Feathery Golf Ball
Feathery Golf Ball
Allan Robertson Feathery Golf Ball.
A fine reproduction feather golf ball 'Feathery' marked 'ALLAN 24', Allan Robertson of St Andrews marked his ball with Allan whilst other ball makers used their last name.
Feather golf balls were in use until the 1850's when the gutta percha ball took over. The 'Featheries' were made of a stitched leather cover, filled with a top hat full of boiled goose feathers. As the feathers dried out they would expand and therefore the ball would become solid. These balls would work best in dry weather and that is why most golf, at this time, was played on links as the ground would dry out much faster than inland. Despite appearances the feathery would fly and roll with remarkable trueness. On today's smooth greens they would be unputtable, but on the crude surfaces of the time they would roll with remarkable accuracy. Used for hundreds of years the balls had one huge disadvantage, they would soon be hit out of shape and would seldom last for more than one or two rounds before becoming unplayable. The introduction of the 'Gutty' was the making of golf.
The ball is approximately 1 5/8 inch in diameter (4.2 cm).
Dimensions:
Leather
Reproduction
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