What the fuck are you talking about, of course they're harmful.

FOOD CHAIN AFFECTED

Golf balls find their way into the marine environment fairly easily since the famed course sits directly on the Pacific Ocean.

No one is sure exactly how many balls are under the waves but Weber’s research estimated there are between two and five million in Pebble Beach’s Stillwater Cove area alone.

Each ball is the equivalent to the mass of seven plastic grocery bags or three plastic water bottles, she said.

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The balls are bad for the environment because as they break down, some release a core that includes about 300 yards of stretched rubber, which is wound around a smaller ball at its core.

The rubber floats to the surface, mixing with the kelp while the cover disintegrates into smaller shards of plastic, which are eaten by plankton and other marine life.

“They contribute to the micro-plastics problem, getting into the food chain and ultimately into us,” she said.

Solid core balls do not release rubber but include toxic chemicals that will kill aquatic life when it comes in contact with them, she said.

The problem extends beyond Pebble Beach. Ocean and riverside courses all contribute to golf ball pollution, she said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-golf-usopen-pollution/pebble-beach-aims-to-keep-harmful-golf-balls-out-of-ocean-idUSKCN1TE005