acceptable Scuffs: These are faint marks, often from brushing a tree or a sandy lie. They might remove some of the glossy finish but don't damage the dimples themselves. The ball might not look perfect, but it will fly true.
• Unacceptable "Road Rash": This is a more severe type of abrasion, usually from a hard impact with a cart path or paved area. The scuffs are heavy, rough to the touch, and you'll often see that the tops of the dimples in the affected area have been sheared off. If a noticeable patch of dimples is flattened or roughed up, the ball's flight will be erratic. Time to demote it to the practice bag.

Step 3: Check for Discoloration

A golf ball that has spent a lot of time out in the elements will often look off-color. A perfectly white ball turning a faded, yellowish, or brownish color is a sign of prolonged exposure to UV rays and weather. While this might just seem like a cosmetic issue, it can indicate that the ball's cover has become brittle and less resilient a sign of degrading materials. If it’s significantly discolored compared to a new ball of the same model, it’s best to be cautious.

Performance Tests You Can Do at Home

Sometimes, a ball looks perfectly fine on the outside, but something is wrong internally. This is often the case with balls that have been submerged in water for a long time or have a manufacturing defect. If you have a stash of found balls you want to check, these simple tests can help you weed out the duds.

The Saltwater Float Test

This classic test is designed to see if a golf ball's core is centered. An off-center or unbalanced core will cause the ball to wobble in flight, leading to horrible inconsistency. For this test you will need to prepare a mixture of about 4 cups of water and ½ cup of Epsom salt (or table salt) and mix vigorously until the salt is completely dissolved. And then drop the ball in. The high salt content makes the water dense enough for the ball to float.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Float the suspect ball in your saltwater solution.
2. Once it settles, use a permanent marker to put a small dot on the very top of the ball.
3. Gently push the ball under the water and spin it a few times, then let it settle again.
4. Observe where it settles. If the dot consistently returns to the top (or bottom), the ball is out of balance. The heavy side is pulling itself to the bottom. If it settles in a random position each time, it's balanced and good to go.

This takes a few minutes, but it's the most reliable way to spot an internally flawed ball without cutting it open.

The Drop and Bounce Test

This is a quick and easy comparison. You'll need a known good ball (preferably one from a new sleeve) and a hard, flat surface like a concrete patio, garage floor, or tiled kitchen floor.

Hold the new ball and the suspect ball at the same height (chest or shoulder height is good) and drop them simultaneously. Watch and listen. A good ball will have a crisp, lively bounce. A waterlogged ball or one with a dead core will have a noticeably lower, duller bounce. The difference is often quite obvious.

The Sound and Feel Test

This is one you can do at home on the practice green or even feel during a round. Putt the suspect ball and a new ball over and over. A good-quality, solid-core ball should produce a sharp, crisp "click" a sound at impact. A ball that is waterlogged or cracked internally will have a soft, muted "thud". It will feel dead or heavy off the putter face. If it sounds and feels dull compared to a Tour-quality ball, something is wrong with its insides.

"Lake Balls": Are They Worth Playing?

This is one of the most common questions from everyday golfers. You see bags of recycled lake balls for sale at a steep discount, and it’s tempting. But are they a bargain or a liability?

The answer depends on how long the ball was underwater. A modern golf ball with a urethane or ionomer cover is very water-resistant. If it was only in a pond for a few days or a week, it's probably almost as good as new. The problem is, you have no way of knowing if it was in there for two days or two years.

Over extended periods, water will eventually seep into the core through microscopic pores or existing scuffs. This is where performans suffers and consistency goes way down.. A waterlogged ball won't fly as far and won't feel right. The biggest risk is the lack of consistency. One ball from the bag might be fine, but the next could be a complete dud. For serious play, the uncertainty isn’t worth the savings.

How Long Is Too Long? When to Retire a Ball

Pros might switch balls every three to six holes to ensure absolutely perfect performance, but for the average amateur, that standard is completely unnecessary. A premium golf ball is durable and can easily last for several rounds - or even longer - as long as it avoids serious trauma.

My simple rule is this: retire a ball after one significant, cover-damaging impact. If you blast one off a cart path and it comes back with heavy road rash, take it out of play. If you hit a tree and can see a definitive deep cut in the cover, switch to a new one.

Don’t count the holes, count the impacts. As long as the cover remains relatively smooth and free of major cuts or abrasions, a ball could be good for 54 holes or more. Keep it clean between shots and give it a quick visual check on the green. Once it takes that one big hit, thank it for its service and move on.

Final Thoughts

In short, telling if a golf ball is bad comes down to a quick visual inspection for serious damage followed by simple tests you can do at home like the float test or bnounce test if you have any doubts. A compromised ball simply isn't worth the doubt in your mind or the penalty strokes on your scorecard.

Removing doubt is a big part of playing better golf. That’s why we built Caddie AI&mdash,to give you an expert second opinion you can trust on everything from navigating a tricky lie to formulating a smart game plan for your next hole. Instead of guessing, you get clear, simple advice in seconds, so you can stand over every shot with total confidence.