Is It Illegal To Hit Golf Balls Into The Ocean? Yes, hitting golf balls into the ocean is not allowed!
Many golfers find it a sport to hit golf balls. What they don’t realize is that this act leaves an impact on nature that one can’t undo.
Hitting golf balls into lakes don’t have to be illegal for it to be considered wrong. If dumping plastic bottles and cans is littering, then hitting golf balls is automatically littering too. And littering is not an activity you do for fun.
Many golfers worldwide practice by hitting golf balls in open spaces and then don’t bother retrieving them. Little do they know that this practice is very harmful to nature and the sea in particular.
Some people also hit golf balls into open spaces with their friends to have fun. Some land in the ocean and that act of hitting balls in the lakes is really damaging to the aqueous environments.
This stuff happened all the time with people riding on cruise ships, specifically those that sailed on the east coast.
It is a social taboo, but it keeps happening all around our world and disrupts our beautiful nature. Even someone like Tiger Woods should not be allowed to harm the environment like this.
This is exactly why it is illegal to hit golf balls into the ocean because every golf ball that sinks to the bottom of a lake will at least kill one fish as it degrades.
What impact does hitting golf balls in the ocean have on nature?
Did you know that hitting golf balls into the sea is considered littering? It is a crime and one that can be punished as well, but let us look at how serious this dilemma is.
Even though a ball is so small, it may be harmful. You don’t even need to play golf to understand that hitting golf balls in the ocean is dangerous. According to research, annually, 50,000 or more individuals visit the emergency department after being harmed by golf balls.
The density of seven plastic shopping bags is comparable to the mass of one ball submerged in water. As they break down, some of the balls make a core with about 350 yards of expanded rubber wrapped around a small ball in the middle. This core and the rubber hurt aquatic life.
While the cover degrades into tiny plastic shards consumed by algae and other marine animals, the latex floats to the top and mixes with the kelp. This is how microplastics may enter the food chain, which is extremely harmful to aquatic life.
Damage Through Golf Courses and Environmental Conservation
According to CNN, the natural breakdown of a golf ball might take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to complete. According to another article, around 300 million golf balls are misplaced or thrown away annually in America.
Golf courses have been the target of criticism for a very long time due to the damaging effects they can have on the surrounding ecosystem.
A lot of fresh water is used to keep golf courses in good shape, which could be better used for farming and human consumption.
Pesticides and fertilizers that are dangerous to humans are used on the golf course and driving range to keep the plants in good shape.
This creates an even bigger issue. These compounds are very hazardous because they may remain in the soil for years, rendering the soil unfit for the growth of other things.
Some of these chemicals, together with the topsoil, are readily washed away when it rains. This runoff then pollutes the lake or shoreline next to it, and in the case of Pebble Beach, it also pollutes the ocean.
What makes a golf ball so dangerous for marine animals?
The balls shot in the sea are dangerous for marine animals.
The outside layer of a modern golf ball is composed of polyurethane elastomer, while the center of the ball is constructed of synthetic rubber.
Golf balls may be the main source of marine plastic and plastic debris in the ocean because they contain a lot of zinc acrylate, which is particularly dangerous to aquatic life.
Flexible and durable cores are created by combining the solid core with zinc oxide, zinc acrylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide.
These toxins are also very hazardous to life in the ocean. Fish, plankton, and crabs have shown stress responses to these substances.
Whenever a golf ball is thrown into the water, it quickly sinks. To this day, there is no evidence that the presence of golf balls negatively impacts the native flora and fauna.
However, when the golf balls break down and deteriorate at sea, they may release toxins and nano-plastic into the surrounding water or sediments.
In addition, if the golf balls were to shatter into smaller pieces, fish, birds, or other creatures could be able to swallow them.
The overwhelming majority of the golf balls that were gathered had little signs of wear. Some of them might have even been resold and used again.
Due to constant mechanical activity in the dynamic tidal and nearshore habitats, several organisms were harmed to the extent that they could not survive.
According to our best estimates, golfers hit golf balls in the lakes and shed more than 60 pounds of unrecoverable microplastic into the environment. That is just the amount of golf balls that we have gathered.
Green Sports: A solution!
As we go through some of the highlighted statistics, we can’t help but become more conscious of how golf, in comparison to surfing, isn’t a sport that can be sustained for the long term.
Golf ball pollution is serious, and golfing seems somewhat ridiculous as a kind of recreation.
The fact that it comes at an environmental cost and endangers not only fish but also has an effect on human health. Golfers must be aware of what their swing and miss shot by the coast does to nature.
