What Are Golf Balls Made Up Of? - Golf Ball Construction

Many people are fond of playing golf, however, any one of them have ever wondered what are golf balls made up of? In fact, we do not have any idea on golf ball construction. Moreover, do anyone of us have any idea that there are how many different types of golf balls. Besides those professional golf players, generally we do not bother to know these specific points. Nevertheless, if you want to know about these questions in detail, then we have here detailed information for you. So, just keep reading!

What are Golf Balls Made Up Of

Interestingly, the first golf ball was made of wood. It was more like a small croquet ball than a golf ball. You would be surprised to know that Scots from Holland imported these golf balls around 1949. Moreover, it is not amazing to believe that these balls were made in Holland. Beech wood or elm was used to make these wooden balls. However, these balls turned out to be inefficient and gave way to feather golf balls.

The Feather Balls

Popularly known as 'the feathery', the feather balls were made during the seventeenth century by the Scots. Gradually, these balls became the one of the most used balls by the golfers. These balls were also known as kaatsen ball. There was a special technique to make these feather balls. Bulls' hide was first soaked in alum. Goose feather was boiled and then filled in the bull's hide. Finally, it was shaped into balls and painted white.

The Gutta Percha Balls

Later, the gutta percha ball replaced feather golf balls, which were produced during 1848. Malaya trees were the native of the gutta percha gum. When this gum was boiled, it became flexible or supple, which was shaped into balls. Later, it was allowed to settle for a while so that it could become hard. These types of golf balls were known as the gutty. The gutty enjoyed advantages over the feather balls. It was easier to make these balls and these balls traveled longer distances than the feathery.

The Rubber Golf Balls

The other type of golf ball was the rubber golf ball, which became quite popular in the Britain about 1901. Commonly known as the Haskell ball, the ball derived its name after Coburn Haskell, an employee of Goodrich. Even today, most golf balls that are used are rubber balls. However, in these balls, the core of the rubber is filled with water.

The Dimple Golf Balls

Interestingly, the modern golf balls with 'dimples' look cute and amazing. You would wonder why balls have dimples and how these dimples appear on these balls. The history of dimples balls can be traced back to the times Coburn Haskell. The one-piece rubber core ball was first revealed by Haskell, which was encased in a gutta percha ball. There are many reasons to create dimples on golf balls. Primarily, dimpled balls reduce aerodynamic drag. Now, you must be thinking what is this technique. When a smooth ball is struck, it creates low-pressure in the air while sailing and ultimately leads to drag, which in the process slows down the ball.

However, a dimpled ball would not form such low-pressure. On the contrary, it creates turbulence in the air. In turn, the air firmly clasps the ball enabling it to move smoothly maintaining its speed. Moreover, a dimpled ball breaks off on the putting green and enables players to put backspin on a shot. Hence, these days, dimpled balls are extensively used in golf tournaments.

Types of Golf Balls

You would find it interesting to know about different types of golf balls. There are soft golf balls and hard golf balls. In addition, there are single piece, three piece, and two-piece balls. For a beginner, it is always better to use single-piece ball. Surlyn is used to make this ball and it is even dimpled. Though these balls are incapable to covering long distances, however, they are available at economic prices and are powerful. The 2-piece golf ball can comparatively travel further distance as opposed to single-piece and are durable balls.

The 3-piece golf balls have become popular as these help players to enjoy control over the movement of a ball. Whether it is for a flight or a spin, players would be comfortable playing with these 3-piece balls. Generally, the professionals prefer to use these varieties of balls. Then there is another variety of golf ball, which is 4-piece ball. However, this kind of ball is new, yet it is a powerful golf ball and travels further than any other type of ball.