Edinburgh, July 28.
The new standardized ball marks another stage in the evolution of golf. It is a far cry back to the old feather balls of Gourlay's days, to the hammer marked gutties of Dunn, and even to the later Eclipses and Silvertowns. But in the matter of price the old feather ball and the rubber core of to-day can shake hands—they are just about equal. In lasting quality we live in a better age, for in an important match in the old days it was not unusual to use a new ball at each {hole; and it must have been rather expensive golf when—balls cost anything from 9s. 6d. to 5s. Tradition has it that the usual measure for the quantity of feathers was a tall hat.
Intropvetinc oF MARKING.
Searching round for a_ suitable substitute for the feather ball, some ingenious person hit upon gutta percha. The earlier gutties were, like the leather ones, smooth of surface; but unlike the latter, the more one hacked them the better they flew. It seemed strange, but all the same it was seen to be the case. Then another ingenious person made the suggestion, Why not hack them to begin with?" Knowing no better way, they took the chisel-end of a hammer and dented the balls from top to bottom with longitudinal lines. Then in play, under the hacking of the heavy sand iron of those days, the markings got criss-crossed, and the balls flew even better than before. Eventually a machine was devised to put on the cross markings of the later gutta-percha balls.
These were the days when the club maker was a ball maker as well, when he bought in his gutta-percha in sticks, cut it into suitable sizes for balls, moulded, marked, and painted, and labelled them as his own special. Mostly they were of black gutta-percha, but there was a red variety, which did not hack so readily as the black. The ball maker was not finished with the ball after he had turned it out the first time. After a round or two it would find its way back to the workshop, there to have the paint. re- disease. moved, be remodelled a shade smaller, and begin its life over again. The favourite size was 27}; strong players would on occasion use a 29; while remade balls were usually classed as 28.
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Next there was the Eclipse ball, I which even the veriest novice could not make an impression upon with his iron clubs; it was one of the finest putting balls, but would not fly well. Thornton brought out a composition ball in which cork play-oda part. Another Edinburgh firm produced a ball made off white Tcelluloid which required no paint; but it was death on wooden clubs, and it had a short vogue. Then there were Silvertowns, the Ocobo, and Craigpark. It was the Haskell ball, however, which drove the gutty ball off the course, and revolutionized the game.
The professionals were divided in their opinions on the Haskell. Some swore by, and others swore atthe newcomer. Was it not Sandy Herd, who, vowing he would never use it, teed it up in a Championship, and recorded his only success in that competition? The great body of golfers quickly took to the rubber core, till now there is hardly a gutta-percha ball in the land, and those who have them are reassuring them much as we now do the feather ball. But the Haskell is not the last word in bellmaking. We have gone on to liquor cores, soft centres, hard centres; there are balls which float and balls which sink; big balls and little balls, and so on without end. But there has not been produced a ball which will make up for the frailties of poor human nature. And then, as Old Tom used to say,—The game's aye fighting' against you."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.