Someone should begin creating environment-friendly balls that are biodegradable or at least float. Alternatively, golf courses might be moved to another location.
A core group of virtuous and environmentally conscientious surfers laid the groundwork for what would become known as the “Green Movement.”
Because so many of us believed in it and worked toward its success, it eventually grew into a wave.
It seems like now would be a good moment for the golfing business to start thinking about how it might become more environmentally friendly. If we don’t take action now, we risk ourselves and our children.
If you are a golfer, we ask that you not send your “hit-misses” into the lake as you play the game. If there were no more wayward balls floating about that may potentially pollute the ocean’s ecology, the environment would be substantially cleaner.
Biodegradable balls should be prioritized as they are great for nature and a good and new business opportunity for those who have looked to get into ethical businesses at one point in their lives.
Plenty of golf balls are needed by everyone who plays golf, so one can rest assured that this business can lead to a lot of revenue.
These balls can also double as fish food once they deteriorate, which is great for our aquatic life.
They should make biodegradable balls and eco golf balls into reality and one that is here to stay instead of being a sham.
These balls also offer a lot of swing speed, so they are not useless in that aspect, and recently, we have seen a rise in the number of biodegradable golf balls used on the golf course.
Conclusion
Is it bad to hit golf balls into a body of water, such as a lake or the ocean?
In one word–”Yes.” They not only endanger marine life but also destroy the delicate ecology on the bottom, which is a shame since it is so beautiful. The cleaning will cost a lot of money.
Is it illegal to hit golf balls in the sea? It is banned in some areas of the globe while being fully legal in others, but the fact that it is not a nice pastime but something that should be frowned upon and its legality does not alter the fact that hitting balls into a lake or ocean is something that should be avoided at all costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who discovered that hitting golf balls into the ocean was a big problem?
Nobody knew how pervasive this condition was until around three years ago when two teens, including Alex Weber, were scuba diving on the coast near a Californian golf course when they discovered the watery cemetery of the golfer’s “hit-misses.”
The floor of the ocean was white, and surprisingly it wasn’t due to coral bleaching. Golf balls covered the seabed! And that is all done by golfers when they hit their balls using their clubs in the lakes.
Alex Weber then phoned a researcher at Stanford University to tell them about the numerous golf balls she had discovered. The researcher proposed working along with other people to investigate the issue further.
This led to the publication of the first study ever written on the subject of golf ball marine pollution, which brought to light another way golf courses might harm the surrounding marine ecosystem.
Is diving for golf balls against the law?
There is no straightforward response to this question, but the simplest answer is “no,” it is not against the law to seek golf balls, provided you show proper courtesy to the golf course’s owner and don’t cause any disturbances while you are about it.
You can even sell the balls that you find on your dive and make a profit while helping the environment.
It might be unlawful in international waters, depending on the location.
Do golf balls have any negative impact on the ocean?
There is no evidence to suggest that the presence of golf balls negatively influences marine flora and fauna.
However, when the balls break apart and decay in the ocean, they may trigger the release of microplastics and certain chemicals into the ocean.
Also, if the golf balls were to shatter into smaller pieces, fish, insects, or other creatures present in the nearby lakes could swallow them and die.
Are biodegradable golf balls safe to play with?
Yes, because biodegradable golf balls can decompose in natural environments and do not include plastic or other harsh components.
Do golf balls decompose in water?
Although it happens extremely slowly, golf balls deteriorate. However, We should warn you that golf balls may absorb water if buried for an extended length of time.
The ball’s properties will alter as a result of doing this and will lose out on its characteristics. Finding out how much the balls will lose and be altered is tough to predict and will need thorough testing.
Some people say that golf balls won’t change if they are submerged for a long time, but they are usually in favor of lake balls. This will also save the harmful balls from becoming food for aquatic life.
Lake balls happen to be a terrific option for beginning golfers to stretch their money. However, when your handicap decreases, you may want to choose fresh balls to get optimal results in your golf game.
How many golf balls does the ocean have?
Golf balls reportedly cover the seafloor in the lakes that flow into the ocean in numbers ranging from 2-7 million.
Golfers have been recklessly driving balls into lakes for a very long time, and the forest and course administrators have been completely indifferent to this problem.
Golfers make up a sizable portion of the global population, and there are more than 30,000 golf courses worldwide, so it stands to reason that there are likely many balls on the ocean floor.
Golf balls have mainly gone undetected under the ocean’s surface because they sink. But there is a serious hazard from these covert dangers.
Polyurethane elastomer is the coating used to create the tough exterior of golf balls. They include toxic materials that are very damaging to marine life in their cores, which are composed of synthetic rubber.