Why are golf balls called ‘gutties’?
From 1848, golf balls made of gutta-percha gum, called ‘gutties’ began to replace featheries. Several claims are made about the origin of the gutty.
What is a gutta percha ball?
It had a rubber-like feel and was formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot. The arrival of the gutta percha ball or “gutty,” as it was called, revolutionized the game of golf and allowed its spread to the masses.
What's the difference between a feathery and a gutty golf ball?
They were made from the rubber-like sap of the gutta percha tree, and gutty (or guttie) golf balls could be made from molds, made much faster and much cheaper than featheries. After the invention of gutties, featheries faded from golf very quickly. Did Featheries Have Anything to Do with Golf's Bird Theme for Scoring Terms?
What are golf balls made of?
The next advancement in golf balls changed all that. The Gutta Percha ball (or Gutty as it was known). In 1848 the Rev. Dr Robert Adams Paterson began creating golf balls out of the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree. It had rubber like properties which allowed it to be formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot.
When did the modern golf ball replace the rubber ball?
In 1967, Spalding became the first company to patent and develop the solid golf ball by Jim Bartsch, which eliminated the layered technique and became known as the 'executive' model. The rubber Haskel golf ball is the standard for the modern golf ball.
What was in old golf balls?
Until the mid-19th century, the featherie was the standard golf ball. It was made of cow or horsehide which was stuffed with feathers; most often goose feather. The leather, in order to be easier to work with, was soaked in water.
When did they stop making wound golf balls?
Remember, wound golf balls were popular prior to the 2000s and they were constructed with thread windings that wrapped around their cores.
What was the liquid in old golf balls?
For decades, the wound rubber ball consisted of a liquid-filled or solid round core that was wound with a layer of rubber thread into a larger round inner core and then covered with a thin outer shell made of balatá sap. The balatá is a tree native to Central and South America and the Caribbean.
What was the original golf ball?
The first "real" golf ball was known as a "feathery"golf ball. Basically, the feathery was a leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers, then stitched up and painted. Feathery golf balls were expensive to make easily damaged and only the privileged few could afford to use them.
What is a gutta percha ball?
Initially, golf balls had consisted of leather pouches stuffed with boiled feathers. In 1848, a new golf ball -- the gutta-percha -- began to replace the "feathery," as the original golf ball was known. The gutta-percha consisted of hardened juice from trees located in South America and the Pacific Islands.
Does anyone still make a balata golf ball?
The balata cover generated higher spin rates on iron and wedge shots thus offering greater control over ball flight for highly skilled golfers. The advances in technology eventually overtook the balata construction in the 1990s and manufacturers stopped producing it.
Are Bandit golf balls illegal?
The longest illegal golf balls on the market are the 2 piece Bandit golf balls. The USGA had to make these illegal because they have a very aerodynamic dimple design that helps the ball travel a long way. They have low spin off the tee and will dramatically increase the length of your drives.
What is the number one golf ball on tour?
Titleist likes to remind us that that the Pro V1 is the No 1 ball used by professionals on worldwide golf tours, but that it's a great ball for non-superstars as well. The ball is manufactured to perfectly balance short game control without sacrificing good yardage from the tee.
Why did they stop making balata golf balls?
Balata balls eventually disappeared when golf manufacturers began developing alternative cover materials (such as urethane) in the 1990s, materials that offered the soft feel of balata but were far more durable.
What were balata balls?
Balata ball was first used in the 1900s. The balls with balata covering were first produced by Spalding in the year 1903. It is basically a rubber-like material that is present as a covering in golf balls. Balata is the name of a tree in Central and Southern America and the Caribbean.
Should dogs chew on golf balls?
No, golf balls are not safe for dogs of any size. Golf balls pose a choking hazard, especially for bigger dogs. Golf balls also contain toxic materials that can hurt your canine. Furthermore, chipped pieces can damage the intestines or esophagus, while fiberglass material can damage teeth.
What are golf balls filled with?
At its most basic level, a golf ball includes an inner core made from pressurized rubber or synthetic rubber, surrounded by one or several outer layers, and a characteristically dimpled cover.
Are old golf balls worth anything?
Because of the age and the craftsmanship put into these balls they are among the ones that have the highest price tag of collectible golf balls. These balls are referred to as antique, and goes for sums upwards of +$5000! See example from eBay below.
What is inside of a golf ball?
Throughout much of the early 20th century, gutta-percha and balata balls became the weapons of choice for most golfers, pro and amateur alike. These days, a golf ball is typically made of a butadiene rubber center surrounded by one or more rubber mantles and topped off with a tough skin.
How have golf balls changed over time?
