There’s no expiration date hidden on a sleeve of golf balls, and modern materials don’t suddenly fall apart after a year or two. Today’s urethane covers and resilient cores hold up shockingly well compared to the old balata days, when one crisp wedge was enough to carve up a brand-new ball. In fact, some pros have gone entire rounds, even multiple rounds, with a single ball—proof that durability is no longer the limiting factor.

Most of us aren’t that lucky or that straight. Balls take detours, disappear, reappear and occasionally survive long enough to show real wear. If yours does, the only thing you really need to monitor is the condition of the cover. Paint loss isn’t ideal, but it’s not the real enemy.

According to Titleist, scuffs—the kind that actually mark or deform the surface—are the signal that deserve your attention.

A good rule of thumb: If any mark, scrape or chunk missing is larger than a dime, it’s time to retire the ball. Those bigger scars rarely come from wedge grooves—they’re usually courtesy of cart paths, trees or other hard surfaces. Once the cover is compromised, launch, spin and direction can all shift just enough to bite you. You might smoke one perfectly and see it drift somewhere you didn’t plan.

And while you didn’t mention pond balls, it’s worth noting they’re an entirely different gamble. You simply don’t know how long they’ve been soaking, and even with the modern water-resistant coatings, prolonged submersion eventually gets into the materials. Some balls you find will be fine, but if you don’t know their history, you can’t trust their performance.

If you want your stash of fresh balls to stay fresh, store them somewhere dry and temperate—roughly room temperature, not the trunk of a car that could double as a sauna. A closet or office works perfectly.

Follow those simple guidelines, and your golf balls will stay dependable for a long time. After that, the only challenge left is keeping them in play.