Have you been playing 20+ years?

[One Planer]

If so, answer me this question.

In an age where balls are covered in Surilyn, Urethane and all other manor of compound. What was it like to play a ball with a Balata cover?

I only ask as my dad found 2 dozen of these up in his attic, with about 6" of dust on them:

Tour90 edition of that means anything?

He's have me 2 sleeves to try and I'm eager to see the results.

Any thoughts

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Sorry to disappoint but those weren't actually balata balls, just a name as they claimed to play like balatas. A balata ball was a thing of beauty, lovely soft click from it off irons (probably due to being a wound ball) but you could destroy one with a single thinned shot

Edit: The 90 relates to the compression, most balls were 90 or 100 (firmer) sort of like a Pro V1 versus a Pro V1x

 

[JustOne]

That ball is circa 1994/95, and it's probably about the same as an AD333 nowadays. It didn't have the micro film of rubbery 'balata' that used to fill the grooves of your club after a decent strike

 

[cookelad]

Always thought they were balatas (I was only 12 in 94/95) but looking at that pic it really doesn't look like a balata!

Shame you don't get those shreds of ball sticking to the clubface anymore as proof of a proper strike (luckily we don't get the smiley balls anymore though!)

 

[Snelly]

I have been playing 30+ years!

I remember these balls and yes, not proper balata. They were okay but not great.

Balata balls were awesome! Wish we still had them now. Happy days.

 

[Ethan]

Agree that isn't a balata. Greg Norman played those.

Hitting a real balata with a persimmon wood was a very different experience to using a modern bat and ball. Much harder to flight and a lot less distance.

 

[Foxholer]

I think it's more like 30+ years ago when Balata balls reigned supreme!

Hit one with one of Nick Faldo's old Mizuno Persimmon Drivers a while ago and was one of the few who got it more than a few feet off the ground! As a 'low spin' wedge player, I managed to suck it back off the green too and can vouch for how much of the cover stayed on the face of the club!

And as posted, that's not actually a Balata ball. Made in mid to late 90s.

 

[CMAC]

my turn, not a balata :ears:

I'm 40+ years playing and Balatas didnt last long- if you thinned one you had a great big 'smile' on it and ball ruined.

Great feel and sound from them though

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Balata!?

My sons think I used to play with gutties!!!!!!!

Not just the feel with real balata and persimmon but also that wonderful feeling of unwrapping a new ball. The confidence exuded by that could put you one-up on an opponent.

 

[SGC001]

I can remember them, they played a bit more plasticy than balatas. I think they may have been a bit more of a synthetic compound.

The cover was really thin and they'll shred bits off on the first shot with a wedge. I think one of the first attempts at a distance ball with spin, the Strata was quite an improvement on it and O Meara won a couple of majors with it as they were a bit longer than the typical balata.

Around that time Titleist went further away from their balatas, they'd gone to Tour Professionals, Tour Prestige (between a balata and the professional) which I think were still wound balls and then the Prov 1 came out.

I would guess the 90 is the compression rating.

Balatas were great at the time for control, more spin into the green and it meant you could move it more (intentionally or unintentionally). The Strata was a reasonable ball, still scuffed really easily, but didn't really feel as soft as the balatas or todays premium balls.

Edit: Balata wise the Titleist sold well and the Maxcfli Ht was nice (I thought Norman played those), Rexstar had something out (maybe Price played them).

The precept double cover was a competing 4 piece non balata ball.

Edit II: You can still them in lake balls, if you really wanted to try them I'd do that especially if these are still with boxes. Then keep them or let your dad keep 'em or sell 'em.
I've got some boxes of Tileist balatas, professionals, prestige and maxfli balatas in my attic. They were selling for around or over the prov prices last time I looked.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I only ever played with balatas that I found - usually in horrid places - and they were invariable out of shape or had a big smiley (or indeed flapping cover) due to the shot that had stuck it to where I found it. They were way way too expensive for me to buy. Didn't actually play that much with them at all though as they were usually knackered - but boy were they 'soft feel'.

 

[USER1999]

Proper balatas were great, if you didnt mind being 20 yards behind every one else.

It was titleist tour balata 90s, or pts wound for me, depending what I could afford.

Every now and then I'd play kasco rockets, or 88s, just for a change.

 

[Tab373]

I've been playing 31 years and remember these. I used the spalding tour edition and the maxfli balls both balata ball and if you thinned it it would leave a nice smiley in it. Anyone remember the top flite magna it was the bigger size ball that was banned I used to swop and use both as the hole looked big when using the smaller ball.

 

[SGC001]

A link to ball stuff mid 90's

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...QWTh4HgBQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[Gopher]

I remember the Topflite Magna - bigger than the normal ball.

I also remember the British small ball (1.64'' ?) before the standard became the bigger USA ball. I used to get a fresh Dunlop 65 in a crisp, black wrapper for caddying - that was in the 70's though! The Balata balls came along in the 80' and yes, any slightly thinned shot would call for a new one cos of the smiler.

 

[srixon 1]

In a competition I would get through two balata's. After nine holes they used to go out of shape and that was without topping them. Great sound and feeling when you hit them with a persimmon driver. Still got a couple of those in the garage.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I only used them when I started playing better around the turn of the decade. My preference as a junior starting was Wilson Blue Ridge and then moved onto Dunlop DDH Marathon

 

[RobertB]

great stuff in this thread, memories. indeed another to confirm assertions here that wasn't a balata just a better quality of top flite - the usual ones were one of the first 1.68" balls I played with ... started at time when people still played 1.62" and the usual top flite was a far flying thing with feel of a pebble

the 90/100 is indeed the compression and the 100 and the balatas never flew for amateur club golfer that far. pros with faster swing could get something from the 100s.

right i'm off to dig out another ball for us 40-50 somethings to recall and start another thread....

And yes balatas were so soft and vulnerable to cuts and you often found they lying about with 3/4" slices in them...IIRC Pros changed ball every 2-3 holes. even for decent amateur they spun back really easily on green.

 

[granters]

I got 3 rextar promodels for reaching the junior champ finals. Felt like a pro changing every 9 holes. I remember the ultra competition coming out, the first distance/spin ball I remember. Crap by today's standards but it was exciting. Maxfli xs was another favourite, and shortly after the titleist nxt tour came out ( late 90's now). Then the daddy - the titleist professional! You could get a whole round out of that one. It's kinda boring now as the balls are all very similar (premium, mid range, budget). Back then there seemed to be masses more choice. Balata was king!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

For me the last of the great balls was the Titleist Professional, the ball immediately before the release of the Pro V1. Wound ball, lovely clicky sound and feel and you get 2 maybe 3 rounds out of one.

Also loved the Titleist PTS, possibly the best ball ever for amateur golfers (relative to time of release) :thup: