One Ohio company has gone the extra step to keep golf balls out of the landfills and on your local course.

You can now "go green" while aiming for the green.

"We got an eco-friendly ball. Truly a recycled ball," said Daniel Deighan, Sunset Golf in Loudonville.

Sacks of golf balls once lost in ponds make their way to the Sunset Golf facility in Loudonville. There, the balls are completely taken apart.

"We're the only company that I'm aware of that has the technology to remove the cover," Deighan said.

Deighan said that's the key. Water doesn't ruin the core of the golf ball, so the rubber inside can be reused.

"Within 24 hours, the new core is being molded, which puts the new cover on it," Deighan said.

A machine molds a new cover in almost any color you can imagine. Even the new cover is made from a recycled material, reground Surlyn. Surlyn is a durable, tear-resistant plastic cover used on the outside of modern golf balls.

Once the new ball is molded, it must be buffed to make it nice and smooth before heading to the print room. Workers make sure the logos look good on the golf balls and then they're ready for the course.

"It's nice to be able to take the balls going to the landfill and give them a new life," Deighan said.

Back on the golf course, the recycled golf balls look just like just any other ball.

"If they're both the same ball, you would never know it," Deighan said. "It's going to spin the same, it's going to go the same distance, it's going to play the same on the greens."

The eco-balls are packaged by the dozen and you can purchase them online.

More Information:

Sunset Golf, LLC

©2010 by ONN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.