Storing golf balls in cold temperatures

[$2 Nassau]

I live in CT and have a couple dozen leftover balls from last season that have been sitting in my garage all winter. There is no heat at all in this garage and the temperature basically mirrors what it is outside at any given time. Any lasting negative effects to the golf balls that sat there all winter?

[Mr3Putt]

Unless they have a liquid center from days gone by, I would say no noticeable change in the performance of the balls.

As long as they are dry, they should be fine.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Nah, not really. When the temps come up you should be able to play with them without any real drawback. If you tried to play with them frozen though you would notice a change.

Durning the winter, i ususally keep the balls i play inside the house, and when i play bring them out to the course. The first couple of holes, they feel great and how they should feel. But once they absorb the cold they become rocks.

[ynvmygp]

a little trick i use on cold Michigan days is i put my golf balls in a smaller pocket in my bag, and use those hand warmers you can buy, the air activated ones. just throw 3 balls in and surround them by the warmers and they stay nice and toasty. i also do this if there is a long drive hole on a scramble or something, the warmed up balls seem to cut the air alot better. hope this helps.

[klaymon]

a little trick i use on cold Michigan days is i put my golf balls in a smaller pocket in my bag, and use those hand warmers you can buy, the air activated ones. just throw 3 balls in and surround them by the warmers and they stay nice and toasty. i also do this if there is a long drive hole on a scramble or something, the warmed up balls seem to cut the air alot better. hope this helps.

Just an FYI:

For recreational play, I'm sure no one would call you on it. However, it is against rule 14-3 (Decision 13.5). The key words are PRIOR and DURING. 14-3/13.5 Golf Ball Artificially Warmed Q. Is the use of a golf ball that was purposely warmed during a stipulated round with a golf ball warmer, hand warmer or any such device a breach of Rule 14-3 ? A. Yes. Use of a ball that has been purposely warmed during a stipulated round with an artificial device constitutes a breach of Rule 14-3 . However, it would not be a breach of Rule 14-3 to use a ball that was artificially warmed prior to the stipulated round. (Revised) As far as warm balls traveling farther, they do so because the core/mantle/cover are more pliable and react like they are designed to when struck.

[Lefty22]

Just an FYI:

Glad I'm not the only one who wanted to point this out

[ynvmygp]

Glad I'm not the only one who wanted to point this out

and i dont care...

[misty_mountainhop]

and i dont care...

Lucky you're unlikely to play in the same competitions as me then....

[ynvmygp]

Lucky you're unlikely to play in the same competitions as me then....

ive only done it once in a long drive hole, lets just say it wasnt near the fairway. not like im going on the tour and using hand warmers to heat up my balls. i was just saying, if you wanna keep them warm while playing, its not like its going to do a whole lot anyways. you all act like you're on the tour... "well if we look at section 3 page 19 paragraph 4, third sentence, you will see you can not go pee in the woods, you will have to forfeit your card".... get a life...

[GaijinGolfer]

Cold can do harm to golfballs and you should not allow them to freeze because it can harm their performance.

[klaymon]

No, we act like we know and follow the rules of golf. First off, I never said anything disparaging about your method. I simply pointed out that the rules prohibit what you were mentioning. So, if the OP had taken your advice in a sanctioned event, he would have been in breach of the rules and, had he been found out, he would have been penalized.

None of this has to do with being high and mighty as you might suggest. As I said above, in casual play with your buddies, do what you want. In any kind of "event" (local tourney or whatever), you should play by the rules or don't get butt hurt when someone calls you on it.

Good day.

[Lefty22]

ive only done it once in a long drive hole, lets just say it wasnt near the fairway. not like im going on the tour and using hand warmers to heat up my balls. i was just saying, if you wanna keep them warm while playing, its not like its going to do a whole lot anyways. you all act like you're on the tour... "well if we look at section 3 page 19 paragraph 4, third sentence, you will see you can not go pee in the woods, you will have to forfeit your card".... get a life...

