You stand on the tee box, ready to hit your shot. You swing and make good contact, but the ball doesn’t go anywhere. It feels wrong.
A quiet worry pops into your head: Is my golf ball waterlogged? You’ve probably heard the old warning from other golfers: never use a ball you’ve pulled from a water hazard. But is that advice based on fact, or just a story that gets passed around? While a truly waterlogged golf ball is a real problem, it’s much rarer in modern balls than you might think.
This guide will give you simple, at-home tests to check your golf balls. More importantly, it will provide you with the science behind what happens, so you can stop worrying and start playing confidently, knowing which balls in your bag are good to go.
The Quick Guide: How to Check for a Waterlogged Golf Ball
If you want a fast answer, here are three simple tests you can do at home now. You don’t need special tools, just your eyes, hands, and a few things from your kitchen.
1. The Visual and Physical Inspection
This is the first and most important test. A golf ball is built to keep water out. For water to get inside, there must be a break in the ball’s outer shell. Your job is to find that break.
Please pick up the golf ball and look at it closely under a good light. Slowly turn it in your fingers, examining every part of its surface. You are looking for any sign of Damage.
- Cuts or Gashes: These are deep slices in the cover. They are an open door for water.
- Scuffs or Scrapes: A small scuff from a normal shot might not let water in, but a deep, ragged scuff could be a problem.
- Cracks: Any fine line or crack, even a tiny one, is a major warning sign.
Next, feel the ball. Squeeze it gently with your fingers. Does it feel perfectly firm and round, or can you feel a soft spot or a slight change in shape? A waterlogged core can sometimes make the ball feel slightly softer or cause a bulge. A ball that is not perfectly round will not fly straight.
2. The Saltwater Float Test
This is the most famous test for a waterlogged ball. It uses simple science. A normal golf ball is denser than water, so it sinks. If a ball has taken on water, its overall density can change, and it might float.
Here is how to do it, step by step:
- Take a tall glass or a bowl and fill it with warm water. Warm water helps the salt dissolve better.
- Add about a quarter cup of table salt to the water. Stir it until the salt is completely dissolved. You have now made saltwater, which is denser than fresh water.
- Gently place the golf ball you want to test into the saltwater.
- Watch what happens.
Here is how to understand the results:
What the Ball Does What It Most Likely Means
Sinks to the bottom. The ball is fine. Its core is dense and dry.
Floats to the top. The ball is highly suspicious. Its core may be compromised, making it less dense. You should not use this ball for a serious game.
Important note: The float test is a good indicator, but not a perfect lab test. A very small number of brand-new, undamaged balls might float due to tiny air pockets in the core from the factory. However, if a ball floats, you should treat it as guilty until proven innocent.
3. The Balance and Roll Test
When water gets inside a golf ball, it rarely spreads out evenly. It often pools in one part of the core. This makes the ball unbalanced. A balanced ball rolls true. An unbalanced ball will wobble.
To perform this test, you will need a permanent marker and a flat, smooth surface, such as a kitchen table or a bare floor.
- Draw a straight, solid line around the middle of the golf ball, like its equator.
- Place the ball on the flat surface.
- Please give it a firm, straight roll and watch the line.
If the ball is good, the line will roll smoothly and steadily. If the ball is waterlogged and unbalanced, the line will wobble, shake, or cause the ball to curve off in one direction.
Another quick check is the sound test. Drop the ball from chest height onto a hard floor like tile or concrete. Listen to the sound it makes. Then, do the same with a brand-new golf ball from a sealed box. A good ball will have a sharp, crisp “click” or “ping.” A waterlogged ball will often produce a dull, dead “thud” because the water inside absorbs the energy of the impact.
The Science of Golf Balls: Why True Waterlogging is Rare
To understand waterlogging, you must know how a modern golf ball is built. Think of it like a high-tech piece of candy. It has a hard, tough shell (the cover), one or more chewy or firm layers (the Mantle), and a soft or solid center (the core). These parts are not just stacked together but fused into a single, sealed unit under high heat and pressure during manufacturing. This process creates a nearly impenetrable seal between the layers.
Let’s break down the layers:
- The Cover: This is the ball’s skin. Most covers are made from a tough plastic called Surlyn or a softer, more advanced material called Urethane. Both of these materials are highly resistant to water and designed to withstand powerful club impacts without letting moisture through.
- The Mantle is the layer underneath the crust. It often helps control spin and is made from various strong, water-resistant polymers.
- The Core is the ball’s engine. It’s usually made from a synthetic rubber compound. Its job is to compress and then explode away from the clubface, creating distance.
