The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-11
GOLF BALLS TO
Be MUCH CHEAPER
Cost Of Spheres-Some as
Low az Twenty-Five
Cents.
SOME OF THE PRICES
None Of 1916 Balls to be Coated With
Perma Paint as Coating Has
Tendency to Collect
Dust.

Most Of the popular makes of golf
balls will be cheaper this season,
and In addition there will be two Is
cent balls on the market.
This news was confirmed by a rep
resentative CT the Wright & Ditson
company, who explained that his firm
as wei as A. G. Spa.ding & Brother,
will market remade ball this spring
for two bits
The expiration of the Haskell pa!.
ent on rubber cored balls April II,
1916. Is the contributing factor in the
reduction of prices, but Mr.. Iceley ex.
planned that the manufacturers were
reducing the balls more than the far
n or royalty charged by the inventor.
The royalty was so cents do-1.
Two Companies Market Cheap Balls.
The cessation Of the patent may
mean that the American market will
be flooded with European balls, and
American manufacturers are trying
to forestall this "calamity,' although
they do not exactly fear it because of
the scarcity Of rubber in the warning
nations.
The two manufacturers that are to
sell the two bit balls, claim they will
lose on the venture, but explain that
they hope to make up for the loss by
the additional players who will be
drawn into the Scotch game. The
cheap balls are not SO lively as the
higher priced spheres, and are de-
signed for beginners, who, as they
become proficient are expected to de-
mand better balls.
SpaIding Announces Prices.
The Spalding company will market
four balls which will retail for Is
cents, the Red Honor, the Bullet, the
Wizard and the Witch; the Baby Dim
pie and the Orange Domino at 65
cents: the Glory Dimple and the Black
Domino at SO cents; the Red Dot a,
40 cents, and the Bob, new ball, a,
25 cents. The old Green Honor has
been dropped, the Red Honor remain
! ing at the same price, as is the case
with the Baby Dimple. The Glory
and the Black Domino sold last yea'
| for 65 cents and the Red Dot at 81
cents. The new % cent ball will be
recovered ball, the old cores of 9TH
err balls and the seconds OF various
grades being used.
National Floater from 65 cents to SO
cents. the Blue and Red Circle balls
from 50 cents to 40 cents, and have
added a new ball. the Bogie, which
viii. retail for 25 cents. The other
balls are the Black Circle Dimple
and the Bisk (mesh Or basket-marS-
ed at rs cents; the Black Circle, with
the bramble marking at 65 cents, and
the Birdie or Yellow Circle Dimple At
the same price.
Whippet Reduced 10 Cents.
The Worthington balls have been
reduced as follows: Diamond Ace
and Deuce from Is cents to 65 cents,
and the King Bee and Queen Bee
from so cents to 10 cents. The
Diamond Ring has been cut from SIS
cents TO so cents.
The Goodrich prices as compared
with last year follow: Whippet.
orange and green, from IS cents to
e5 cents. and the black, maroon and
purple from IS cents to so cents
each.
The St. Mung company is the on.y
American firm which will maintain
last years prices.
The Silver King. which formerly
sold in America. when it was possible
to get them, as this ball was not al
lowed to be sold under the Haskell
patent except in Great Britain, for
81. has been reduced to IS cents.
Perma Paint Discarded.
AS will be seen, while number or
balls will sell at the top price of IS
cents. the reduction in the prices or
other balls is quite appreciable
While thousands Of the American
golfers will play with the slx-olt
balls, the great bulk of golfers will
use the lower priced spheres.
A feature of the 1916 golf balls is
that none of them will be coated with
Perma paint, Some of the balls were
covered with this preparation last
year as it was claimed 1t gave the
spheres a whittier hue. This proved TO
be fallacy as the coating had ten
dency to collect the dust and make
the balls darker.