‘Billions’ of golf balls could be lost every year. Where do they end up?

With some estimating that billions of balls are lost annually around the world, efforts are being made to tackle this environmental hazard.

Tiger Woods scrunches his face in frustration as he watches his ball splash into the Pacific Ocean. The momentary aberration is little more than a footnote to what will be regarded by many as the greatest performance in the history of the sport. Woods’ staggering 15-shot victory at the 2000 US Open in Pebble Beach, California, showed a level of a mastery that may never be matched. And yet, Woods lost a ball. His hooked shot from the 18th tee sank some 40 feet to join the other white, pink and yellow orbs scattered across the sea floor of Stillwater Cove. If the world No.1 and future 82-time PGA Tour winner could surrender a ball to the environment at the peak of his near-superhuman powers, just how many do the millions of mere mortal golfers across the globe lose each year? The short answer: A lot. A record 45 million people played the sport in the US during 2023, according to the United States Golf Association (USGA), and there were another 31.6 million unregistered and registered golfers across 146 countries last year, according to the R&A.