The game of golf has been around for hundreds of years and the tech advances in the game have been incredible. But golf balls have improved to such an extent that golf courses had to be extended.
Wooden Golf Balls
It’s hard to know where the game of golf originated. Some say Scotland and others believe it was Holland but both theories suggest it was discovered at the end of the 13th century. In Holland, it is believed they used a hard, wooden round ball but there is no evidence they were used in Scotland.
The wooden ball was made from beech trees and weighed around 3 ounces. They were used up until the early 17th century.
Feathery Golf Balls
Featherie or feathery ball was a leather ball stuffed with feathers that seems to be originally developed by the Dutch and was first reported in Scotland around 1743. The feathery ball or feathery was a hand-sewn pouch made from tan leather and was stuffed with goose and chicken feathers.
The leather was soaked and the feathers were boiled to make them flaccid. When they were ready, the feathers were pushed into the pouch with a rod and stitched into a ball.
As the ball dried out, the leather shrank and the feathers expanded creating pressure that resulted in a hardball that was ready for painting.
The feathery ball had a diameter of around 1.6 inches and weighed in at about 3/4 of an ounce. Only a few could be made each day and the cost of one ball was 2-5 shillings which would equal around $US10-20. The feathery ball played well in dry weather and could be struck up to 200 yards but once it got wet the ball would deteriorate quickly. The longest drive ever recorded with a feathery was 361 yards by Samuel Messieux in 1836.
Gutta-Percha Golf Balls
In 1848 a Scottish-American clergyman, reverend Robert Adams Paterson invented a new ball made from gutta-percha which is the dried-up sap of the Malaysian sapodilla tree. It is believed he received a statue he purchased with pieces of gutta-percha as the packing material. The rubber-like material was able to be molded when heated so the Reverend hand-rolled some into golf ball sizes and then let them sit overnight.
A gutta-percha ball or gutty could be hit as far as the feathery and lasted longer but the real advantage was the price, costing half as much. The disadvantage was that the paint didn’t stay on so most of the balls were dark-colored making them difficult to find.
It was discovered accidentally that when the ball was scratched or nicked it had a more consistent flight compared with a gutty that had a smooth surface. People started scratching markings into the surface which eventually lead to bramble fruit patterns.
Haskell Golf Balls
The brambles, as the gutty balls were known, were eventually replaced by the next major update to the golf ball, the Haskell Ball. This occurred in 1898 when Coburn Haskell and Bertram Work rolled pieces of rubber around a core and covered it with a gutta-percha cover. This ball made the game of golf easier but it was also criticized for making golf courses obsolete due to the ball traveling so far.
The first Haskell balls were expensive and didn’t fly well because they were too smooth just like the gutta-percha balls were at the start. Once the bramble pattern was added the distance increased forcing the golf courses to be lengthened.
Modern Golf Balls
The modern golf ball was comprised of a liquid core with rubber bands wrapped around it and a balata cover. This was an improvement to the Haskell ball and popular because of its soft feel. Balata, a tropical American tree, when used as a cover was easy to split so the modern ball had to be replaced regularly.
In the mid-1960s new urethane blends were used for golf covers and eventually replaced the balata cover due to their durability. Manufacturers experimented with layers and created 2, 3, and 4 piece golf balls with each type suiting different levels of golfers.
In 1967 Spalding patented a solid golf ball and eliminated the rubber layers, creating a 2 piece ball which was the solid core and the cover.
Golf Ball Rules
Improvements in the golf balls and the differences between manufacturers had forced the hands of golf’s governing bodies, the R&A in USGA. They wanted to keep the tradition of the golf ball as well as keep everyone on a level playing field so they had to make rules on what the golf ball should be.
In 1920 the size of the golf ball was set for the first time when both organizations agreed that it should not weigh more than 1.62 ounces and have a minimum diameter of 1.62 inches. However, in 1931 the USGA went against the agreement and introduced a bigger-sized ball with a minimum size of 1.68 inches. The larger ball became known as the American ball and the smaller one known as the British ball.
The British ball traveled further than the American ball due to its smaller size which made it more aerodynamic. This is why the regulators had to step in to avoid one group having an advantage over another. However, it took a number of years to agree that the minimum diameter would be 1.68 inches. In 1968 it was announced that the American ball would be used in the R&A tournaments and in 1990 the smaller ball was removed from the rules.
Golf Ball Dimples
A discovery in the early 1900s was that dimples played a huge role in the aerodynamics of a golf ball. The patterns gave the ball more control keeping it straighter and staying in the air longer. Once the importance of the dimples was discovered manufacturers tried and tested many designs including the number of dimples. Today, most golf balls range between 300 and 450 dimples.
When a smooth ball is hit it creates a wake disturbing the air behind it. A dimpled ball is different as the air travels around the dimple bringing air closer to the ball making the disturbance much less than a smooth ball. A smooth ball could travel half the distance of a dimpled ball which is significant and shows the importance of the design of a golf ball.
Through testing, the golfing industry’s engineers and scientists have discovered that they can optimize a ball to suit different types of players from beginners to experts. Dimples can be different shapes and depths which changes the way a ball spins or how high or low it travels. The number of dimples is important but so is the shape, depth, and pattern. However, as players have different swings and swing speeds the ball that is perfect for one player may not be perfect for the other.
After the golf ball’s design is tested manufacturers will let players know how the ball will travel on the packaging. Such descriptions will say better distance or more spin and some will inform a golfer if it’s better for slow, medium, or fast swinging players.
Summing Up
As you can see there has been a number of changes to the golf ball over the years having a significant effect on the game. Although the minimum size of golf balls is unlikely to ever change, what’s inside and outside will change and that makes it interesting to wonder what will happen next with the golf ball.
