What is the shelf life of golf balls?
Most of today’s golf balls should have a shelf life of more than five years given normal storage conditions. To maximize shelf life, we recommend storing golf balls in a dry place at room temperature. Additionally, a ball that is stored in a hot car trunk or unconditioned attic may under perform a ball stored in a cool dry location. Storing golf balls in the freezer is never recommended and does not preserve their compression and freshness contrary to some belief. The old wound balls of yesterday had a significantly lesser shelf life. This was due to the effects of temperature and time on the elasticity of the rubber windings inside the ball resulting in some level of performance degradation. We are not aware on any scientific studies that address golf ball shelf life documenting its exact effect on performance.
