Bring back balata balls

Hey everybody, long time wrx reader here who finally decided to pull the trigger and join myself. Recently I had the opportunity of playing a few balata golf balls my dad found in the garage and I have to say I've never had such a satisfactory feeling in all of golf than puring one of those balls with a bladed iron. Around the greens they were unbelievable and off the putter they felt like a marshmallow. I understand the disadvantage of its durability (or lack thereof, I guess) and high spin off the tee, but I can't see how those two things totally disqualify every golf ball manufacturer from producing a wound core balata covered golf ball these days. So I made a petition and thought I'd bring it here to try and find like-minded people who'd be interested in helping out the cause. https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bring-back-wound-balata-golf-balls

I wonder what they would cost?

That's a concern I had too. I've also heard ecological arguments on both sides-- one saying that balata golf balls led to the over harvesting of balata trees and the other saying that new synthetic covers (i.e. surlyn and urethane) take much, much longer to biodegrade than the naturally derived balata and rubber based balls. We'll probably never find out unless we bring enough attention to the topic that manufacturers are forced to weigh in.

Balata balls just love persimmon woods!

I just bought 58 balata titleist golf balls for .50$ each. Last time I played balata I used 1 ball,my 1960 hogan medallions and Persimmon Hogan speed slot woods and shot a smooth 78 with 1 ball. Distance loss was not extreme as the fairways were firm and the ball flight off the tee was mid height.

I love the feeling of driving, hitting and putting balata golf balls.

Please, someone start making them again.

Maybe I made a mistake burying the petition at the end of that long post, but please, if you're interested, take a minute to electronically sign it! The plan is to write some letters to manufacturers and cite the petition to show them there's a demand. If they can't be made anymore for whatever reason, at least we'll have an explanation why.

Played balata balls at the height of their popularity and innovation..1985 through early 90s. A fantastic ball the maxfli HT tour one of the best balls ever. So much response so soft, could hold any green. Low launch,,massive spin. The only problem with them is that they simply get eaten up by wedges and don't hold shape but for a few holes. Had ping eye 2s back then and a perfect wedge would nearly always put shark gills on a ball. And hit one thin = shag bag. The new balls are so much more durable but don't bite nearly as good. I just don't think the average golfer can use them reliably any more. Going through a sleeve of 3 every round just for attrition gets expensive quick. I'd personally love a dozen but don't think the new kids would ever appreciate them.

Great Petition!

When it comes to price/ecology: In stead of real balata, a liquid core with a wound mid and a soft skin will do too. (At least for me)

If my memory serves me right, a sleeve of Maxfli or Titleist balatas in the mid 90s was around $10-12 depending on the location. So in 1995 it was about $40/dozen. That would put it at about $64/dozen today.

I was a junior golfer at the time and would occasionally snag some through pros that were friends. I would save them up to play in tournaments and dread putting a smiley face on one.

try a box of the Wilson Duo Urethane. I will swear that is the closest in terms of the "balata" feel and performance you will get in todays ball market.

I just found 3 sleeves of the Wilson Prostaff 90 Balatas yesterday. Can't wait till spring to hit em with my 85 Spalding execs woods.

I used to work at a great private club in the mid to late 1980s and the pro would sell us sleeves for his cost , which was like 5 or $6... loved the tour balata 90. Butter

Found a doz of the Tour 90's at a garage sale a couple of summers ago. Been careful with how I've rationed them while playing, trying not to lose 'em. Not much can be done about a mishit. Now down to the last sleeve.

Oh boy, did I love Maxfli HT's. We got them for free from our coach

Played them all thru university .. back in the days when you could bend shots like Bubba

I have 100's it I don't know what to do with then. I am fazing out the recycled ball end of my business and have a few hundred Titlist but they are mostly not perfectly round so I hit them into the net as they feel wonderful. Have many of the Maxfli, A/4, Multi Layer, HT, etc. Also over 100 Wilson balata, Topflite, Strata, each, and around 25 Slanzenger's that are unbelievable, my favorite, so very soft. Nitro also made a balata, not good. Topflite/Strata Also made the Z-Balata I'm told the Z stands for zero. I feel that if I play with these I may fall in love and be sad when they are gone. May use them with hickory and classic sets.

Fellaheen, those should be for persimmon only , hitting when you can’t loose , maybe a very wide fairway. Those are gold. I recently bought on ebay 100 compression of those . Haven’t lost one yet .

Won't see this type of marketing on today's golf balls.

Driver Distance Shorter?

Highest spinning off Driver?

So, the new ads for bifurcation ball

Give 'em a try!

They're not as straight, but they ARE shorter!!

