As an international student athlete, I found it interesting to talk about the

manufacturing process involved in the production of athletic gear. As a golfer playing for the
University golf team of Georgia, I wanted to learn more about where my golf ball that I use
every day comes from.

Today, the golf ball market is worth around $550 million in annual sales, with over
850 million golf balls being manufactured and shipped every year (Golf stats). Currently,
balls are made in two or three parts. A two-piece ball is made of rubber and plastic, and is
mostly used by the casual golfer. These balls last a lot longer than the three-piece balls the
pros use, and which make up 70% of all golf ball production. A three-piece ball consists of a
plastic cover, windings of rubber thread, and a core that contains a gel or liquid (sugar and
water) or is solid. A dimple pattern on the surface results in good flight performance. Size and
depth also affect performance. I personally use a three-piece ball, but it is important to know
that there are around 850 models of balls. Three-piece golf balls are more difficult to make
and can require more than 80 different manufacturing steps and 32 inspections, taking up to
30 days to make one ball. It is also the reason why they are more expansive because two-
piece balls require about half of these steps and can be produced in as little as one day.

The manufacturing process of a golf ball is composed of five steps, from forming the
center of the ball to delivery all around the world.
Like I said, the first step is to form the center of the ball. The center of the two-piece
ball is a molded core. It is a blend of several different ingredients, all of which are chemically
reactive to give a rubber type compound. After heat and pressure are applied, a core of about
1.5 inches (3.75 cm) is formed. Then molding or compression molding is used to form the
cover and dimples on a two-piece ball using a two-piece mold. In injection molding, the core
is centred within a mold cavity by pins, and molten thermoplastic is injected into the dimpled
cavity surrounding the core. Heat and pressure cause the cover material to flow to join with
the center, forming the dimpled shape and size of the finished ball. As the plastic cools and
hardens, the pins are retracted and the finished balls are removed. With compression molding,
the cover is first injection molded into two hollow hemispheres. These are positioned around
the core, heated and then pressed together, using a mold which fuses the cover to the core and
also forms the dimples. Three-piece balls are all compression molded since the hot plastic
flowing through would distort and probably cause breaks in the rubber threads.The step of
polishing, painting and final coating comes after. Rough spots and the seam on the molded
cover are removed. Two coats of paint are applied to the ball. Each ball sits on two posts,
which spins so that the paint is applied uniformly. Spray guns that are automatically
controlled are used to apply the paint. Next, the ball is stamped with the logo (of the
university, for me). The final step is the application of a clear coat for high sheen and scuff
resistance. Last step of the process is the delivery; once the paint is applied, the balls are
loaded into containers and placed in large dryers. After drying, the balls are ready for
packaging in boxes and other containers.
 Unfortunately, creating a golf ball is not without consequences on the environment.
Rubber is the most important ingredient, and it has a lot of negative impact. In fact plants
mulched with rubber may be exposed to high levels of zinc, which can lead to plant death.
As rubber decomposes, its zinc content is released into the soil. Acidic soils and aquatic
environments are particularly sensitive to zinc toxicity because heavy metals and other
positively charged elements are more available to plants in these soils. Rubber also has
consequences on water; rubber mulch used near water sources, such as lakes or backyard
ponds, can leach materials that may kill aquatic life such as algae, zooplankton, snails and
fish. The toxic nature of rubber mulch is due to its mineral content. The tires used to make
rubber mulch contain aluminium, copper, cadmium, iron, chromium, magnesium, selenium,
manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition to these leachates, tires may have been
exposed to other contaminants during their useful lifetime, such as heavy metals like lead,
and these contaminants may also leach into groundwater supplies. Concerning plant effects,
vegetables mulched with rubber can accumulate high levels of metals used in rubber tires,
such as zinc. These metals can build up in plant roots, leaves, or fruit, depending on the
plant, and this can lead to plant death. Removing the mulch only solves part of the problem
because although the source of the problem is gone, the metals that have leached into the
soil are still being taken up by plant roots.

In conclusion, the manufacturing process of athletic gear, in this case a golf ball, has
unfortunate consequences on the environment with the use of rubber, for example.
Work cited

“How golf ball is made”, July 2017, Lauren M Sheppard

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Golf-Ball.html