How To Safely Cut A Golf Ball In Half

There are many ways to cut a golf ball in half. This article will go over the different methods used by people and professionals, and their pros and cons. Keep in mind that there is no "right way" to cut a golf ball, just what you may find most useful or fun. Also keep in mind that this is not a precise science, and different methods will produce slightly different results. Therefore if you are cutting the golf ball to use as a paperweight or to complete your collection, don't expect it to be perfectly spherical. It may also not look much like half of a golf ball!

Are you ready? Let's get started!

The Sharp Method

This method is the most popular way to cut a golf ball in half. The idea is to slice through the golf ball with a sharp blade, and let gravity do its thing. This produces halves that are not perfectly spherical, but unless you're paying very close attention it's hard to tell they're not perfect spheres! (If you're paying that close of attention, perhaps you should have chosen a different hobby.)

This method is the easiest to do, and it produces the best results when you are trying to cut very thick golf balls. You just need a sharp blade and some patience.

The first step is to find a sharp blade – not necessarily razor-sharp, but one that will be able to slice cleanly through the ball without much resistance. A sharp knife will do, but a pocketknife or utility blade is preferable as you can control the angle of your cuts much easier than with a kitchen knife.

If you want to cut multiple golf balls in half, it's better to get multiple blades – why waste time cutting each ball individually when you can do several at once? While there are some blades that are designed for cutting things like ceramic, glass, and plastic (and thus are marketed as being able to cut golf balls), I find they tend to dull fairly quickly and are not worth the expense. Your best bet is just to get a regular utility blade!

If your blade has no grip, or if you want a sturdier grip on it to control the angle of your cuts, wrap a rubber band around one end. This also helps improve the grip and keep you from cutting yourself while handling it.

Now that you have everything set up, choose your golf ball! Look for thicker ones rather than ones with dimples – they are much easier to cut in half as the leather is thicker.

Prep your ball by placing it on a hard, flat surface with the seam facing up. The goal here is to get the ball to lay as flat as possible so gravity can help guide the blade all the way through it. If there are other objects around – like books or other balls - you want to place them on the side opposite the seam. This way, they will be out of the way during your cuts but still help hold your ball down to get those clean lines!

Now that everything is in place, it's time to cut! Try slicing through the ball with an up-and-down movement as pictured above. Go slowly and carefully so you don't cut yourself, and you should be able to make it half-way through the ball. If your blade is sharp enough, it may slice right through without any problems!

If not, you will need to make some more cuts from different angles. Your goal is to slice through the ball as cleanly as possible, with no jagged edges or rough spots.

Now that your ball has been cut in half, try flipping it over so the other side connects with the blade from above. You may have to wiggle it around and use a few different angles to get it in the right spot, but you will be able to cut through the other side as well.

If there are any rough edges that need smoothing out, just use your blade to carefully remove them. This is tricky though – don't press too hard on the ball or you'll end up scratching it!

The Chop Method

This method is the easiest to do and produces the best results when you are trying to cut very thin golf balls – think really used ones that have been sitting in a water hazard for months. You just need some kind of impact device (like a hammer) and some patience.

The first step is to find a good place to hit the ball. You want an area that is clear of objects and where you won't risk damaging anything. A concrete driveway or patio works great – just be careful if there are plants nearby as they may be damaged by the impact!

Now that everything is set up, it's time to go at it! Aim your hammer at the ball and strike it with a quick, hard blow to get through the outer shell. Be careful not to hit your other hand or any nearby objects!

Once you have made some holes in the ball, grab hold of one side and start pulling. If everything went well, this should be enough to tear the ball apart fairly easily! Over time, you'll notice that using this method will make the ball look more and more shredded – hopefully you're not going for a record on how many golf balls you can destroy.

If a few of your tears are really rough, use some tape to smooth them out or to fill in any gaps where shell is missing.

As these two methods show, getting your ball cut in half can be really easy if you set up ahead of time and do some planning. You may need to spend a few minutes with this project – but the outcome is well worth it! And if not, at least you are making great use of your time by practicing your golf shots.

 

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