Golf Ball-Size Holes in Your Yard: What Dug Them?

A hole about the size of a golf ball — roughly 1.5 to 2 inches across — is classic burrow-entrance territory, most often chipmunks, ground squirrels, or rats. Where the hole sits, whether there's a soil pile beside it, and what part of the country you live in will usually settle which one it is.

Most likely causes

  • Chipmunks — clean 2-inch entrance with no soil pile, near walls or foundations
  • Rats — 2 to 3-inch holes under sheds, decks, or dense shrubs, often with a worn path
  • Ground squirrels — 2-inch holes in open ground, mainly in the western US
  • Snakes reusing an old rodent burrow — smooth, mound-free opening that suddenly looks 'active' again
  • Crayfish — golf ball-size openings ringed by mud towers in soggy, low-lying lawns

Compare the possible causes

Possible cause Key signs When it happens How likely
Chipmunks A tidy, round 2-inch hole that plunges straight down with no excavated soil in sight Spring through fall; entrances multiply in late summer as young disperse Very common
Rats A 2 to 3-inch hole with a fan of kicked-out soil, hidden under a shed, deck, woodpile, or dense groundcover Year-round, with a noticeable uptick in fall as rats move toward buildings Common
Ground squirrels Two-inch holes in open, sunny ground, often several within sight of each other, with squirrels visible by day Spring through late summer; they hibernate or estivate depending on region Common
Snakes reusing an old burrow A smooth, clean opening with no fresh digging, sometimes with a shed skin nearby Spring and fall, when snakes seek shelter and temperature-stable refuges Less common
Crayfish An opening ringed or capped by a chimney of stacked mud balls, in a lawn that stays wet Spring and after extended rainy spells, in low spots near ditches, ponds, or high water tables Less common

Visual clues to check

  • Measure it honestly: an actual golf ball is 1.7 inches across — if the ball would drop in cleanly, think chipmunk, ground squirrel, or rat; if it only sits in a shallow divot, you're looking at foraging damage instead
  • Check for a soil pile: none at all points to chipmunks; a fan of loose dirt below the hole points to rats or ground squirrels
  • Note the location: against a foundation or wall suggests chipmunks; under a shed or deck suggests rats; open sunny ground in the West suggests ground squirrels
  • Look for a mud chimney: stacked, hardened mud balls around the rim mean crayfish, not a mammal
  • Do the collapse test: lightly cave in the entrance with your shoe and check back — reopened within 24–48 hours means the burrow is active
  • Scan for a worn trail: rats travel the same route nightly and wear a visible path through grass to the hole

The causes in detail

Chipmunks

A golf ball fits almost perfectly into a chipmunk burrow entrance, which is why this size question comes up so often. Chipmunks haul their digging spoil away in cheek pouches, so the entrance stays clean — no mound, no scatter. Look for entrances near cover: along foundations, retaining walls, stone steps, and the drip line of shrubs rather than out in open lawn.

Rats

Norway rats dig burrow entrances slightly larger than a golf ball, and unlike chipmunks they leave loose soil fanned out below the opening. Their holes are almost never in open turf — they hug structures, compost bins, and bird-feeder areas where food and cover meet. A smooth, greasy-looking entrance rim and a beaten path leading to it are strong rat signals worth acting on quickly.

Ground squirrels

In California, the Plains states, and much of the West, ground squirrels are the top suspect for golf ball-size holes in open lawn or pasture edges. Unlike tree squirrels, they live in the burrows they dig, and colonies produce multiple entrances connected underground. Because they're active in broad daylight, a few minutes of morning watching usually confirms them.

Snakes reusing an old burrow

Snakes in the US don't dig their own holes in turf — they move into burrows abandoned by chipmunks, voles, and ground squirrels. So a golf ball-size hole that has been quiet for months and suddenly shows a snake at the entrance isn't a 'snake hole' so much as recycled real estate. Most yard snakes are harmless and eat the very rodents that dug the hole, but give any unidentified snake a wide berth.

Crayfish

In the Southeast and Midwest, burrowing crayfish push up pellets of mud that harden into small towers around a roughly golf ball-size shaft. The burrow drops down to the water table, sometimes several feet. They're a drainage symptom more than a pest problem — crayfish only persist where the soil stays saturated.

When to worry

  • The hole sits under a shed, stoop, or deck with a greasy rim and a beaten path — likely rats, which multiply fast
  • Multiple new entrances open along your foundation in one season — tunneling near footings deserves attention
  • You see a snake using the hole and can't identify it — keep pets and kids clear until you know what it is
  • Ground squirrel entrances spread across the lawn — colonies expand quickly once established
  • Fresh soil keeps appearing after you level the hole, meaning digging is ongoing below

What to do now

  1. Drop a golf ball (or measure with a tape) and photograph the hole with the ball for scale — size is your best first filter
  2. Watch the yard for 15 minutes in the early morning and again at dusk; chipmunks and ground squirrels show themselves by day, rats after dark
  3. Remove what's feeding the digger: spilled birdseed, pet food, fallen fruit, and unsecured trash are the big three
  4. Trim groundcover and clear woodpiles or debris that give burrowers protective cover near the house
  5. For crayfish holes, fix the drainage — fill low spots and redirect downspouts, since dry soil sends them packing
  6. If evidence points to rats, or burrows are undermining a structure, bring in a licensed pest or wildlife professional rather than experimenting

What not to do

  • Don't pour gasoline, ammonia, or bleach down the hole — it's hazardous, often illegal, and rarely works
  • Don't reach into the burrow or probe it with your hand; rodent burrows can house snakes, spiders, or wasps
  • Don't set poison bait in an open yard where pets, kids, and wildlife can reach it
  • Don't seal a hole permanently until you've confirmed nothing is living inside — a trapped animal will dig out somewhere worse
  • Don't assume one hole means one animal; rats and ground squirrels almost always have backup entrances

Think you know the suspect?