The key point is this: for a ball to become waterlogged, water must find a way through the tough, sealed cover, through the mantle layer, and into the core.
This is incredibly difficult on a ball with no cuts, cracks, or gashes. The water pressure from a pond or lake is usually insufficient to force water through these strong, fused layers. This is why an intact modern golf ball can sit at the bottom of a lake for years and still be perfectly dry inside.
The Real Impact of Water on Your Golf Ball’s Performance
Let’s say a ball does have a cut and water gets inside. What actually happens to its performance? The effects are not small; they are dramatic and will hurt your game.
Loss of Distance and Feel
The core of a golf ball is designed to be a perfect spring. When your clubface smashes into it, the core compresses and rebounds, pushing the ball away. This is how energy transfers from your swing to the ball’s flight.
When waterlogged, the core can no longer do its job properly. The water inside interferes with the core’s ability to compress and rebound. Instead of a powerful “spring,” it becomes a “mushy” or “dead” mass. The result is a significant loss of distance. You might hit an okay shot, but the ball falls out of the sky 20, 30, or even 40 yards shorter than you expected. The impact will also feel dull and unsatisfying.
Erratic Flight and Spin
A golf ball is engineered to be perfectly balanced and symmetrical. Its dimples are designed to work with this perfect balance to create a stable, predictable flight through the air.
When water gets inside the core, it rarely spreads out evenly. It pools and sloshes around. This creates an unbalanced, lopsided weight distribution inside the ball. An unbalanced ball will not fly straight. It can wobble in the air, causing wild, unpredictable hooks or slices that have nothing to do with your swing. It can also fail to generate the proper spin, leading to losing control when the ball lands on the green.
Performance Factor New, Dry Ball Waterlogged Ball
Driver Distance Full distance (e.g., 250 yards) Significantly reduced (e.g., 210-220 yards)
Flight Path Straight and stable, Unpredictable, can hook or slice wildly
Feel at Impact Crisp and solid Dull and dead
The Myth of the Waterlogged Golf Ball: Separating Fact from Fiction
There is a lot of misinformation about this topic. Let’s clear it up once and for all.
Myth 1: Any ball in water for a long time is waterlogged.
Fact: This is the biggest myth. Time is not the main factor; Damage is. A modern golf ball with an intact, unbroken cover can sit in water for years and will not become waterlogged. The water cannot get through the sealed layers. The real danger is a ball with a cut or crack, no matter how quickly it was in the water.
Myth 2: The saltwater float test is 100% accurate.
Fact: The float test is an excellent and reliable home test with small limits. In rare cases, a brand-new ball might have a small air pocket in the core that could make it float. Also, the temperature of the water can slightly change its density.
However, these cases are extremely uncommon. If your ball floats, you should assume it is compromised and not use it for a real game.
Myth 3: You can dry out and restore a waterlogged golf ball.
Fact: This is completely false. Once water is inside the core, it cannot be reliably removed. You cannot bake, microwave, or leave it in the sun to fix it.
The water causes permanent Damage to the core’s chemical structure. Even if you could get the water out, the core material would be ruined and would not perform like it used to. A waterlogged ball is a dead ball. The only safe thing to do is to take it out of your golf bag.
How to Keep Your Golf Balls in Peak Condition
Now that you know how to spot a bad ball and why it happens, here are some easy habits to keep your golf balls playing their best for longer.
- Inspect for Damage Often: Make a quick visual check of your golf balls, a normal part of your routine. Before you put a ball in play, please give it a quick look and feel. If you see a new cut or gash, retire that ball immediately.
- Rotate Your Balls: Don’t play with the same ball for multiple rounds. Even without water damage, golf balls get worn down from normal play. By rotating a few balls, you spread the wear and extend the life of all.
- Store Them Properly: Keep your golf balls in a cool, dry place. Please do not leave them in the trunk of your car for weeks at a time, especially in the summer. Extreme heat can weaken the materials over a very long period. A closet shelf at room temperature is perfect.
Your Golf Ball Waterlogging FAQs
How long does it take for a golf ball to get waterlogged?
It is less about time and more about Damage. A ball with a visible cut or crack can start to take on water in hours. A ball with a perfect, undamaged cover will likely never become waterlogged, even if it sits in a lake for a decade.
Can waterlogged golf balls be restored?
No. The internal Damage to the core’s structure is permanent. There is no safe or effective way to remove the water and restore the ball’s original performance. A waterlogged ball should be discarded.
Can a ball be waterlogged without playing it?
Yes, absolutely. The at-home tests described in this guide—the visual inspection, the saltwater float test, and the balance and roll test—are all designed to help you identify a bad ball before you ever step onto the course.