Dixon Golf, a Tempe, AZ-based company is saving the world one golf ball at a time.

Green golf balls

Dixon Golf, a Tempe, AZ based company is saving the world – one golf ball at a time. When company founders Dane Platt and William Carey discovered that more than 300 million golf balls are thrown into landfills every year in the United States, they were alarmed.


The Problem


It takes a golf ball up to 1,000 years to decompose, and when they do, they emit heavy metals like tungsten, cobalt, zinc and lead. When those elements get into the soil or water table, it can prove dangerous for plant and wild life. The 300 million golf balls in landfills are just the ones that we know about. Countless more are lost in lakes and streams, woods and other areas surrounding golf courses and driving ranges.


“When we realized the threat to the environment that these discarded golf balls were causing, we wanted to do something about it. If we could make an adjustment here or there and make a more environmentally friendly ball, that’s what we were going to do,” says Carey


The Solution


Platt and Carey started thinking about what they could do to help solve this problem. Thy had both been in the golf ball manufacturing industry and wanted to find a way to create an eco-friendly golf ball without compromising the ball’s playability on the course. After coming up with the idea to have a golf ball that is capable of being truly recycled, unlike other golf balls where ‘recycled’ means ‘refurbished and resold’, they dove into research and development. The Dixon Earth is the company’s signature golf ball. It is made from material that is 100% recyclable. Toxicity from other golf balls often come from their heavy metal fillers, the Dixon Earth uses a filler no more harmful than table salt. Perhaps the most impressive action Dixon has taken is to establish an innovative recycling program, whereby a person can return their used golf ball and receive credit toward new Dixon ones. The best part is when the Dixon ball is returned, it is turned into useful products like field turf and playground equipment.


How Dixon Golf is Different


“We’re not just a golf ball company,” Dane Platt says. “We’re an environmentally conscious company who happens to produce golf balls.” That sentiment is backed up by the fact that Dixon Golf only makes products from sustainable or recycled material. They run a paperless office, bill and invoice by email and are headquartered out of the 2009 Real Estate Development’s ‘Most Sustainable’ building in Arizona; a building that is also a Platinum LEED Certified Transportation Building.


Dixon Golf has such a unique product and philosophy that Academy Award winner Don Cheadle is their celebrity spokesperson. Mr. Cheadle was recently named United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for his work on sustainability, and more in line with Dixon’s product, he is also a scratch golfer. When he found the Dixon Earth golf ball, he picked it up and never put it down.


“I love the game of golf and want to do my part to educate golfers how to be more environmentally responsible, even when it comes to the golf balls we use,” Cheadle said.


By John Glynn on May 13, 2010


About Dixon Golf


Dixon Golf, a Tempe, AZ based company, is decreasing their carbon footprint by manufacturing a completely recyclable golf ball. Borne from a desire to limit its impact on the environment, Dixon also offers a golf ball recycling program through its retail locations that pays $1 per used Dixon ball and $.50 for any other brand. Even the packaging is made from 100% recycled material. From core to cover, from packaging to production, Dixon Earth is setting a new standard in environmental consciousness. Dixon golf balls are distributed internationally and are USGA approved, with a rating of 92%. For more information about Dixon Golf, please visit www.dixongolf.com