Golf Balls – so much power in such a small package

Without a golf ball we don’t have a game of golf. Playing the right golf ball for your game will significantly improve your performance and overall enjoyment of the game. There is so much choice that selecting the golf balls most suited to your game can seem daunting. Discuss your ability and needs with one of The HOUSE of GOLF technicians to ascertain the ball best suited to your play.

Players have been on the hunt for perfect golf balls for centuries. Let’s take a look at how today’s technically advanced ball has evolved from its humble past.

The history of the golf ball
In the earliest days of golf, some 500 years ago, players used primitive equipment to play the game in a rather haphazard and casual manner. The golf ball has undergone many upgrades and enhancements throughout its long life, with several distinct stages:

Wooden – Used from the mid 15th century, the first golf balls were made from hardwoods such as beech.

Featherie - In 1618 the Featherie golf ball was invented and used for nearly 250 years. These golf balls were made by stuffing wet goose feathers into a hand stitched wet leather ball. As it dried the leather shrank and the feathers expanded, creating a hard and compact ball. This time consuming process meant that the price of golf balls could exceed that of clubs – forcing the affordability of the game of golf beyond many.

Featherie Golf Ball

Guttie - Rev Dr Robert Adams Paterson created the first golf balls made from Gutta-percha in 1848. The ball was created from the dried sap of the tropical sapodilla tree, which was heated up and formed into ball shapes. The improved performance and greatly reduced costs of the Guttie contributed greatly to the expansion of the game of golf.

Hand Hammered Guttie – It was also discovered that improperly smoothed balls often had a truer flight than the smoother versions, and the Hand Hammered Guttie Ball, with an even pattern hammered on by hand, was born. By 1890, golf balls were formed in iron moulds, and the Bramble design, with raised spherical bumps resembling a raspberry, became the most popular ball of the Guttie era.

Hand Hammered Guttie Golf Ball

Rubber - The advent of the rubber ball changed the face of golf as we know it. Invented by Coburn Haskell in 1898 it featured a solid rubber core wrapped in rubber thread. Early Gutta-percha covers soon gave way to the Balata cover that was introduced in the early 1900s. Although they looked like Gutties, the average golfer could gain an extra 15 metres off the tee. So the Guttie gave way to the aerodynamically superior dimple pattern, first used in 1908 and still in use today.

Wound rubber - Wound golf balls have a central core that has been wrapped in rubber thread and then usually covered in Balata cover. These balls tend to be less durable and often will not hold up to the average player’s round. They offer fantastic feel and have great spin, though, stopping faster on the green – but the trade-off is a lack in distance. Also, their performance is affected by the temperature, with their distance and overall performance deteriorating in temperatures below 20°C.

Today’s golf balls
In recent years, the wound golf ball has largely been replaced by multilayer balls, resulting in a myriad of golf ball options.

With the rapid advancement of technology, limits have been introduced to regulate the construction and design of golf balls. The USGA has set a number of guidelines. To be recognized and approved by the USGA, a golf ball must meet the following:

1. Weight: The weight of the ball shall not be greater than 1.620 ounces avoirdupois (45.93 gm).
2. Size: The diameter of the ball shall not be less than 1.680 inches (42.67 mm).
3. Spherical Symmetry: The ball must not be designed, manufactured or intentionally modified to have properties which differ from those of a spherically symmetric ball.
4. Initial Velocity: The initial velocity of the ball shall not exceed the limit specified (test on file with USGA), when measured on apparatus approved by USGA.
5. Overall Distance Standard: The combined carry and roll of the ball, when tested on apparatus approved by USGA, shall not exceed the distance specified under conditions set forth in the Overall Distance Standard for golf balls on file with USGA.
   

 The modern golf ball

What are the main categories of modern golf balls?

Modern golf balls can be broken down into three main categories based on construction.

• Two piece
• Three piece - multi layer
• Four Piece - multi layer

Two Piece. This is a tough, durable golf ball usually with a large, solid inner core and a hard Surlyn cover, generally designed to maximise distance through a high launch angle and low levels of spin.

Two-piece golf balls are greatly suited to the less frequent or beginner golfer. As a result of the reduced spin, the ball will be less likely to hook or slice when struck. The cover is more durable and tends to last longer than the subsequent types of ball. Two-piece balls are generally less expensive than three piece and four piece.

Multi-Layer. Typically made of three or four layers in which the core is wrapped in one or two layers, the multi layer golf ball is usually preferred by players requiring extra control and feel.

Three-piece. These have a large synthetic core, a thin mantel and a cover. Sometimes heavier weights are used in the middle of the synthetic core for optimised weight centering.

Four-piece. These multi-layer golf balls have a smaller inner core, surrounded by an outer core, similar to the three-piece ball. This is then surrounded by a thin mantel and a cover. Multi-layer balls are generally more expensive, and suited to a more experienced golfer. They tend to have much better control and feel around the green, provide more spin, yet don’t tend to travel as far and are less forgiving on hooks and slices.

Select a golf ball that best suits your strengths
Today’s golf balls use sophisticated construction techniques that have a direct impact on different aspects of the game, including driving distance, approach control, putting roll, balance and cost. You should select your ball according to which one suits the most important aspect of your game.

To summarise:

Golfers seeking distance
Too much spin will make the ball fly too high, and too little will reduce carry and roll. If you are seeking distance and forgiveness a two piece ball is best. The combined firmness of the cover and core allow the ball to travel longer distances and be very durable – the downside is the difficulty to stop the ball on the green.

Golfers seeking spin
A spin ball is constructed with a cover that generates more spin when struck with a lofted club. If you are seeking spin choose a soft covered three or four piece ball. This ball is better suited to play draw and fade shots around obstacles and will stop well on the green. The downside is the increased chance of creating a slice or hook shot.

Golfers seeking control (distance and spin combined)
A control golf ball has the characteristics of a distance ball - the ability to stop quickly on the green - with allegedly less risk of hooking or slicing the golf ball than a pure spin ball.

Slow Swingers. For golfers with a slower swing speed, it is advisable to use a golf ball that is designed to maximise the distance through a reduced compression in the construction of the ball.