From the Green to the Gallery: How Golf Balls Are Being Reimagined as Art

I’ll be honest — I never set out to turn golf balls into art. It kind of just happened. I’m Mike Ziebell, and at Reclaimed Colors, I like giving old, forgotten things a second shot. One day, someone handed me a bucket of scuffed-up, lost golf balls, and I figured, “Why not?” Turns out, those little orbs are full of surprises.

Cut one open, and it’s not just white on the inside. Some have wild colors, weird patterns — stuff you’d never expect. That first time, I felt like a kid cracking open a weird rock and finding something cool inside. Now, I look at a pile of old golf balls and see a blank canvas just waiting for a fresh start.

If you’ve ever played golf, you know how those balls can vanish — into a lake, into some brush, wherever. They mostly just get left behind. Making art from them feels right to me. It’s a way to take something tossed aside and turn it into something people want to hang on their wall. Plus, it keeps a few more out of the landfill.

For golfers, these pieces bring back memories of that one wild shot or a day spent on the green. But you don’t need to be a golfer to get it. Anyone who likes weird materials, color, and stuff with a past tends to dive in. There’s something cool about art that’s a little rough around the edges — not fancy, just real.

Folks who see my pieces at shows always lean in and ask, “Are those seriously golf balls?” That’s how the best conversations start. Suddenly, we’re talking about lost balls, lucky shots, and how you can make something beautiful out of just about anything.

That’s really what Reclaimed Colors is about — taking what everyone else overlooks and finding something new in it. Nothing fancy, nothing fussy. Just art made from life’s leftovers, with a little curiosity and a good bit of elbow grease.