Golf balls are often made of hard plastic called polyurethane. This material is not biodegradable, meaning that it will never break down into harmless substances, and the waste can pile up if left to nature.

Do golf balls decompose?

An estimated 300 million golf balls are lost or discarded in the United States every year, according to research by the Danish Golf Union. Because it can take golf balls 100 to 1,000 years to decompose, scientists say, they present a major environmental risk to the planet.

Are golf balls bad for the environment?

The balls are bad for the environment because as they break down, some release a core that includes about 300 yards of stretched rubber, which is wound around a smaller ball at its core. ... When these leach out from the golf balls, they are toxic to marine life.