A ball is a ball, is a ball!

10mp_urgent

There is a lot of hype surrounding the form and make of a golf ball. The modern rule states, “The ball must not be substantially different from the traditional and customary form and make. The material and construction of the ball must not be contrary to the purpose and intent of the rules.”

So, what was traditional and customary? In the 15th century, when the shepherds took their sheep out to graze, they would hit pebbles around with their sticks. Tired of this, they stuffed feathers into thin leather bags. Obviously, as these would not fly or last long, local leather manufacturers began making leather-cased golf balls. As they would get wet and lose firmness, balls were made of thick leather without pores. Another innovation was to oil these balls regularly to ensure that no water seeped in.

The Gutta Percha

In 1848 came the Gutta Percha ball invented by Reverend Adam Paterson. The Gutta Percha is a sap extracted from trees in Asia. Boiled and moulded into shape, it made for the perfect golf balls of that time! Smooth at first, experience taught manufacturers that the ‘guttie’, as the slang went, needed marks put in for better flight.

The Gutta Percha was mass-produced by none other than The Dunlop Rubber Company, with raised, spherical-shaped bumps. They called this design “the bramble”.

The critical advancement came in 1898, when a certain Coburn Haskell introduced the first one-piece, rubber-cored balls, which, when hit properly, reached prodigious distances of more than 400 yards. While the balls were largely smooth, it was noticed that when they became older and pitted, they travelled further. Thus was born the concept of introducing dimples on a golf ball, which has now come to stay.

How many pieces do you need?

The modern golf balls are from a two-piece to a six-piece ball. For a beginner, a two-piece is more than sufficient. Made of rubber and plastic, these balls are designed to last longer and take the abuse heaped on them by “Jim Hacker”. Most of the balls produced (up to 70 per cent) are two-pieces. The three-piece ball used by professionals and better amateurs consists of a plastic cover, rubber-threaded windings and a solid core that contains water and sugar or a specific liquid gel. The four-piece and above balls are purpose-designed to extract the best performance from sublimely hit golf shots, “the drop and stop” being one of them. For the specialist, a golf ball performs in 4 ways: launch conditions, aerodynamics, durability and feel. While feel is a straightforward personal factor, durability deals with how efficient the player is. Hitting it straight, not finding trees or hard surfaces or sand, will allow the ball to last longer. Launch and aerodynamics are aspects of good engineering. When I hit the ball, I look for a certain spin, climb trajectory, pierce or how the ball responds to a shot for a draw or a fade.

Balls do break

In the years before the three-piece came in, balls would break or, sometimes, even split into fragments. The pundits had a rule in 1851, which read, “If a ball splits into two or more pieces, a fresh ball shall be put down.” As with any rule, this evolved with the years, and today we are permitted to cancel the stroke and replay with another ball (Rule 5-3).

The market place

It is estimated that the size of the golf ball market is around 850 million balls, generating revenues in the region of US$ 1.2 billion in annual sales.

The R&A and the USGA have more than 800 varieties of golf balls that have been either tested or found conforming.

So what is conforming? The rules state that the weight of the golf ball should not exceed 45.93 grams, and the diameter of the ball must not be less than 42.67 mm. The ball must not be designed, manufactured or intentionally modified to have properties, which differ from those of a spherically symmetrical ball. The initial velocity of the ball must not exceed the limit specified as per the initial velocity standard that has been set, and lastly, the combined carry and roll of the ball must not exceed the conditions set forth in the overall distance standard.

So, whatever the ball, most golfers are singularly attached to them as comedian Jack Lemmon found out the hard way, prompting him to say “if you think it is hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball”.