How Should Golf Balls Be Stored

Golf ball storage. Not a topic that a lot of golfers probably give a lot of time to. Even modern-day golf balls can still be affected by their storage conditions so give this guide a quick read to make sure you aren’t compromising the performance of your balls.

Storage Conditions

The materials used to construct modern golf balls don’t react especially well to extremes of temperature. It is therefore best to store your golf balls at room temperature. You also want to avoid extremes of humidity as well.

The best option is to keep them in your house rather than your garage which can have much greater swings depending on the time of year. In fact, it’s best not to keep any of your golf equipment in the garage. Your car trunk (boot) is a particularly bad option especially during the summer when the interior of the car can get particularly hot.

One of the reasons a ball doesn’t go as far in the winter is because the rubber core doesn’t react the same at lower temperatures. Golf balls stored in the trunk of your car all week won’t work as well in the winter as they do in summer. You can counteract this somewhat if you keep your balls in the house.

The former Technical Director for the USGA, Frank Thomas has a some suggestions on the best storage conditions for balls and equipment.

Storage Containers

If you only ever buy new golf balls then you won’t need to worry about what to keep them in. The cardboard boxes the manufacturers use are ideal to prevent any surface damage and are easy to stack.

If you buy lake balls or find lots of balls on the golf course then you might need to think about ways of storing them. Here are some golf ball storage ideas:

One of my golfing pals did a count recently and found he had almost 2500!

If you tend to hoard golf balls then you’re probably going to need some larger containers. For those of us that like to keep just a few dozen around here are some ideas for what you could use to store any loose golf balls.

Recycle old plastic food containers. Old ice cream tubs of margarine containers could hold a few balls. They’re also useful for storing other golf accessories that you have lying around.

Recycle old egg boxes or egg trays. These are just the ideal size to hold the golf ball and will keep them separate and therefore avoid any risk of damage to the ball.

If we’re talking about balls you picked up on the course that aren’t in good condition to start with then probably just throw them in any old bucket or other plastic containers.

If you like to collect balls then you will probably want to buy or make a wooden display case to show them off.

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]