Should You Clean Your Golf Ball After Every Hole? Why and How?
Originally Published at - https://wired2golf.com/should-you-clean-your-golf-ball-after-every-hole-how-and-why/
You always see pros and your playing partners cleaning their golf ball during a round, but is it that important? If it is important then when should you do it and is there any time when you aren’t allowed to?
The simple answer is yes you should clean it, and yes there are rules as to when you are allowed to.
Now that we have established that cleaning your golf ball is important let's dive into when you are allowed to clean your ball, what happens if you don’t clean it, and how to properly clean it.
When Can You Clean Your Golf Ball During A Round?
To get the maximum performance from your golf ball it is extremely important to clean it before all of your drives and before any putt. Whenever your ball is not in play you are always permitted to clean it, making it an easy choice to clean it between holes. Additionally any time you mark your ball on the green you are allowed to clean it to ensure a smooth and predictable roll.
Can you clean your golf ball on the fairway?
Generally you cannot clean your golf ball from the fairway unless the lift, clean and place rule is in place. Under rule 14.1 if you are forced to lift your ball from the fairway to see if it is cut or cracked, because it interferes with play, or to see if you qualify for relief you are not allowed to clean your ball and you will receive a one stroke penalty if you do clean it.
Can you clean mud off your ball before you hit?
You can always clean mud off of your ball before a hole and after marking your ball on the green. When your ball is in the rough or on the fairway you have to play it as it lies and deal with a muddy ball on your next shot.
What is the lift, clean, and place rule?
The lift, clean, and place rule is a common point of contention amongst golf purists and organizing bodies alike because it is not technically a rule of golf. Many super low rounds have been erased from the record books due to playing under this rule.
The rule comes into play when your ball is in the fairway you are playing. If lift, clean, and place is in effect then you are allowed to mark your ball, clean it, and place it back in the fairway, usually within a scorecard of the marker.
You usually come across this rule at courses during the offseason or just after heavy storms when the fairways are very moist, swampy, and muddy. This rule allows you to hit regular golf shots without dealing with the excessively bad conditions.
Here’s Why You Should Clean Your Golf Ball After Every Hole
While a small amount of dirt or a grass stain on your golf ball may seem insignificant in the scheme of an entire round of golf, that small blemish can have large repercussions on the flight of your ball.
The modern golf ball is engineered down to the smallest detail to produce a specific amount of spin, add distance with aerodynamics, and create a good feel off of the club face. If there is mud on your ball it will spin less, carry less far, and overall just react more unpredictably. This could throw your ball off by tens of feet or tens of yards.
Luckily cleaning your golf ball is a simple and reliable way to add consistency to your golf game.
How to Properly Clean Golf Balls
Now that we have established how important it is to play with a clean golf ball let's look into how you clean your golf balls during your round and at home.
Cleaning Golf Balls On the Course
Generally it is pretty easy to keep your golf balls clean on the golf course. If you are riding in a cart there is often a ball cleaner built in, and elsewhere there are ball cleaners on most tee boxes.
If you are playing a new course and don’t know the ball cleaner situation you should make sure to wet your golf towel before you start and then again at the turn or whenever is convenient. This wet towel in conjunction with a nylon club cleaning brush on your bag is effective at cleaning mud and grass stains off your ball before putts or before tee shots.
Cleaning Golf Balls at Home
Despite how easy it is to clean your ball on the course you don’t want to be scrubbing a dirty ball on the first tee box. Instead make sure to start your round with a plethora of clean golf balls by cleaning your used balls at home before you head to the course.
You can clean your golf balls at home with items you already have. The most effective method is to use dish soap and warm water and let your golf balls soak for 30 minutes. After they soak they should be fairly clean, but any stubborn dirt or stains can then be scrubbed off with a nylon brush. Make sure it is a nylon brush as bristles harder than that can actually scuff the outside of the ball.
Your golf balls should now be clean and ready for the course. If there is discoloration that is still bothering you, you can make a hot water and bleach mixture and let the balls soak again. This combination will kill anything growing on the ball and return them to a like-new white color.
Can you clean golf balls in a washing machine?
Cleaning golf balls in a washing machine is also an option, however it is very loud and may not be your housemates favorite practice. We would recommend using the soaking method above as the results and effort are the same without risking damaging an expensive washing machine.
When to Replace Your Golf Ball
Sometimes your ball takes more damage then the usual mud or grass stain. Errant shots that strike cart paths or trees can often leave scuffs on your ball that cannot be cleaned off.
Does this mean you should replace it when starting the next hole?
Yes. A damaged golf ball does not perform consistently and thus you should switch to a new ball as soon as legally possible, which is almost always before your tee shot on the next hole.
How much distance do you lose with a scuffed ball?
While this seems obvious it is often overlooked by amature golfers because it doesn’t seem like a small scuff will do all that much. In this case they could not be more wrong. A scuffed golf ball can actually take 3 to 5 yards off of shots over 200 yards.
Now this may seem negligible for higher handicappers but it is adding an additional variable to your shot that you do not have to add. The best way to shoot lower scores is controlling what you can control, and there is nothing easier to control than the condition of your golf ball.
How often do golfers change balls?
It is easy to remember to change golf balls when you find a scuff or cut in the casing, but short of big damage how often should you change your golf ball?
Pros change their undamaged golf balls a few times a round depending on their personal preference, some change it every hole, others after a birdie, and others at random when it feels right. However according to ball manufacturers the average golfer should only change their ball when it is damaged or they lose it.
Short of damage caused by trees, rocks, or cart paths the modern golf ball will not lose spin, distance, or speed with repeated use. So if you have the accuracy off the tee you could use a ball for multiple rounds without stressing about loss of performance.
The Takeaway - Should You Clean Your Golf Ball After Every Hole?
Cleaning your golf ball after every hole and before every putt, as you are permitted to do in the rules, is vitally important to your score. Golf is an unpredictable game, so any time you have direct control over a situation like cleaning your golf ball, you need to do it.
Cleaning mud and stains off of your golf ball before you head to the tee box allows the ball to fly predictably to maximize your spin and distance. Meanwhile cleaning your ball before every putt ensures a pure and clean roll that should wind up in the hole on a more regular basis.
When damage to your ball is impossible to scrub off, it is vitally important to change out your ball before the next tee to ensure you do not affect the distance of your tee shots and approaches.
Your golf ball is the only tool in your bag used on every single shot, so don’t be silly, make sure it is maximizing your chances of hitting good shots.
