How old are golf balls made?
This technological revolution in golf ball manufacture spanned nearly 400 years. If you were out for a round of golf in Scotland in 1550, you would have hit a wooden ball with a wooden-headed club. These early balls are thought to have been made from beech, box root or other hardwoods.
What was the first golf ball used for?
There is no question that the first games of golf, as we know it today, were played using wooden golf balls. Wooden golf balls were the first man made golf balls, and although information is scant, it would be a pretty safe bet to assume that a wooden golf ball had some rather interesting playing characteristics.
What are golf balls made out of?
Eventually, most golf ball manufacturers settled on one form of rubber or another. The composition of the rubber used is a closely guarded trade secret. Rubber thread was wound around the rubber core, as tightly as possible and a cover of Balata was applied.
Are there any wooden golf balls used in Scotland?
The use of wooden balls in golf in Scotland is an assumption, but without any definite evidence. Wooden balls were used in games in northern continental Europe such as Colf, Crosse and Mail.
What were golf balls made of in 1930?
In the 1930's through the 1960's, the major innovations in golf balls related to core development. The first wound balls consisted of a solid or liquid-filled core wound with a layer of rubber thread and a thin outer shell.
What kind of surface did the first golf balls have?
QUINTAVALLA: By the 1600s, golf balls were a specialty item made out of leather stuffed with goose feathers. HICKS: These so-called "featheries" were hand sewn and had a rough surface, which allowed them to fly better than the wood balls.
What is the oldest golf ball?
Lying in a 'dusty' corner of a museum in Stirling is one of the most important artefacts in sporting history. It is an old ball with the identical construction to later feathery golf balls. It has been dated to 1514-1570 making it the oldest of its type in the world.
What was the golf ball made out of?
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.
What were the golf balls made of in the 1800's?
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.
What were golf balls made of in the 1920s?
Guttie/Gutta Golf Balls Robert Adams Paterson invented the Gutta-Percha ball, or Guttie. The guttie was made by using dried sap from the Malaysian Sapodilla tree.
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.
Did golf balls used to make rubber bands?
Fifty years later, a ball was developed that had a solid rubber core wound with rubber thread and a gutta-percha cover; it was resilient and became the norm.
What is the liquid inside a golf ball?
Contrary to golf folklore, the liquid cores aren't dangerous. Titleist, for example, has used a salt water and corn syrup blend. Today's core is generally made from synthetic rubber -- which may be mixed with bits of metal, such as tungsten or titanium -- or a plastic-like material such as acrylate.
What were golf balls made of in 1913?
Dr. Robert Adams began creating golf balls out of Gutta Percha "Gutty". The Gutty golf ball was created from the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree. It had a rubber-like feel and was formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot.
What makes a golf ball Illegal?
Legal golf balls can't be smaller than 1.68 inches in diameter. The Polara balls have a diameter of 1.68 inches (the same size as normal). If you have a smaller ball, you'll have less drag and that should give you more distance.
Are golf balls made of ivory?
A golf ball is made up of mostly plastic and rubber materials. A two-piece ball consists of a solid rubber core with a durable thermoplastic (ionomer resin) cover.
How were feathery golf balls made?
The feathery golf balls were manufactured while the leather and feathers were still wet, and as the leather shrunk while drying, the feathers expanded to create a hardened, compact ball. The Feathery was then painted and sold, often for more than the price of a golf club.
Who invented the Gutty golf ball?
It wasn't until 1848 that Rev. Dr. Robert Adams began creating golf balls out of Gutta Percha "Gutty". The Gutty golf ball was created from the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree. It had a rubber-like feel and was formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot.
What was the most popular design of the Gutta Percha era golf ball?
Golf truly became the sport for the masses. "The Bramble" design, with its minute bulges resembling a Brambleberry, became the most popular design of the Gutta Percha era golf ball.
What is a feathery golf ball?
Basically, the feathery was a leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers, then stitched up and painted.
What is the evolution of the golf ball?
The evolution of the golf ball highlights the major changes in the game of golf and depicts important golf landmarks during the long evolution of the game. The development of the golf club, the golf course, and the rules of the game were affected by the evolution of the golf ball itself. The balance (and debate) between technology ...
When did rubber core golf balls replace gutty golf balls?
The more modern rubber core golf ball replaced the gutty in 1899. However, the rubber core golf ball of the day did not meet with immediate success. Golfers complained that while the rubber cored golf balls were longer off of the tee they were far too lively on and around the greens.