I learned to play with those old wound balata balls. They felt great, you could make them move however your skill level allowed, although that was frequently by accident, they were magic in the short game ... but by any rational comparison to modern balls, they were awful. Frequently out of round when new, cut with a harsh word and at best good for about three holes. Nostalgia is great, but those balls were not.

Won't see this type of marketing on today's golf balls.

Driver Distance Shorter��

Highest spinning off Driver��

 

 

How do the play?? I'd saved a sleeve of N.O.S Tour balata 100's for a rainy day, I opened them up earlier this year, only to discover that they were "dead" after sitting for so long. FWIW My Maxflis have held up much better over the years.

J

Balata were great in their time but the reality was that they were not a very good ball,too easy to scuff,cut or knock out of shape.

However,there's no good reason why manufacturers cannot design a ball which reproduces the characteristics of balata in terms of spin and distance.

I have banged on about this elsewhere,suggesting that the powers that be at Augusta could do world golf an enormous favour by saying enough is enough,no more tack-on yardages to cope with modern equipment,the Masters will be played with our own 'Masters' golf ball with maximum distance of 280(?) and spin like a balata and returning Augusta to the course it used to be.

This could be the break through required to bring a halt to the nonsense that has gone on with many great,old courses ruined by designers trying to 'stretch' and 'modernise' them,Augusta is one in the US and Wentworth here in the UK.

Benefits all round.

Golf courses saved.

Manufacturers have a new product to sell.

Golf returns to a game of skill and shot-making.

USGA and R&A are impotent rather than important,Augusta could take the lead with a concept that RT would surely approve of.

Seriously ?

I don't miss the smiley on the balata , especially when it's just put into play. Many of the modern day premium golf ball has the feel of the balata , with much much better durability and performance.

Unless I put the persimon woods in play, I don't miss the balata at all.

I just recently picked up "new" balatas. They look like they've never been taken out of the package I took them out a few times and you can tell that they've lost a little life but to be honest with you on some really good swings I can still get it out there about 235 , so they probably only last about 10 to 15% of their life . Of course I hit my persimmon drivers with them

plus the balata ball would make the people that have this baby fade so to speak, back to slicers of the ball. and the ones that hit the baby draw into rope hookers again. yes the balata ball would go out of round, and yes sometimes it wasnt in round to begin with. but the new modern ball has taken the skill out of the game. and yes we had Rockflites , I mean Top Flite balls back then. And the Titleist DT with the solid core and Surlyn covers. And some of them were out of round. But it was a game of skill, not of blast it and go find it.

Golfers are at cross purposes with manufacturers.

One plays a very traditional game where the majority of participants are over 50, many of whom are nostalgic by nature.

The other are cold-blooded reptiles.

Greg Norman played a Spaulding Tour Edition ball that had a synthetic balata cover and spun more than a wound balata ball. If balls were made to spin more, driver designs would be altered to minimize the additional spin, and probably nothing much would change as far as distance is concerned. Norman was as long as his contemporaries, playing a higher spin ball.

Greg Norman played a Spaulding Tour Edition ball that had a synthetic balata cover and spun more than a wound balata ball. If balls were made to spin more, driver designs would be altered to minimize the additional spin, and probably nothing much would change as far as distance is concerned. Norman was as long as his contemporaries, playing a higher spin ball.

Greg Norman played a Spaulding Tour Edition ball that had a synthetic balata cover and spun more than a wound balata ball. If balls were made to spin more, driver designs would be altered to minimize the additional spin, and probably nothing much would change as far as distance is concerned. Norman was as long as his contemporaries, playing a higher spin ball.

As for me the HT-100 Maxfli Balata was the best of all. But like countless others have said durability was not so good. I used to carry a roundness check gauge on my bag. Back when I could pound a ball with persimmon those things would go out of round in 3 or 4 holes. I could also scuff the crap out of the cover with a wedge or short iron struck well. Hit a tree or cart path well forget it that ball was toast

Greg Norman played a Spaulding Tour Edition ball that had a synthetic balata cover and spun more than a wound balata ball. If balls were made to spin more, driver designs would be altered to minimize the additional spin, and probably nothing much would change as far as distance is concerned. Norman was as long as his contemporaries, playing a higher spin ball.

That ball was incredible. Probably spun too much and could have cost him a major back in 1986 when he led all 4 majors on Sunday. I'll never forget the shots he was hitting into greens at Inverness in the PGA. Right before Tway holed out from the bunker on the 72nd hole, Norman hit a shot into the middle of the green that sucked back off of the front and into the rough.

Guy's can we at least try and spell Spalding correctly.

J