Dec 30, 2015 4 min read

Dear Annie: I can’t believe your response to the letter from “Between a Golf Ball and a Hard Place,” saying golf balls shouldn’t be cleaned in the kitchen sink.

We routinely wash fruits and vegetables in the kitchen sink, and they have dirt and chemicals on them. Fighting over which sink to wash them in is like fighting over which way to hang the toilet paper. Get over it! – EMT

Dear EMT: We were surprised at the volume of mail this letter elicited. A lot of golfers must read our column. (And let’s not get into the toilet paper.) Here are a few more comments:

From I’m Not Fooled: I’ve played golf for 50 years and everyone uses the ball washers at each tee or wets a towel and wipes them. Unless a ball is lost or damaged, golfers play with one ball for 18 holes. How hard is it to wash one ball at the end of a round?

Practical Guy: I fail to see the problem. Cabbage and potatoes are exposed to the same environment as golf balls, and I am sure the wife has no problem washing those things in the kitchen sink. The problem seems more territorial than practical. My wife and I both wash paintbrushes and scrub buckets in the kitchen sink. On many occasions, I’ve washed dog poop from the soles of our shoes in that sink. Just clean the sink when you’re done, and forget about it.

D: Please tell that Golf (goof) Ball never to wash those disgusting things in the kitchen sink. When he washes the car, he can have an extra pail with hot water, soap and maybe a little bleach and throw in the balls. By the time he’s finished with his car, those balls will be pretty clean. His wife should give him information on E. coli and show pictures of necrotizing fasciitis. I would disinfect the kitchen and tell him I’d never make him another meal unless this stops. (He should take off his shoes before entering the house, too.)

The Villages: There should not be a big issue with cleaning golf balls. Take a wet towel and clean them after you play.

California: We put a lot of stuff in our kitchen sink that is disgusting, but nobody thinks twice about it – mostly fruits and vegetables from our garden that are covered in dirt and fertilizer. We simply clean the sink thoroughly with bleach and that’s the end of it. I think she doesn’t want her husband to play golf.

S. Spring: As a health educator and a pesticide reform activist since the ’80s, it is unfortunate that some folks are still not aware of the toxicity of pesticides that are used on nearly all American golf courses. Golf balls are contaminated from contact with pesticides on the grass, and most certainly ought not be washed at home, except in a designated pail. Shoes and gloves used for golfing would best never be taken inside the home, and instead left in the garage or a golf locker. Pesticides are designed to adhere to surfaces, even during rain, and are highly toxic. Their half-lives are decades long. An online search of “pesticide and golf course” will give your readers some education. Thank you.

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