When was the Brambleberry golf ball invented?
The advent of the rubber core golf ball changed the face of the game of golf as we knew it. This new design was invented in 1898 by Coburn Haskell in association with the BF Goodrich Company.
What were the first golf balls made of?
The first golf balls of leather were made with a bird feather stuffing. They were known as “featheries”. Surely they were burly and not very consistently made. Since they were made from leather they absorbed moisture during play and changed characteristics throughout the round.
Who invented the golf ball?
The American Robert Adams Paterson invented the so-called “guttie” golf ball in 1848. He took some rubber material called gutta-percha, which was extracted from a special kind of Malaysian rubber tree. Nowadays this rubber compound is used widely in dentistry and for insulation on electrical cables.
What is a surlyn golf ball?
Surlyn is a specific type of ionomer resin, developed by the American company DuPont in the 1960s. Ionomer golf ball covers bring something different to the table than urethane. It is the preferred material for distance balls because spin rates are lower and durability is higher. Usually, manufacturing costs are lower than urethane, ...
What are the two most common covers for golf balls?
The two most common ones are urethane and ionomer/Surlyn.
What is the mantle layer in golf balls?
The mantle layer will have the possibility to increase spin and greenside control on approach shots, or it can reduce side spin on longer shots.
What is the last thing on a golf ball?
Numbers. The last thing on the surface of the golf ball is the writing . It usually consists of the brand name and model, along with a number. You will be able to identify your ball from the numbering, and that is mostly what that is used for.
When did golf balls start to have dimples?
But around the 1910-1920 mark some began experimenting with dimples indented in the surface. This discovery led to even more consistent ball flights and even enabled the very best players to put backspin on the ball and stop it easier. The next major discovery is mostly how we see the golf balls today.
What was the first ball used in golf?
There are theories that wooden balls may have been used in a target version of golf in Scotland, but this is not golf proper and it is more likely than not that the ‘hairy’ colf ball was the first ball used for golf on the links in Scotland.
Where were leather golf balls made?
It came into its own on the Scottish Links. Leather stitched golf balls were been being made in Scotland from at least 1554, when there was a recorded dispute between the cordiners (leather workers) of the Cannongate in Edinburgh and the 'cordiners and gouff ball makers of North Leith' .
What is the most famous golf ball?
The feathery or featherie is the most famous of all golf balls, though it is not definitively known when or where it was developed. There is a reference in the Edinburgh Testaments (vol xlvii 123b) to 'fyve scoir twell flok goiff ballis' (112 flok golf balls) in a will in 1612.
When were gutties invented?
However, by 1860, gutties were good enough and popular enough to replace the feathery and a new era of golf was born. In 1871, Willie Dunn at Musselburgh created a mould to make gutties, which was a quicker and more consistent method of production.
How many metres can a hairy colf ball hit?
It is estimated that the ball could be hit 135-150 metres and it was more controllable than wooden colf balls, although it was prone to water damage.
What are the four types of golf balls?
In the first four hundred years of golf there were only four types of golf ball - the Hairy, the Feathery, the Gutty and the Haskell. Everyone refers to golf as a ‘stick and ball’ game, and this has over-emphasized the role of the clubs, ...
Where did feathery ball originate?
The first reference to a feathery is in the Netherlands in a poem in 1657, as a pennebal, in connection with a Scottish 'cleek', so it is possible that the ball was developed in Scotland and the concept re-exported to the Netherlands.
What are the different materials used in golf balls?
What Are The Different Golf Ball Materials? Golf balls are made from different materials from synthetic rubbers for the core to thermoplastic polymer for the mantle to Surlyn for the cover are used to construct a golf ball. All of these different components play a key role of the make up of a golf ball.
What is the process of making golf balls?
The process for golf ball manufacturing include: washing, imprinting, coating, pressing and packaging the golf balls. Every step must be done in a specific order and there are many different machines involved in order to produce a golf ball from concept to completion.
How to wash golf balls?
Step 1: Washing. The first step, washing involves the use of a machine that washes the golf balls in order to prepare them for the imprinting process . The washing machine is a washer and dryer hybrid that uses high pressure to remove unwanted material, such as oil, from the ball surface.
What are the main components of a golf ball?
A golf ball comprises of three main elements. The cover, the mantle and the solid rubber core. These three areas combine to allow golf balls to offer spin rate, compression and initial velocity.
