The Best Golf Balls
The Best Golf Balls
With a title of “The Best Golf Balls,” you might be forgiven for thinking that this article is all about the different makes and brands of golf balls, and which of them are the best. No. That would be too easy. This is more a short study of what makes a good golf ball and what doesn’t, for after all, the best golf balls always go into the hole from the first stroke, don’t they?
It isn’t fair to put all the pressure on the golf ball. It doesn’t think – you do. And if the ball sails into the rough, or into a sand bunker, don’t ever think it’s the ball’s fault. It’s your fault, plain and simple. You have control over where the ball goes, or more accurately, it’s the things you do that determine where the ball goes. Don’t try and blame the golf club, your electric golf trolley or your golf sweater either!
The best golf balls are all pretty much the same, really. They are governed by a set of rules about size and weight, how they are constructed, the materials used, etc, etc. They are allowed to be no more than 45.93 grams in weight, no more than 42.67 millimetres in diameter, and they have to perform “within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits,” whatever that means.
So, in fact, the best golf balls are really twins of the next best, and so on. They are all very similar, but there are plenty who will swear by one brand and not another, with someone else doing the opposite. Who is right? Who knows! Who cares? Well, golf regulatory bodies do, actually. In the UK it’s the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews who can test and approve golf balls for competitions, and in the USA it’s the United States Golf Association.
Until the early 17th century, wooden golf balls were used. There were few if any regulations, and no doubt the game was enjoyed by all too. Then, a leather ball stuffed with feathers was created and the game really took off. The leatherie balls, as they were called, had much better flight characteristics. But it wasn’t until 1848 that the true precursor of the modern golf ball came into being.
It is Rev. Dr Robert Adams Paterson that has to be thanked for that. He used the sap of the Sapodilla tree to create a ball. He also discovered that by adding dimples in the ball, it’s flight characteristics could be improved, making a ball with a more true fight than a perfect sphere. Now, the race to make the best golf ball is, and probably always will be, going on forever.
Guest post by Liz on behalf of GoKart standard and automatic golf trolleys.
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