The golf ball has undergone many upgrades and enhancements throughout it's long life. There are four distinct stages in the evolution of the golf ball: Wooden golf balls , Feather stuffed leather covered (Featherie) golf balls , Gutta Percha (Gutty) balls and Rubber Core balls. From the original wooden ball to the modern Rubber-Cored, the ball has changed the way we play the game of golf.
Harboring it's roots on the Eastern Coast in Scotland, the first golf balls were made of wood. Information is scant, but these inefficient balls were most likely made of hardwoods such as Beech or Boxroot. Wooden clubs were often used in conjunction with these balls, which would have made the game of golf a somewhat jarring experience. These balls were used from the mid fifteenth century until the seventeenth century, when the featherie ball was invented.
In 1618 a new type of golf ball was created by handcrafting a cowhide sphere stuffed with goose feathers. The 'Featherie' golf ball was invented. The balls were manufactured while the leather and feathers were wet. As the leather shrunk while it dried the feathers expanded to create a hardened, compact ball. Once coated with paint, these balls were sold, often for more than the price of a club. The time-consuming processes involved in creating a Featherie ball ensured that the price was out of reach of the masses. Though expensive, this type of ball had great flight characteristics and made the wooden ball obsolete almost immediately. For over three centuries the Featherie was the standard, only to be replaced with the advent of the Gutta Percha ball.
St Andrews Golf.co.uk #1. For Golf Gifts and Apparel
