Knowing every little aspect of a sport becomes an enthusiasm when you love it. You are not alone in the thought of how many golf balls fit in a 5 gallon bucket. And so, this is what we’re going to find out!
Firstly, the real question is, why does anyone want to know about 5 gallon buckets exactly: pro golf players carry buckets on the field. These buckets are containers to hold the balls. And an average player is equipped with about 60 to 70 balls per day.
However, there is no actual rule to it. In other words, you may carry ten or a hundred. But the commonly known largest size is a 5 gallon bucket. For the golfers, they have dozens of balls at their home just lying around.
If you are a golfer, you do not want them rolling around the house, so the solution is to keep them in a bucket!
When you have lots of golf balls lying around: a better solution is to have a bucket that can hold all of them and still have space, instead of a bucket that would fill quicker.
The bucket volume is not as important as the size for determining the capacity for holding golf balls. If you drop the balls altogether, the storage capacity would be different. Whereas, if you add one by one, the storage capacity would be more or less.
The reason is that golf balls are spherical and will always leave empty spaces between hard surfaces.
Here comes the intriguing part! Spherical buckets can hold more in comparison to cylindrical ones. So, there you have it! The size and shape of the bucket matter more than the volume.
Spherical buckets accommodate the round exterior of the balls, hence removing empty spaces.
As for numbers and figures, a regular US gallon is 3785.41 ccs with a volume of 18927 cm3. These numbers will come in handy for the upcoming exciting math we are about to do!
The governing body of golf in the US and Mexico, USGA, agreed that the standard size of a golf ball should be 1.68 inches in diameter. However, before the agreement, 1.62 inches was commonly used.
That is to say, there is no absolute max size but 1.68 inches is the globally accepted standard. If you buy the same size golf balls from different brands, they are likely to weigh differently. That is due to the difference in density and material.
However, it all narrows down to the professionals and their recommendations. The size of the golf ball is a key factor that determines the game. And that is just basic physics to do with mass and size.
For instance, you can throw a paper ball a few meters away from yourself but the same-sized rock even further. Similarly, smaller golf balls are influenced more by wind resistance for longer shots but are easier to pot on nice pitches of grass.
On the other hand, comparatively larger golf balls require more force but can be shot quite far. Yet again, some golfers claim they are easier to pot.
To sum up, the size variation has its own advantages and disadvantages but ultimately, it’s up to the one with the stick. You can say, it’s more of a matter of compatibility.
It’s clear at this point that a 5 gallon spherical bucket can accommodate more golf balls in comparison to a cylindrical bucket.
Therefore, we are going to calculate the capacity for a spherical bucket. However, for more accuracy, we’ll carry out a brief comparison to double-check the answers.
A regular bucket is 18927 cm3 and the standard golf ball is 40.68 cm3. If you simply divide them right ahead, that will be 465 balls! Which is far off from the actual answer. That is to say, in this scenario we have to consider that a spherical bucket will accommodate 74% of the total volume.
To clarify, the equation is: (18927 cm3 x 0.74) / 40.68 cm3 and the answer is 344 golf balls. Let’s do a bit of extended math for the sake of accuracy.
Instead of 5 gallons, consider a 1-gallon bucket. Now apply the same formula: (3785.4 cm3 x 0.74) / 40.68 cm3 and the answer is 68 – 69 balls. If you multiply that by 5, you get 340 – 345 balls.
You are probably confused that there is no actual answer because some say, 340 balls while some go all the way to 350.
To clarify, using the 1-gallon reference showed that the 74% accommodation is also an approximation and not precise. There is a variation with change in size, you can fit a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 70 balls in a gallon bucket.
This variation gives a range for 5 gallon bucket. Therefore, the answer to how many golf balls fit in a 5 gallon bucket is more of a range than a precise number. And the range is 340 to 350 balls.
With this information, test your luck. Buy a maximum of 350 balls and a 5 gallon bucket, give it a try and see what you get.
