Evening star., 1909-04-25
DIFFERENT KINDS
OF GOLF BALLS
Scientific and Practical InveS.
tigation of the Little
White Spheres.

into the merits of different kinds OF golf
balls and published the result of his ex-
periments in two articles in the London
Times.
Sir Ralph employed a projectile engine
by which the ball could be thrown as
from catapult or hit away with a
striking arm as with golf club, with
different degrees of speed or force.
BY the use of this device the balls
could be thrown or hit for any desired
intermediate distance up TO 200 yards,
according to the force employed and the
angle of elevation
A dozen of each of the various makes
of balls were thrown from the engine
at a mark 100 yards distant. and each
ball was shot twenty times before an
other was tried. the indentations they
made where they fell being marked by
fore caddie with pegs for subsequent
mea surement and record.
When the results from one ball were
recorded then another was dealt with.
the angle of elevation and the projectile
force of the engine being identical in
every case.
On shooting straight in wind there was
little difference in their length Of carry
or steadiness Of fight, though the solid
CUTIE excelled all i'll distance, being on
six occasions. i'm its first series OF twenty
longest carry of any OF the other balls.
On shooting the balls against head
wind or, with side one he found that
balls with the toughest markings In
owing to their always tending to fly too
high. OF to soar upward at about two
thirds Of the length of their flight.
In d fresh side wind from the left all
the balls except the CUTIE pitched from
eight to twelve yards to the right Of the
roo at q of 1SO wards.
iron shot.
Untrue Ball.
He found another thing in regard to
flight-that the balls that were most un-
true in regard to their center OF gravity
not only always dropped the farthest to
the right, but also ran at a more acute
angle in the same direction after con-
tact with the ground.
Against the wind or through 1t the
CUTIE was always from fifteen to eighteen
yards short OF the rubber-cored balls.
Later he fixed a pad Of rubber on the
striking arm, and found that the CUTIE
travelled as far as any Of them.
The results obtained from the CUTIE
elastic face will drive a non-elastic ball
as well as hard-faced club will drive
an elastic one, with the advantage that
the former Is infinitely the better OF the
two on the putting green.
Sir Ralph then experimental with = 2
perfectly smooth ball and found that It
ducked in a most extraordinary manner.
and seldom carried more than 50 yards.
and was a total failure for putting.
He then engaged Edward Ray, the we'll
known British professional. to try out
the smooth ball. Ray. who has reputa-
tion as q long driver, could not drive the
smooth ball over 100 yards.
Sir Ralph then nicked the smooth ball
It'll A0svH re n
hicks one-third CT an inch apart. and
the ball flew splendidly for well over 100
yards each time from the machine, and
actually out-distanced the ordinary balls.
Later on he put more nicks in between
those previously made, but found that
this treatment not only reduced the
length Of flight by several yards, bat
caused the ball TO soar too much upward
when projected against head wind.
In connection Sir Ralph states the sur
face Of the average golf ball is too rough.
He suggests ball with slightly raised
lines intersecting its surface, with spaces
between the lines where they intersect,
which would resemble in pattern the net
work on the outside of melon.
No Balls Correct.
None OF the rubber-cored balls were
correct as to their centers of gravity.
though some were much more incorrect
than others. nor were any Of them truly
spherical in shape.
When placed in a basin OF water the
same small part of each ball always
floated upward clear Of the water. The
center OF this spot he marked with
pencil. and however roughly the balls
were rolled in the water the same spot
came up.
AS to the spherical shape Of the balls
this was demonstrated by means OF
parallel wise or calipers set just wide
enough to let a ball pass between the
jaws
A ball would just pass through the jaws
in one position. but would not do so when
1t was turned around into another. This
the gutties.
Sir Ralph then tested the various balls
for accuracy of roll in putting. This
was done by means of a chute at one end
ball would just run to the rail ct the
other end of the table, hitting a thimble
an inch or two short Of It.
Allowing each ball several series OF
dividually seldom hit it more than three
or four times In a series. some of the
balls. particularly those with the most
incorrect center of gravity. wandering of
as much as two feet to the right or left
of the mark.
The g,Ittie. however. was q notable ex
ception. as in its different series of twenty
tries it often struck the thiInble from
fourteen to fifteen times, and when 1t
missed it was usually within an inch
Of the mark.
from cue would be made to hit the
thimble every time. but such a hard
hit ball would go far beyond the hole in
golf. and probably overrun the green.
He then put rough green baize over
the table to try the ball under conditions
similar to those on a putting green. In
this case the balls. with the exception
of those that were noted as having their
center OF gravity much out Of place,
ran with far greater accuracy.
Most OF them hit the thirnble eight or
ten times in their individual series Of
twenty shots. the guttie, as usual, being
an easy winner.
With a badly balanced ball the easiest
of short puts may fail. especially on q
downward slope. though the player rarely
suspects that the ball and not his skill
is the blame.
Should Be Tested.
AS the result of his experiments Sir
Ralph suggests that balls to be used in
important matches should be carefully
tested. as follows:
1. Float the ball in bowl OF water
and allow it to become stationary. Then
mark with pencil dot the center OF
the small part of the ball that floats
above the water. Next roll the ball over
and over. If the dot comes UP quickly
position, the center OF gravity of the
ball is very incorrect. and short, slow
puts will be constantly missed with it,
pa ri icularly on hard, smooth ground.
On the other hand if the dot hesitates
to come up or comes up very slowly,