The golf ball that would change the game of golf and closely resemble a ball that we play today was invented in 1899 by Coburn Haskell, an avid golfer, and Bertram G. Work, an employee of the B.F. Goodrich Company in Akron, Ohio, received a patent for a golf ball. Initially, golf balls had consisted of leather pouches stuffed with boiled feathers. In 1848, a new golf ball — the gutta-percha — began to replace the “feathery,” as the original golf ball was known. The gutta-percha consisted of hardened juice from trees located in South America and the Pacific Islands. Unfortunately, the gutta-percha proved difficult for golfers to hit out of both fairways and the rough. They were, however, much cheaper to manufacture than the feathery.
This idea was first discovered by Coburn Haskell of Cleveland, Ohio in 1898. Haskell had driven to nearby Akron to keep a golf date with Bertram Work, then superintendent of B.F. Goodrich. While he waited for Work at the plant, Haskell idly wound a long rubber thread into a ball. When he bounced the ball, it flew almost to the ceiling. Work suggested Haskell put a cover on the creation, and that was the birth of the 20th century golf ball. The design allowed manufacturers to fine-tune the length, spin and “feel” characteristics of balls. Wound balls were especially valued for their soft feel, and continued to be popular until the early years of the 21st century
Haskell’s and Work’s ball consisted of rubber thread wrapped around a solid rubber core. This golf ball was much easier for golfers to hit and also allowed players greater control when they hit the ball. As a result of the Haskell and Work golf ball, the game of golf dramatically increased in popularity within the United States. In 1901, Haskell retired from the M.A. Hanna Company and established the Haskell Golf Ball Co. This company manufactured Haskell’s and Work’s new golf ball, making Haskell a very wealthy man. In 1917, he sold the Haskell Golf Ball Co., which ceased operation this same year, and his patent. Haskell died on December 14, 1922.
By Mike Hallee
Follow Mike on Twitter @halleegolfman
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