This is pretty interesting.

Here’s the history of the golf ball.

In the earliest days of the game, wooden golf balls were used. I found this picture of a wooden golf ball, it’s probably a picture of a ball used by the British soldiers in the U.S during World War I.

One of the earliest recorded events of a wooden golf ball being used was 1550 a.d. in eastern Scotland.

Next, in 1618, the feather golf ball or ‘featherie’ was invented. This ball consisted of several pieces of stout leather sewn together, leaving a small opening. After the stitch was completed, the casing was turned inside out. Feathers, boiled and softened were then stuffed into the small opening. They say that as much as a “gentleman’s top hat full” were stuffed into the casing. The stitching was completed and the ball was hammered into a round shape with a couple coats of paint added. These balls were extremely difficult to make and therefor very expensive.

A practiced featherie maker could produce four a day. Man, imagine shanking this ball, i’d spend the entire round trying to find it!

In 1848, the first ‘gutta’ ball was created by the Rev. Dr. Robert Adams Paterson. This was created from the milky juice or latex from a tree found in Malaysia. This material, once boiled becomes soft and impressionable, and the ball is made by rolling the boiled latex on a board. This ball was a lot easier to produce, resistant to water, improved roll and much cheaper than the featherie. Remember the Old Tom Morris & Alan Robertson split was over the invention of this ball.

Players soon discovered that nicks on the smooth surface of the ball actually produced a truer flight than a completely smooth surface. Because of this players were taking a sharp, pointed hammer and scarring the face of the ball, giving the ball an even pattern that greatly improved it’s play.

Surface textures and patterns impressed into the gutta-percha balls evolved from early imitations of feathery ball stitching to the highly detailed and symmetrical that greatly improved the ball�s flight. The best known balls were the hand-marked private brands of the Scottish club makers, such as Morris, Robertson, Gourlay, and the Auchterlonies. Many brands with a variety of patent names used the bramble pattern (with a surface similar to the berry). This became the most popular pattern of the gutta era and was also used on some of the early rubber balls.

Arguably, the most profound change to ever hit the game of golf occurred in 1898 with the invention of the rubber golf ball. It was invented by a Cleveland, Ohio, golfer, Coburn Haskell, in association with Bertram Work of the B. F. Goodrich Company. The ball featured rubber thread wound around a solid rubber core. Early gutta-percha gave way to the Balata cover that was developed in the early 1900s.

On January 1, 1932, standardization of golf ball weight and size was established by the United States Golf Assocciation following 1930 standards set by the British Golf Association for a slightly smaller ball. The weight was set at a maximum of 1.620 oz., and diameter not to be less than 1.680 in. Later. after testing apparatus was developed to measure velocity, a maximum velocity of 250 feet per second was added by the USGA. The durability and precision of today’s ball reflect not only the tremendous technological advancement of their manufacture but also the development of space age plastics, silicone, and improved rubber.

And now, an improvement to an earlier idea, (ahem) drum roll please, introducing the new and improved Caesar Featherie!!! 🙂

I’ll be receiving some of these very soon to review and i’ll do a complete write up once I test them out.

to be continued…

Save up to 70% on tee times when you book on GolfNow.com Today!