Creative Crafters Give New Life to Old Abandoned Golf Balls

My own "Golf Ball Crafts" pinboard is one of many.

Golf balls have come a long way from their humble beginnings in 15th century Scotland.

Over the years, a smooth, solid wooden orb has morphed into a be-dimpled, multi-layered sphere of high-tech resins and rubber.

This impressive evolution has contributed to a substantial increase in distance... in both professional and amateur players, hitting both woods and irons.  Which is good,  as distance is prized by most golfers.  However, there's a downside... or two... in the modern golf ball's supernatural powers.

Some surmise that the longer ball flight has led to longer courses and longer, more expensive rounds.

There's also the fact that while the modern golf ball's nearly impenetrable polymers take hundreds of years to decompose, today's balls still fall victim to wear and tear. With regular use, their aerodynamic performance will eventually become compromised by nicks, scuffs and abrasions.  Never mind that the average golfer would be unlikely to ever notice the minute inconsistencies that occur, many are quick to abandon even a slightly bruised ball.  Add to that the fact that golf ranges replace their battered golf balls regularly, and you've got to wonder: what happens to all these prematurely discarded globes of impermeable plastic?

Most of them are recycled;  they're donated to junior golf programs and sent to soldiers serving abroad or sold to players like me; recreational players who buy used... refurbished, refinished... balls for casual rounds because we accept that the less-than-pristine condition of our golf balls is not going to affect our often abysmal scores.  And because we tend lose a couple/few each round.

There's also a small but creative group of crafters who are upcycling old golf balls in all kinds of interesting ways, creating everything from original art to home accessories. As with all things DIY, Pinterest is the place to start for inspiration. There are dozens of pinboards, dedicated to golf ball crafts, and most of the projects are easy, family-friendly and fun.  So if you happen to have some old unwanted golf balls, you may want to see what you can do with them.  Or you can just send them to me.