Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-17
GOLF BALL HAS HISTORY
PEBBLES WERE FIRST USED;
THEN CAME FEATHER BALL
Cuddy Discovered Possibility of Guttu
Perchn and Yankee Invented
Rubber Minsile,


From pebbles to feathers. to gutta
.percha. TO rubber core--that's the his
tory OF the evolution of golf ball
Back In the dear old days that arc
dead. embalmed and probably petri-
ned. the golfns persons used 10 swat
round pebble. Every swat used to
produce sting that was autographed
OF the golfer. stinK causes pain and
pain usually provokes profanity.
IN this day and age tho clerical per-
sons arc inclined TO look with horror
upon the average golfer because he
cusses ever and anon. They think it's
the golfers fault and his Individual
sin. But II isn't. The golfer can't help
cussing because it's hereditary. The
cussing habit has come down from his
cussing ancestors. 4 fellow can't duck
heredity. can he?
Well along about 1852 a. D.. golf
ing geczer. of an inventive turn OF
mind. decidcd TO quit GUESSING. Prob
ably he was nearly the end Of life ana
was rcpentant SO he invented the
feather ball as the one way of play.
Ing Solluf without risking the chance
OF getting q job in the hereafter under
the bosS rule Of party named Lucifer.
The feather ball. a few samples Of
which are still alive. but retired to
museums and cur'o collections. was
about the same size as the golf ball OF
to-day and r. trihe heavier. IT was
mado thusly: thin strips of leather.
which serve as the cover, were sewcd
together \ small space was left un-
sewed. This enabled the maker to
turn the cover side out SO as TO get the
rough stitching inside.
Having been turned inside out. the
ball was ready for stufftnS. Feathers
we're TANNED into the opening. and
packed with sharp stick. A two
quart measure Of feathers usually was
- ~
balls. One feather isn't dangerous
weapon 4 half bushel Of feathers
loosely packed aren't dangerous. but
two quarts Of feathers damned into a
space the size of golf ball Is some.
thing else again. The festhsr ball. in
those days. when properly propelled.
could have knocked out Jess willard,
should he stick his concrete Jaw III It's
feathery path.
The feather bali continued IN force
until about 1910. Then a Scot caddy
revolutionized things again. He found
Sutta percha sole. Businers was poor
that day. and not having any wood 10
whittle he carved away on the sole.
Afee time IL struck him that the
sole might be rolled together and made
into ball.
CndIJ Makes Discovery.
The caddy soaked the sole. rolled IL
]
went rolang with Il the next day. He
got some great distances on his drives.
The golfers took compliance OF II, and
the gutta- percha ball came into e%-
isterce
The best part OF the gu,ta percha af-
fair Was ,hat.its cost wah only about
one-tenth of that of feather ono. The
next best feature-~as that the wind
didn't hamper the hiEht of the Eutta-
percha affair. sometimes was the
case with the feather ball.
!; was IL 1885 that the rubber -cored
ball came into existence in the United
States The golfers in this land OF
the free and the neutral went into
raptu-es about It's great Improvement
over the Gutta -percha ball. But jolly
old England, y'no. and Scotland. too.
kee device" until 1905. And then
gen, named Alec Herd opened the
British peppers. He used an Ameri-
can rubber-core ball IN the British
open championship. and won easily. be-
cause ne was able 10 set tremendous
distances in his drives.
Tom Bcndelow. OF Chicago. owns
one Of the feather balls. He bough, it
AZ rel!c sale In Scotland about ten
years ago Bendelo~ picked il up at
bargain price. since then he has
refused offers of 800 and more. made
BY golhng fanatics.
The ball that Bendelow has is more
than 100 years old--maybe 200 years
oid--but II still is In good shape. 1t
is almost as solid piece of rock.
BcndeloW often has yearned 10 take
the ball on coursf and try II out in
4 game.
The ball looks AZ II il still could
stand a lot more batting. said Bende-
low. but hate To take chance on
it"