Why are golf balls segmented?
Finally, the golf balls are segmented for packaging and a metal casing. Compression is important and can have an impact on how the ball travels. Golfers should take golf ball compression into consideration when making a purchase.
What are the three main areas of golf ball performance?
In golf speak, they are referred to as the spin rate, compression and initial velocity respectively. source: intheholegolf.com.
What is the core of a golf ball?
The core of the golf ball is the very center of the ball and made from synthetic rubbers. This is where most of the energy sits when the ball is struck. It is actually the construction of the core is the single most significant factor that will affect the performance of a golf ball. Historically, these cores used to be predominantly liquid-based, ...
The early history of golf balls (from 1905)
The first golf balls were made of leather of untanned bull’s hide, two round pieces forming the ends, and a piece for the middle.
DUNLOP SCIENCE has again achieved the unbelievable (1927)
ANNOUNCING the finest golf-ball ever produced by the world’s largest maker of fine golf-balls
The history of golf balls: Where millions of golf balls go (1927)
United States, which furnished the modern rubber-core ball and newest type clubs, leads world in playing golf
DynaFlite golf ball (1967)
Take strokes off your score with the world’s first lifetime golf ball — the patented Space Age ball that CAN’T cut, CAN’T chip, CAN’T go out of round, CAN’T lose its distance … yet still meets every U.S.G.A. specification.
What was the first medium used to make golf balls?
The question has always been about the materials, not so much the method. From the 13 th century until the 17 th century, hardwood beech and box trees were the first mediums conducive for the production of golf balls. In 1618, the “Featherie”, a feather golf ball (must have been great for birdies and eagles), made its debut.
When did feather golf balls come out?
In 1618, the “Featherie”, a feather golf ball (must have been great for birdies and eagles), made its debut. With the amount measured volumetrically by a gentleman’s top hat, goose feathers were tightly packed into a custom, cut-and-sewn horse or cow-hide sphere.
What is the rubber haskell?
Work suggested a cover, and so was born the 20th century “wound” golf ball, the Rubber Haskell. It was complemented by a thin outer layer of balata sap, a viscous liquid released from the balata tree, a native of Central and South America. With properties like the Gutta Percha, the sap gave the golf ball superior aerodynamics and playability.
What properties did sap golf balls have?
With properties like the Gutta Percha, the sap gave the golf ball superior aerodynamics and playability. Throughout the early 20th century, there was ground-breaking innovation in design with regards to dimple structure.
What is a golf club and a golf ball?
A golf club and a golf ball are two birds of a feather, but what was a “golf ball” when the club was just a wooden stick? The origin of the game of golf always has been and always will be a subject of controversy. Like stickball is to baseball, stick and ball games reminiscent of golf have been around for several centuries, ...
When was the Gutta Percha invented?
In 1848, Reverend Adam Paterson from St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland introduced the Gutta Percha or “Guttie”. With malleable sap that felt like rubber, the ball could be reshaped for more consistent flight.
Who was the guy who found rubber thread?
One day in 1898, a gentleman named Coburn Haskell happened to be picking up his friend, Bertram Work, from the B.F. Goodrich Company for a round of golf when he found some rubber thread, and decided to wind it into a ball. To their surprise, when it bounced, it almost hit the ceiling.
When was the golf ball invented?
The Haskell Innovation. Coburn Haskell created the next important golf ball innovation in 1898 when he introduced a ball made from a solid rubber core with rubber thread wrapped around it, and encased in sphere made of gutta percha. These balls were immediately popular because they added 20 yards to most players’ shots off the tee.
What is a feather ball made of?
The featherie ball, introduced in 1618, was made of pieces of horse or cowhide tightly stuffed with goose feathers and then sewn together. Both the leather and feathers were wet during manufacturing. The leather shrank as it dried and the feathers expanded--forming a hard compacted ball.
What is a Gutta Percha ball?
The Gutta Percha ball or “guttie” was introduced in 1848. This ball was made from the rubbery sap of a tropical tree, which could be formed into a sphere when heated. The guttie cost much less to make than the featherie.
When was the dimpled pattern used in golf?
The dimpled pattern we see on golf the covers of balls today, which improves ball flight, was first used in 1905.
Why are soft covers used in golf?
Soft-cover golf balls are thought to make it easier to put spin on the ball with wedge shots. This technological revolution in golf ball manufacture spanned nearly 400 years.