These animals commonly cause this clue — see their full sign profiles:

Frequently asked questions

Is a golf ball-size hole big enough to be a snake hole?

It's the right size for a snake to use, but snakes almost never dig holes in lawns themselves. They occupy burrows that chipmunks, voles, or ground squirrels abandoned. If you see a snake at a 2-inch hole, the original digger was probably a rodent.

How do I tell a chipmunk hole from a rat hole?

Location and tidiness. Chipmunk entrances are clean 2-inch holes with zero soil around them, usually near walls, steps, or shrubs. Rat holes run slightly larger, have loose soil fanned below the entrance, look smooth or greasy at the rim, and cluster under sheds, decks, and trash areas.

Will these holes damage my lawn or foundation?

A single chipmunk or ground squirrel hole is cosmetic. The concern is accumulation: extensive ground squirrel colonies or years of rodent tunneling beside a foundation, retaining wall, or slab can create voids and settling. One hole is a watch item; a growing network near a structure is a fix item.

What should I fill the hole with once it's empty?

Confirm it's inactive first with the collapse test — cave in the entrance and wait two days. If it stays shut, pack the shaft with soil in layers, tamping as you go, then top with soil and grass seed. For holes near a foundation, tamped soil topped with a few inches of gravel discourages re-digging.

Related yard clues

Yard Holes Two-Inch Holes in Yard: Chipmunk, Rat, or Something Else? A round hole about two inches across is classic burrow size, and the usual suspects are chipmunks, rats, and thirteen-lined ground squirrels. Chipmunk holes are clean with no soil pile, rat holes are worn and hug structures, and ground squirrel holes sit in open, sunny lawn — those three clues sort out most cases. Read the guide → Yard Holes Quarter-Size Holes in Yard: Wasps, Cicadas, or Voles? Holes about the size of a quarter — roughly an inch across — most often belong to cicada killer wasps, emerging cicadas, ground-nesting bees, or voles. The soil is the fastest clue: a big horseshoe of excavated dirt means a cicada killer, a clean hole with no soil means a cicada came out of it, and a small crumbly rim means bees. Watch briefly from a distance before getting close, in case wasps own it. Read the guide → Yard Holes One-Inch Holes in Lawn: Identify the Digger by Size Holes about an inch wide in a lawn are most often the work of voles, young chipmunks, ground-nesting bees, or — in wet, low-lying yards — crayfish. An inch is a telling size: it's too big for most insects and too small for rats or full chipmunk burrows, so checking depth, soil, and location will usually name the digger. Read the guide → Yard Holes Deep, Narrow Holes in the Yard: 5 Likely Causes A narrow hole that drops straight down and seems to go forever is usually a crayfish burrow, a cicada killer wasp tunnel, a vole shaft, or an old rodent burrow now used by a snake. Whether there's a mud chimney, a soil fan, or nothing at all around the opening is the fastest way to tell them apart. Read the guide → Yard Holes Holes Near Your Foundation: Causes and When to Act Holes right along a foundation usually come from chipmunks, Norway rats, or voles, all of which like the shelter a house wall provides — but water pouring from downspouts and settling backfill soil carve foundation-line holes too. Sorting burrow from washout matters, because a rat burrow against the house is the one that needs fast professional attention. Read the guide →

Still not sure? Compare with these clues

Yard Holes Small Holes in Yard With No Mound: What's Digging? Small holes in your yard with no dirt mound are usually caused by squirrels, chipmunks, foraging birds, earthworms, or ground-nesting insects. The size of the hole, how deep it goes, the time of year, and whether the damage appeared overnight can narrow down the cause quickly. Read the guide → Yard Holes Dirt Mounds in Lawn: Mole, Gopher, or Ant? Read the Shape The shape of a dirt mound is the fastest identification tool in the yard: moles build round volcano-shaped mounds with no visible hole, pocket gophers build fan- or crescent-shaped mounds with a plugged hole to one side, and ants, earthworms, and digger bees leave much smaller piles. Match your mound to one of those shapes and you've usually named the animal. Read the guide → Tracks, Nests & Outdoor Clues Animal Burrow Under Your Shed? Who's Living There A burrow entrance under your shed most likely belongs to a groundhog, skunk, rabbit, or rat, and the hole itself usually names the digger: groundhogs leave a 10–12 inch opening with a fan of excavated dirt, skunks announce themselves by smell, and rat holes are only 2–3 inches across. Before evicting anyone, check the calendar — from spring into midsummer there may be babies down there, and sealing them in creates a far worse problem than the burrow. Read the guide → Yard Holes Holes in Yard After Rain: Why They Appear Overnight Holes that appear after a good rain are usually not new digging at all — rain exposes earthworm burrows, washes open old animal tunnels, and collapses settling soil, while wet weather brings crayfish and emerging cicadas to the surface. Most rain-revealed holes are harmless; the size and what surrounds each hole tells you which kind you have. Read the guide →