History of the Golf Ball

Golf balls have undergone an evolution of the course of several hundred years. Today they bear little to no resemblance to the first golf balls that were used. Originally, either stones or wooden balls were used when playing golf and the precursors of golf around the world.

Today, golf balls are made of synthesized materials. They have cores and different layers and are designed for maximum aerodynamics, speed and traveling distance.

In between those two extremes came the featherie ball. This was a hand made leather ball, stuffed with goose feathers and then painted. While the balls were much more effective than stone or solid wood, there were also many problems with these balls.

To begin with they were very costly, just one ball costing the equivalent of several hundred dollars today. They were also extremely hard to create and make into a perfect sphere. Being imperfect the flight and rolling patterns were inconsistent. Additionally, wet weather could cause the balls to split open and break.

After the featherie ball came the guttie or gutta in the mid 1800s. These were made from the sap of a particular tree, the Sapodilla Tree. The guttie had many advantages over the featherie. The rubber-like ball would be heated and molded, ensuring that it could be made into a proper, consistent sphere. Additionally, there were much cheaper and much easier to make.

Finally, it was discovered that while the ball being a sphere is of course important, small imperfections could actually improve the flight of the ball. Gutties were then manufactured with a series of imperfections, making for a textured surface. This was the first occurrence of the dimples that are used on modern golf balls.

The first multilayered balls were created at the turn of the 20th century. The idea came simply to Coburn Haskell, who wound a rubber thread into a ball and then saw how greatly it bounced. He then suggested to friend and golfing partner Bertram Work, superintendent of B.F. Goodrich to cover the ball. These new golf balls were valued for their ability to be customized and perfected.

Golf balls today have several hundred small dimples on them. There is no standard for the amount of dimples on a golf ball, every manufacturer has a different design and a different number of dimples. The most dimples ever on a golf ball totaled over 1,000, while typically golf balls have 300-500 dimples.

The only standard is that the golf ball has a consistent, symmetrical design with its dimples. Otherwise the ball has different qualities and could be disproportionately weighted for corrections during flight.

Golf balls can have a diameter no smaller than 1.680 inches and can weigh no more than 1.620 ounces. Different types of golf balls appeal to different people for different reasons. Some are designed for maximum distance while others are designed for maximum control and accuracy.

Some are for beginners while others are for expert and professional level golfers. Finding the right golf ball is something all golfers have to experiment with for themselves.