This post is BS: A poor rationalization from a guilty conscience. So basically "I only cheated once; and it didn't really help me so I don't call that cheating; and the rules I don't play by are stupid anyway"

There is nothing in the rules like your pee in the woods example and to imply that the rules are that trivial and asinine is going to piss off (well at least irritate) a good number of golfers. If it doesn't help, and you only did it once, and you know it's cheating, then don't recommend it to others. Also call BS on the "only did it once"; you said "cold Michigan day s " and then talk about scrambles and it making the ball cut the air better making it sound like you've done this enough to observe the difference... Thanks - Jeff: who plays his cold balls down

[ynvmygp]

This post is BS: A poor rationalization from a guilty conscience. So basically "I only cheated once; and it didn't really help me so I don't call that cheating; and the rules I don't play by are stupid anyway"

guilty conscience? i never said i only d,id it once. i said i only did it once on a long drive contest, sure if its cold out and i have hand warmers available (not like i go out and buy them for this reason...) i will through them in a pocket. how about you learn to understand what you read before you try and call someone out... your telling me that you have never, ever done anything that is against the rules.. u never used a foot wedge, or never missed a shot and didnt count it. i play every stroke, every lie, but when its cold out, i heat up a golf ball... get over it and worry about your game...

[kfowler]

ynvmygp - I found your idea to be pretty clever. That being said I think you're being a little over sensitive. There's nothing wrong with someone pointing out what the rule was. He even acknowledged it's not a big deal for casual play.

[flanagan]

I don't see the harm in getting some very helpful advice on the rules. If you are heating up your balls to try to win a long drive in a scramble, and when you say "scramble" most assume you are talking about an actual event, you should stop doing that, and you should care if it violates the rules. There are any number of ways you can get into trouble with the rules, better to find out, than have someone call you on something later and have it turn into some kind of incident.

I find the whole ball warming thing pretty pointless. If I'm playing when it's cold, then cold balls are part of the equation, might as well learn how to deal with them.

However, I won't presume to tell anyone else how to monitor or regulate the temperature of their own balls . . . .

[Lefty22]

i never said i only d,id it once. i said i only did it once on a long drive contest.

To be completely accurate and so you realize my post was based on misinformation you provided I'll point out that you actually said "ive only done it once in a long drive

hole ". Hole not contest; thus giving the impression you claimed to only have use this method on one hole that required a long drive.

when its cold out, i heat up a golf ball... get over it and worry about your game...

Hmmm: I work at my game I don't worry about it... perhaps those who pick and choose the rules they play by spend time "worrying" about which rules they will play by and which ones they won't. When it's cold out I say you are cheating; I'm allowed to have my opinion (in this case it just happens to be derived from quantifiable facts).

I'm not posting in your direction in this thread anymore because I think you feel I'm attacking you. Honestly when this started I just hoped that someone would post that this was illegal so someone new to the game (I am in this group having played less than a year) didn't think this was OK an then get called out on it. On a different note; this conversation has made up my mind on my own rules violation. I have been playing with Bionic brand gloves for about 8 months (since I started playing); I found out yesterday by reading some old reviews on this site that they are in fact only USGA legal if you have a medical reason to play them. I like that these keep my hand from getting sore (plus they last forever) and I was considering continuing to wear them but I don't have arthritis (yet) so I have so stop playing them if I want to truly track a USGA handicap. Bummer: I'll use the last two I have on the range until they wear out but after that I'm done with them until I have a reason to play them.

[kfowler]

I found out yesterday by reading some old reviews on this site that they are in fact only USGA legal if you have a medical reason to play them.

Are you serious? I did not know that. I tried one last year for a while. Liked the durability but it felt a little too bulky. I had no idea it was illegal. I wonder why?

[Lefty22]

Are you serious? I did not know that. I tried one last year for a while. Liked the durability but it felt a little too bulky. I had no idea it was illegal. I wonder why?

Totally serious - this is from the PDF linked to below which was published after the glove failed to pass 3 times and then Bionic sued the USGA (so 4 tries and 1 lawsuit later they only got a conditional medical sanction):

The United States Golf Association has informed Hillerich & Bradsby Co., that it will permit wear of the Bionic® Golf Glove in USGA sanctioned events for players with arthritis of the hands. The USGA has placed the Bionic Golf Glove on a List of Equipment Permitted Conditionally for Medical Reasons. Link to PDF Link to review from The Sand Trap