In 2016, a California teenager discovered thousands of golf balls underwater, two years later, combined cleanups had recovered 50,681

A teenager in California began collecting golf balls from the ocean in 2016 after discovering thousands scattered across the seabed near Pebble Beach. By June 2018, the cleanup efforts had recovered more than 50,000 golf balls, weighing around 2.5 tonnes. Alex Weber, who was 16 when she came across the golf balls, was free-diving with her father, Mike Weber, near Carmel, California, when she spotted the unusual pollution. The balls covered the seabed so extensively that she could barely see the sand.

Weber decided to remove them from the water with help of her father, friends and other divers. The effort later attracted the attention of scientists and contributed to research into golf balls as a source of marine pollution.

How did she discover thousands of golf balls?

Weber discovered the golf balls while exploring a small cove near Pebble Beach. She found thousands of them lying underwater and began collecting them with her father.


They continued their efforts over several months. When conditions allowed, they could recover between 500 and 5,000 golf balls during a collection session, reported NPR.

The work was physically demanding. Divers had to retrieve the balls from the seabed, transport them to kayaks and bring them back to shore.

Weber also noticed that more golf balls continued to enter the water, making the cleanup a continuing challenge.

Where did the golf balls come from?

The golf balls were linked to five golf courses in the Carmel area. Two were located along the coast, while three were situated along the Carmel River.

Researchers explained that golf balls from courses near the river could travel downstream and eventually reach the ocean. Balls hit from coastal courses could also end up directly in the water.

The scale of the discovery prompted Weber to contact Matt Savoca, a scientist at Stanford University who studied plastic pollution in the ocean.

Savoca joined Weber and her team to investigate the problem and document the debris they were collecting.

How many golf balls were recovered in two years?

A study published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin in 2019 reported that researchers had collected 39,602 golf balls from coastal and nearshore environments between May 2016 and June 2018.

When their findings were combined with concurrent cleanup efforts by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Pebble Beach Corporation, the total reached 50,681 golf balls.

Together, the recovered ball weighed around 2.5 tonnes.

The study, co-authored by Alex Weber, Mike Weber and Matt Savoca, documented golf balls as a source of marine debris associated with coastal golf courses.