University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-05-12

nonelasticity. This deduction also ap-
plies to the miniature ball | tried. This
ball, being heavier and harder than any
other rubber -cored one. showed the
longest flight of all next to the CUTIE.
though when struck from the engine
as if with golf club, its weight and
less amount of elasticity caused its
carry to be shortest of all. excepting
the CUTIE.
"On shooting the balls against a
head wind or with a side one. | obtain
ed some curious results. | found that
against the wind the balls with the
toughest markings invariably carried
the shortest distances owing to their
always tending to fly too high. or to
soar upward at about twothird> the
length of their flight. With Il fresh
side wind from the left. all the balls.
except the guttie, pitched from eight
I" twelve yards to the right of the
mark. at a range of l3O yards. or an
iron shot. Here again the more roughly
marked balls consistently showed the
greatest divergence from a true line of
! flight. Another thing. the balls that
were most untrue i'm regard to their
center of gravity not only always drop
ped the furthest to the right. but also
ran at more acute angle in the same
direction after contact with the ground.
Il will now describe a new form of
ball that was sent me for trial. This
ball was quite smooth. as smooth in
deed as billiard ball. I tried this
smooth ball from the engine and it
'ducked every time in an extraordinary
manner its length of carry being sell
dom more than so yards. For putting
1t was equally IA failure. Thinking that
its form might not, for some unknown
reason. suit the projecting engine and
aS | could not drive it further than
about so yards with golf club. |
engaged the well known professional
Edward Ray to play round of the
green with this ball at Canton. As Ray
is an exceptionally long and accurate
player with driver and cleek. [ felt
the ball would have fair chance of
going. if it could 90. From the first
tee the ball did not carry 100 yards,
though. to all appearances. struck clean
and hard. | thought that for once in
Il way Ray had missed his drive. but as
the same thing occurred from every tee
and through the green for the next six |
holes. there was no disputing that a
smooth ball was quite useless for golf |
| then proceeded to nick the ball slight
ly with the point of knife. spacing |
the small raised hicks about one-third |
of an inch apart. the ball being still a
very smooth one in comparison to any
of the usual kinds. After this slight |
alteration the ball flew spIendidly.
whether off wood or iron clubs. nett her
too high nor too slow. but quite straight
and with the very slight rise tow
ard the end of its carry that is the es-
>cnce of perfect flight in a long ball.
some of the carries when measured from
the tee being over 200 yards.
On returning home | shot the ball
used at Canton from the small engine
again. and it now several times out
dIstanced the best records made by any
of the balls previously tested | next
chipped up many more little raised
hicks on the semismooth ball as a fur
ther experiment. but found that this
treatment not only reduced its length
Of flight by several yards. but also
raused it to soar too much upward
when projected against head wind as
1oes the ordinary rough marked ball. ;
FROM such practical tests it is evident
hat the surface of golf ball is far
to" rough. and that it would fly with
more accuracy and further. especially
with head or side wind had it much /;
"Ss numerous and prominent markings i
'n its cover | would suggest ball '
with slightly raised lines intcrSectin" {
is surface. with spaces betwee. the {
ines. where they intersect. that in {
'rea would be about that of a three t
benny bit. and which would somewhat
esemble in pattern the network on the I
outside of melon.' !