How to Recycle Golf Balls

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 12, 2021 References

Recycling golf balls is a great way to save money and be more eco-friendly. There are many businesses that refurbish golf balls or resell used golf balls. You can also donate your golf balls to local clubs and thrift stores. Simply pick a company, or organization, gather your golf balls, and bring them in. Beyond playing golf, try repurposing golf balls into unique craft projects. Either way, you can easily recycle your used golf balls.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Selling Used Golf Balls

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Search online to find a used golf ball resale website. There are many companies that offer recycling services for used golf balls. Search for “golf ball recycling companies near me” or something similar to browse options based on your location.^{[1]
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- For example, you can recycle your golf balls by visiting https://www.lostgolfballs.com and https://golfballplanet.com/.
- Most companies pick up your golf balls from your residence, so it’s helpful to find a company that is located nearby or has a distribution center close to you.
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Select a company based on accepted quantities and best value. Most of the golf ball recycling companies accept a minimum of 5,000 golf balls. However, you can find some companies that accept used golf balls by the hundreds. Each company has a different rate that they’ll give you based on how many golf balls you have, so you can make your decision based on how much money you’ll get as well.^{[2]
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- If you don't have enough, you may have to save up your golf balls or collect them from your golfing buddies.
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Contact the company you want to use via email or phone. When you find a company you want to use, reach out to them to see if they are interested. Most websites have a “Contact us” link with a phone number or email address listed along with contact instructions. Tell the company your name, your location, and the approximate number of golf balls in order to express your interest.
- Typically, the company accepts the balls as long as the total number exceeds the minimum required. However, if they have a large number of used balls already, they may not accept yours at the time.
- If you do not have the minimum number of golf balls, you should not contact the company. Wait until you have enough if you want to pursue this option.
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Gather all of your golf balls to send them to the recycling company. Once you reach out to the company about your recycling order, they’ll let you know if your order is accepted or not. If it is, the company will give you detailed instructions about how to get the balls to them. Typically, they ask you to box up the balls and a delivery team comes to pick them up for you.^{[3]
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- You don’t have to clean or sort the balls before you send them in. Once the company receives the balls, they have employees that clean the reusable balls, sort them based on brand, and grade them based on quality. If the ball is in rough shape, it's sanded, painted, and refinished.
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Receive a check or compensation for your used golf balls. When recycling used golf balls, you usually have the choice of compensation in the form of a check or store credit. In both cases, you’ll get the credit as soon as the company gets the balls.^{[4]
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- Store credit can be applied to purchasing other golf balls, and the value is often greater than that of how much you’ll get on the check.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Pursuing Other Recycling Options

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Contact a local golf course to see if they can use the balls for practice. Search online to find golf courses or driving ranges in your area, and look for the "Contact Us" section. Then, call the company to ask an employee if they accept used golf balls. Some will offer you a bit of money, and others only take donated golf balls. Typically, local golf courses accept smaller numbers of golf balls than recycling companies.^{[5]
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- If you have 200 or so golf balls you’ve collected over time, this may be a good option.
- This way, the balls can be used by people practicing their shots. It’s okay if the balls aren’t in perfect condition, as they are only used for practice.
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Try calling retail centers to see if they accept second-hand golf balls. In particular, search for a used sports store, as they are more likely to give you a small amount of money for the balls. This is less common nowadays, but some retail locations may still take your old golf balls.^{[6]
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- If the store doesn’t offer you money, they may accept the used balls as a donation to resell in their store, as long as they are in good condition.
- By selling or donating your balls to a retail store, other players can purchase them for a discounted price.
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List smaller quantities of used golf balls on resale websites. Another way you may be able to make a little cash for your used golf balls is to list them for sale on sites like Craigslist or Facebook. To make a post, you must have an account to the site you want to use. Provide a picture of the balls so others can get a clear idea of their condition. Give an approximate number of total balls, and list your suggested asking price. Then, come up with a meeting time when another user expresses interest.^{[7]
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- For example, if you have 100 or so very used balls, try selling them for $10. If the used golf balls are still in great shape, price them between $20-30.
- Value popular golf brands over brand-name or nameless golf balls.
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Donate used golf balls to a local school club, nonprofit, or thrift store. If you aren’t looking to make money from your old golf balls, consider giving them away to a thrift store, high school golf club, or sporting nonprofit organization. Search online to see if there are any golf clubs or sporting nonprofits near you, or browse the Internet for thrift stores nearby. Then, bring your golf balls to their location to recycle them.^{[8]
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- If you want to give them to a school club or nonprofit organization, contact them to see if they can use the golf balls. You can likely find their contact information by searching online.
- This is a great idea if you have less than 100 used golf balls. These groups may not have room to store several hundred golf balls.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Craft Projects with Golf Balls

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Use old golf balls to make snowmen Christmas decorations. For a fun holiday decoration, use a hot glue gun to apply a small dab of glue to 1 golf ball. Then, hold a second ball where you applied the glue to secure them together and add a third golf ball if you’d like. Use a permanent marker to decorate their faces, and glue on fabric strips or paper pieces to accessorize.^{[9]
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- Feel free to add personal touches to your snowmen. You can give them a top hat, glasses, or hair, for instance. Accessorize your snowman with a football, skateboard, or tutu for other ideas.
- To make your snowman into an ornament, cut a ribbon about 4–6 in (10–15 cm) long, and shape it into a loop. Put a dab of hot glue on the base of the ribbons to attach them, then glue the ribbon to the back of the snowman. This way, you can easily hang the snowman on your Christmas tree.
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Glue golf balls together to create ants, caterpillars, and other insects. To make an ant, paint 3 golf balls black. To make a caterpillar, paint 2-3 golf balls yellow, green, or orange, for instance. Use hot glue to glue each ball together in a row to create the body. Locate a wire hanger to use to make the legs. Cut 6 sections of wire about 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) from a hanger with wire cutters. Then, turn the golf balls horizontally and glue the wires to the "body" of the insect to create your legs.^{[10]
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- Bend the wire at the bottom so the feet stand up.
- You can use markers, glitter, and paper pieces to decorate your insects.
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Attach golf tees to a golf ball to make your own hanging sun decoration. Drill 1 small hole into the golf ball, and screw in an eyelet screw so you can hang your creation. Next, apply 1 dab of hot glue to the head of a golf tee, and place it onto the golf ball. Continue adding 9 or so golf tees immediately next to each other to create your sun rays. Paint the golf ball and the tees yellow using acrylic paint and a small paint brush. Then, thread a ribbon through your eyelet, tie a knot at the end, and display your hanging ornament.^{[11]
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- You can hang this near a window or on the wall, for instance.
- If you’d like, use a permanent marker to add details to your sun. You can give the sun a face or draw lines on the rays.