and as I was awaken my clubs from their winter hibernation, I realized two things I should have thought of more than 12 hours before my tee time:

• I haven’t bought any new golf balls in more than a year.

• All my golf balls have been in my trunk all winter.

The good thing is my colleagues at Golf Digest have me covered. This week we released our Golf Ball Hot List package for 2026, the most comprehensive testing and review of the latest and greatest manufacturers have to offer. And we also have this equipment Q&A that explores whether golf balls have an expiration date and the best place to store them before they lose some of their performance.