The average golfer loses about two golf balls every round. Ever wonder what happens to them? Whether they’re dunked in the water, shanked into the woods, or simply couldn’t be found, odds are it’ll end up in one of a few places; the landfill, someone’s garage, or left to rot somewhere on the course.
Golf balls are not biodegradable so they can remain on the golf course or in landfills for many years. However, one AJGA junior is partnering with courses in Florida, including The Country Club at Mirasol, where the AJGA hosted the 2023 Team TaylorMade Invitational, to do something about it.
Alexander Weinberg is an AJGA junior golfer with a passion for entrepreneurship. He and his two siblings started a non-profit, Green Golf Impact, with the goal to make golf more sustainable by collecting and recycling or refurbishing used golf balls.
As golfers, Weinberg and his siblings noticed how many golf balls would go to waste.
"You see thousands of golf balls in lakes and in people's garages. We thought to ourselves that there has to be a way for us to recycle these golf balls. My siblings and I combined our passion for the environment, golf and entrepreneurship by starting Green Golf Impact as a way to recycle golf balls and make the game more sustainable."
Weinberg first reaches out to different clubs around his area. Once a club shows interest, he speaks with staff about what the best approach would be to collect golf balls at their facilities. Green Golf Impact provides clubs with collection bins where anyone can deposit their unwanted balls. Once the bins begin to fill, the balls will be collected and shipped off to be recycled.
"After a round, members can drop their used and unwanted golf balls in the bins. Once they fill up, we pick up the golf balls and recycle them through our partnering company."
Green Golf Impact is still in its first year. Reaching out to golf clubs to pitch the idea means it has its fair share of rejection, however, Green Golf Impact has successfully made its way into five different golf clubs. They hope to spread the word and grow the sustainability of the game.
If you would like to get involved, you can reach out to Green Golf Impact via the contact page of their website, greengolfimpact.com .