The first golf balls from the 14th Century were made out of wood, specifically beech, by carpenters using hand tools. They weren't perfectly round and it's safe to assume that they sucked. The 17th Century saw the slight design improvement of the featherie, a leather ball stuffed with bird feathers and stitched shut.
Using a ball very much like the one above
So, I did a bit of digging around to see if there were any times where the leap in technology has enabled almost instant improvement for golfers since the first form of the game of golf began in the early 1400’s.
Which is when the feathery ball was invented
This new type of golf ball was made by creating a hand sewn leather pouch which was then stuffed with chicken or goose feathers.
Meaning they were very expensive!
A single feathery could cost between 2 shillings to 5 shillings which at the time was apparently a lot of money.
The Gutta Percha ball (or Gutty as it was known)
In 1848 the Rev. Dr Robert Adams Paterson began creating golf balls out of the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree.
These insights gave birth to the hand Hammered Gutta Ball
These golf balls were hammered with a consistent pattern throughout with a sharp edged hammer like the one shown here.
What are gutty golf balls made of?
They were made from the rubber-like sap of the gutta percha tree, and gutty (or guttie) golf balls could be made from molds, made much faster and much cheaper than featheries. After the invention of gutties, featheries faded from golf very quickly.
Why did golf balls soften?
The seams busting open was another issue. And so was wet weather — common in Scotland and England where almost all featheries were in use — that caused the balls to soften and fly shorter distances. Then there was the cost, which limited the number of people who could afford to play golf.
What was the first purpose built golf ball?
The "feathery" was the first purpose-built golf ball. Prior to featheries (the singular is also frequently spelled "featherie"), people playing golf or its antecedents used wooden spheres. But such wooden balls were also used in other stick-and-ball games; the same balls, in other words, were used by people to play different games.
When did the feathery golf ball come out?
The feathery arrived on the scene probably by the mid-1500s, although the first definitive reference to featheries comes from the early 1600s. The feathery was the first true golf ball, in that it was created specifically for golfers. Featheries remained the standard golf ball until the mid-1800s. It was time-consuming to create a feathery ball, ...
When did golf balls become feathery?
Featheries remained the standard golf ball until the mid-1800s. It was time-consuming to create a feathery ball, which meant they were expensive in their own time. Today, featheries are highly sought and very valuable as collectibles.
Who blasted the feathery golf ball?
It was blasted by a golfer named Samuel Messieux in 1836. There's a catch: The ground was frozen, helping the ball slide and skid for a very long distance. The average driving distance of top golfers with featheries, however, was little more than half that record distance. The most commonly cited range for feathery driving distance is ...
How much does a feathery golf ball cost?
According to the book Golf: The Science and the Art, the price of a single feathery ball from a reputable maker could range from $10 to $20 in today's terms.
Who invented the Gutta Percha ball?
In 1848 Dr. Robert Adams Paterson invented the Gutta-Percha ball, or Guttie. The guttie was made by using dried sap from the Malaysian Sapodilla tree. The sap had a rubber-like quality to it and upon heating could be formed into a sphere.
What sap is used to make Haskel golf balls?
Thus bringing the modern look of the golf ball that we’ve become accustom to. The balata sap initially used to make Haskel golf balls had a tendency to get indents on it as it was relatively soft.
Why is a featherie golf ball harder to fly?
Since the featherie golf ball was filled with feathers it was able to be stuffed more full than the hairy, making it harder thus able to fly farther. To make a featherie, the feathers and leather would be shaped while wet. Upon drying the leather shrank and feathers expanded creating the desired hardness for the ball.
Where did the hairy golf ball come from?
Hairy Golf Balls. From 1486 through 1618, the Scottish received and used the hairy golf ball imported from the Netherlands. The hairy golf ball was a hand-sewn round leather ball filled with cows’ hair or straw. In 1554 the hairy golf ball was being produced in Scotland by the “cordiners and gouff ball makers of North Leith.”.
How many stages of evolution are there in golf?
The modern golf ball has undergone a few transformations to get to where it is today. The origins of the golf ball can be traced to five distinct stages of evolution. From a wooden ball in the 14th century to the modern rubber core balls, discover the history behind the golf ball.
When was golf invented?
By many accounts it is presumed that the earliest games of golf were played with a wooden ball in the 14th century. It’s been refuted that wooden balls were never used in links golf in Scotland, but instead they were used in early games that were similar to golf.
When was the rubber core discovered?
Rubber Core Golf Balls – Haskel. In 1898 Coburn Haskell made a discovery while awaiting Bertram Work, of the B.F. Goodrich Company, when he wound a rubber thread into a ball and bounced it. Haskell discovered it had a lot of bounce and upon Bertram Work’s suggestion to put a cover over it, the rubber Haskell golf ball was born.