Should you salt your golf balls?

This is a question I never thought I’d ask. Do you salt your balls? Golf balls that is, keep it clean. 

Bryson DeChambeau likes salty balls.

Interviewed after his win at the 2024 US Open, DeChambeau shared that he runs a hot bath for his Titleist ProV1 left dash golf balls.

Stay with me here. 

In fact, I’ll just let him explain:

“I put my golf ball in Epsom salt. We float golf balls in a solution to make sure they are not out of balance.” 

What he would go on to say was pretty interesting: 

“There was big thing back in the day were golf ball were out of balance. Just because of manufacturing processes there’s always going to be an error, especially when it’s a sphere. With the dimples on the edges, you can’t get it perfectly in the centre. So, what I’m doing is finding out the out of balance of it is. The heavy side will float to the bottom and then we mark the top with a dot so it’s always rolling over itself.” 

You’re probably scratching your head trying to make sense of this, but he goes on to explain and simplify it with this analogy: 

“Its kind of like mud. So if there’s too much weight on one side you can put it to 90 degrees to were the mud is on the right hand side. I’m using mud as a reference for the weight, and it will fly differently and consistently. Most golf balls I get, it’s not that big of a deal, I just try to be a precise as possible and it’s one more step that I do make sure my golf ball flies as straight as possible, because I’m not that great at landing it straight.” 

I don’t know about you but my golf game isn’t good enough to even consider doing this. However, it just shows you the lengths and thought process that DeChambeau goes through to try and get those marginals gains to be even more efficient and consistent and win a major championship.

So should YOU salt your golf balls?

I’m going to test it to see if there’s anything in it, but I can’t imagine us hackers will get anything out of it. I mean, we’re just poking around a field for fun. This guy’s trying to win the biggest tournaments in the game. 

If you do try it – be sure to let me know…

👨🏼‍🔬🧂🏌🏻‍♂️Bryson DeChambeau on his salty balls: “I put my golf balls in Epsom salt…Essentially, we float golf balls in a solution to make sure the golf ball is not out of balance.”

pic.twitter.com/AYgidg69vI

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 16, 2024

• What’s in Bryson DeChambeau’s bag?

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor