The History of Golf Balls

If golf balls are so aerodynamic why aren't there dimples on airoplanes?

By JA Francis

 Early golf ball history

Just so we know what golf balls go through - a golf ball is struck by a driver with the objective of putting the ball in a hole in as few strokes  as possible.  At the beginning of each hole, a ball is placed upon a tee to steady the ball before being struck.

After tee off, a player must strike the ball again, where it lies on the fairway - or in the rough, the sand or the water. When the golfer reaches the green, he’ll use a putter to roll the ball towards the hole. A golf ball goes through quite a lot! 

In the history of golf balls, after the stone and rabbit hole phase, golf balls were covered with leather and stuffed with goose feathers. It would have been difficult to get a very long drive with a ball which must have been quite light. By the mid-1800’s, a harder golf ball was developed using solid gutta-percha, an inelastic type of latex, milked from the sap of the tropical Percha tree.  The hard smooth surface meant the loft of the ball was less effective but it was found that when the surface became nicked and scuffed the loft improved.It doesn't sound right does it? The ball flew faster nicked and scuffed than when smooth.

Golf ball history - Bramble patterning and dimples

James and Dave Foulis, who ran a golf shop at the Chicago Golf Club, played a significant part in the evolution of a variety of golf equipment. They invented the bramble patterning for Coburn Haskell's patented  rubber cored ball in 1898. But the first dimple pattern for golf balls was patented by William Taylor in England  and used later for a ball developed by the B.F. Goodrich Company, with a hard rubber core wound by rubber threads and covered by a synthetic material.

Now you think I'm going to tell you why the dimple pattern is aerodynamically sound for golf balls and not for aeroplanes. Well if you really want to know check out this article because it's far too complicated for me to paraphrase it! Click the link to read Golf ball dimples and drag.

Golf ball history - Balata versus Surlyn 

Today, there are primarily two types of golf balls used in the game: the balata ball and the surlyn ball.  Regardless of the type of ball used, the United States Golf Association (USGA) has regulated conformity for all balls to be played.  The USGA ruled that all balls must be round, no larger than 1.68” in diameter, and may not be heavier than 1.62 oz. All are cute with dimples.

The balata ball is also known as a three-piece ball.  It contains a hard rubber core, is wound by rubber bands and has a cover made of a synthetic material called balata. As a child I remember having fun picking one to bits, slowly separating the rubber strands away from the solid mass and wondering if there'd be a solid centre. Balata is essentially a soft cover that many advanced golfers believe make it easier for them to shape their shots.  The drawback to this softer cover is that it is not very resistant to nicks and cuts with repeated use. So you go through more golf balls using balata rather than surlyn.

The two-piece ball contains a larger rubber core, and a thick cover of a synthetic material called surlyn.  Some golfers say it is difficult to achieve a desired backspin on the ball with a two-piece ball. Although this harder cover may make it more difficult to shape shots, and it may create more bounce, it is more durable than the balata ball.

Golf ball history - Sleeves of golf balls 

The major manufacturers of golf balls are Titleist, Dunlop, MaxFli, Top Flight, Pinnacle and Precept.  Golf balls are generally packaged in boxes of three called sleeves.  Retailers will typically sell boxes of multiple sleeves of balls, usually in quantities of 15-18.  A box of golf balls normally retails between $20 and $50, depending on the maker and brand.

Designer golf balls logo

Designer golf balls with a logo have become very popular as gifts for golfers. Titleist logo golf balls and budweiser logo golf balls are probably the designer golf balls logo that are most popular.

This is a listing of my top picks of the best golfing books available online.
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