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 understand 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. That 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.
If you think I'm going to tell you why the dimple
pattern is aerodynamically sound for golf balls and not for
aeroplanes it's far too complicated for me to paraphrase it.
But if you really want to know check out this
article!
Click here to read about
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. Although coke symbols and frogs and penguins and
many other logos are all available... You'll find plenty of
different options on eBay!
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