Golf Balls: How Old Is Too Old?

[WaffleHouseTour]

I found two boxes of ProVs out in the garage yesterday hidden away under some stuff. I’m not sure how old they are, but they’ve been hiding there for at least two seasons.  Maybe three. That is two or three seasons of freezing winters and blistering summers - but still sitting inert. 

That got me to wondering how old is too old for a golf ball?  When does it lose its various properties that create spin etc… if it ever does just sitting inert subject only to time and temperature. 
 

Yes, the new ProVs have new dimples and spin qualities. Yes, we’ve seen the MGS reports on what happens if you play balls recently frozen or heated up - they don’t show, howeve, what happens over time if they are returned to new temperature.   Would be interesting to see a test of a ball, and then test the same ball a year or two later after freezing and thawing but back to the testing temperature. 
 

Any thoughts or experiences?  Two boxes seems like a shame to waste.  But if they are just headed for the bushes or the creek it’d be a shame to waste a scorecard…

[Tom the Golf Nut]

If golf balls are stored between 70 and 80 degrees they are good for 10 years. Since you mentioned they were in the garage with freezing winters and blistering summers, all bets are off. 

If you have a net and a launch monitor I would recommend trying them and comparing numbers against a new ball of same make and model. Even just play a round. They will probably be just fine. I wouldn’t just toss them. But for the future you should store balls in a controlled environment between 70 and 80 degrees.