4 Best Biodegradable Golf Balls for The Eco-Conscious Golfer

Let’s face it. Our poor earth takes a beating from us on a daily basis. From big diesel engines to materials that simply can’t be recycled, our environment is always fighting some sort of battle.

Unfortunately, this also happens on the golf course whenever a ball is hit into the woods or water. Thankfully, golf ball manufacturers now offer biodegradable golf balls that are much easier on the environment. These are some of the most remarkable inventions in modern-day sports!

We’ve researched all of these types of golf balls and have come up with the following list of the 4 best biodegradable golf balls. Using any of these options will make golfers feel better when they hit an errant tee shot into the trees or a pond.

1. Biodegradable / Water-Soluble Golf Balls

Pros

• Available in 1,2, or 8 dozen packages
• Currently on sale for 43% off if you buy 1 dozen
• Bulk discounts are available for golfers who buy 2 dozen ($2.91 each) or even 8 dozen ($2.81 each)
• Made in Vancouver by folks who are passionate about golf and protecting the earth
• Each golf ball will completely dissolve if it’s hit into the water, which helps protect marine life
• No more feeling guilty after hitting a lousy tee shot or approach shot into a water hazard
• It will also gradually dissolve in the woods once enough moisture hits it
• These still perform well and feel like you’re hitting regular golf balls
• Made mainly of corn starch and have a polyvinyl alcohol coating on them

Cons

• Not recommended for pro-level golfers or folks with high swing speeds
• These eco-friendly golf balls won’t roll as well as traditional golf balls on the greens
• More expensive than most high-performance golf balls but won’t hold up quite as well
• Some folks have had shipping issues where some golf balls were missing from the box

These biodegradable golf balls are made by a company called Biodegradable Golf Canada Inc. These folks are the industry experts at creating golf balls that are easier on the environment. They use a unique formula of corn starch and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to make their fully biodegradable golf balls.

Each of these golf balls will fully dissolve in water after 3 to 4 weeks, which is excellent news for all animals living in lakes, ponds, and rivers. In some cases, these golf balls will fully degrade in as little as 2 weeks. There are 2 videos on Amazon that confirm this.

Biodegradable Golf Canada Inc. was founded because of the ongoing plastic pollution problem that’s been going on in North America for several decades. Little plastic fragments from traditional golf balls pose a dangerous threat to all marine life and our drinking water as well. By switching to fully biodegradable golf balls, golfers can join in the fight against plastic pollution.

2. Dixon Wind Eco-Friendly Max Distance Golf Balls

Pros

• Designed with no toxic materials so that no ponds, lakes, rivers, or oceans will be harmed
• Made with 428 huge dimples to produce maximum distance off the tee and pinpoint accuracy on all shots into the green
• The external layer has an incredibly durable eco-friendly cover
• Produces just the right amount of spin for approach shots and short game shots
• Engineered with a unique core that gives each golf ball more recoil resulting in extra distance off the tee
• A non-toxic product that still performs well on the golf course
• An excellent choice for golfers with slower swing speeds in the 60-80 MPH range
• It has a superb alignment tool on the side that will assist with all of your putts
• Uniquely designed to generate a low amount of sidespin, which increases accuracy on tee shots

Cons

• Though these golf balls are 100% biodegradable, the process may unfortunately take up to 40 years
• The price is a little bit steep, but some folks claim these perform just as well as the Titleist Pro V1
• Advanced golfers or folks with higher swing speeds won’t get the same type of distance from these golf balls
• Some golfers may not like the relatively high compression rating of 110

Many golfers shy away from trying environmentally friendly golf balls because they fear they won’t get the same distance as regular golf balls. Thankfully, the fine folks at Dixon Wind have solved that problem. These golf balls are made out of re-processable materials but will still produce plenty of distance off the tee.

Dixon Golf is committed to the process of “Going Green.” All of the company’s team members are required to use reusable coffee mugs and water bottles. The company also does all of its invoicing through email to cut down on the use of paper.

What else is cool about Dixon Golf? They donate to over 8,000 charity golf tournaments each and every year! It’s so nice to do business with a company that consistently gives back to its communities.

3. Dixon Earth Golf Balls

Pros

• Performs better than most 3-piece regular golf balls
• It provides a nice, medium trajectory on all golf shots
• Golfers love how soft these golf balls feel on impact with the clubface
• The compression rating of 80 makes it an excellent choice for a wide range of golfers
• Designed to generate a medium amount of spin on all approach shots and short game shots
• Both the golf balls and the packages are made up of 100% recycled materials
• Dixon will give you $1 per ball if you choose to recycle them
• One of the few golf balls on the market that’s truly “green” to the core
• Built with a special polymer that retains each golf ball’s playability
• USGA tournament quality golf ball that won’t harm marine environments

Cons

• The compression rating of 80 may be too higher for golfers with slower swing speeds
• Not quite as much distance off the tee as the Dixon Wind golf balls
• These are slightly more expensive than the Dixon Wind line

Dixon makes it on our list twice because both their Wind and Earth lines are made from 100% recycled materials. The company goes to great lengths to ensure that no dangerous heavy metals like lead, cobalt, or tungsten are used in their manufacturing process. The Dixon Earth golf balls perform beautifully, just like the Dixon Wind ones do.

4. EcoBioBalls by Albus Golf

Pros

• This is the best choice for driving ranges that are near bodies of water
• Bought and sold in over 50 countries around the world
• 100% safe for all types of water and won’t harm any marine life
• You can practice your golf swing and feed the fish at the same time
• It entirely breaks down in 48 hours or less, which is the fastest on the market
• No more feeling bad when you hit a golf ball into the water

Cons

• These don’t perform anywhere near what a standard golf ball does
• The EcoBioBall is only meant to be hit 1 time, so you’ll need to buy lots of them
• They only give you about 30% of the distance of a traditional golf ball

You may not believe this, but these biodegradable golf balls are made with fish food! How cool is that? Not only is the EcoBioBall 100% safe for all marine flora, but they’re also perfectly safe for fish to eat.

This single-use golf ball is ideal for folks who want to hit balls into bodies of water for fun. The EcoBioBall is sold to lots of cruise ships and massive beachside resorts. Fun fact: World-renowned motivational life coach Tony Robbins uses EcoBioBalls.

FAQs

Golfers who’ve never used biodegradable golf balls are bound to have lots of questions about how they perform. To help with that, we’ve created the following frequently asked questions section.

Our hope is that this will help you make the best decision when it comes time to buy new biodegradable golf balls. After all, the only thing better than shooting a low score is doing it while not harming the planet.

Are biodegradable golf balls good?

Well, that depends on what you mean by good. Are biodegradable golf balls better for protecting the environment? Absolutely! Will they help you shoot lower scores like some of the high-performance regular golf balls out there? That’s where things get a little bit tricky.

Thankfully, a lot of the golf balls on our list have performed very well, even when going up against big-name brands like Titleist, Bridgestone, Callaway, etc. Both of the Dixon golf balls on our list have performed just as well as a Titleist Pro V1 in various tests.

How long do biodegradable golf balls take to decompose?

It all depends on the brand and the elements that they use to make the golf ball. Some biodegradable golf balls will fully dissolve in a matter of weeks after being hit into the water. Other brands can take several years to dissolve completely.

That’s in stark contrast to regular golf balls, which can take hundreds or even thousands of years to disintegrate in the water fully.

What makes regular golf balls so bad for the environment?

Traditional golf balls may perform beautifully on the golf course, but they’re made up of materials like plastic, zinc oxide, and zinc acrylate. Needless to say, these elements may seem harmless on the surface, but they can do lots of damage to the fauna surrounding them in water.

Why are biodegradable golf balls more environmentally friendly?

Golf manufacturing companies create biodegradable golf balls by taking out all of the materials that can pollute the earth. They replace these harmful elements with natural substances like corn starch or even fish food.

Which golf ball performs well on the golf course but is also eco-friendly?

If you’re a serious golfer who’s also conscious of the environment, we recommend either the Dixon Wind or Dixon Earth golf balls. Both of these will perform, feel, and sound more similar to a traditional golf ball. The only downside is that they’ll take longer to degrade than some of the other brands on the market.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.