So, I hit a balata for the first time today....

[stage1350]

My favorite was using them of drives. You'd look at them in the fairway and they would be egg shaped, or would have a nipple from snapping the windings.

 

One thin shot and the ball had a va-jay-jay.

[lukeandzeus]

Wow, no one has mentioned how they felt off of the putter. Talk about soft. Balatas were awesome on the greens.

 

No kidding! I think older putters are not the same because they were meant to be played with balatas.

[etrichards]

Growing up I used to love playing balata balls - favorites were both the Maxfli HT and the Slazenger balata's. Used to by them from a golf ball recovery place for like 2-5 bucks a dozen - good deal for a teenager, and they were always in good shape. Not sure why they were so much cheaper than the harder balls at the time, probably b/c no one would by balata used.

 

Anyways- IMO balls like the Chrome Soft, some of the Wilsons, B330-S etc you will think feel like balata when compared with todays balls...Until you find a real balata ball and hit it. Kinda like when my wife was cooking Turkey Bacon for awhile, I didnt think I missed the real bacon until I ate some again. I always get giddy when I find one in a range bucket..poor form I know but I'll sneak it in my bag so I can hit multiple shots with it before hitting it back on the range. Take it over to the practice green etc.

 

And as was stated, you put it with a persimmon driver and its not even close to anything today.

[nando]

There are quite a few for sale on Ebay.

[oso96]

This thread brings back memories. No ball I've hit lately can come close to the spin from a Maxfli or Titliest balata. The old Ping Eye 2 wedge could spin it off the green when you really hit one. I had one spin like 40 feet one time. Those were shot maker balls for sure. Man I miss being able to work the ball that much.

 

As a side note you could put a little vaseline on the face of persimmon wood and hit those things a country mile.

[Soloman1]

The Titleist Professional was not balata. It was the first tour-played urethane covered ball.

[IcemanYVR]

Ahh... A chance to reminisce down memory lane.

 

I played the Balata 90. Still remember the feeling off the putter.

[Mudguard]

I have these in my cupboard. Even the boxes are falling apart. I don't know where the other sleeve went, I've not used a balata since the 90's!

I'm saving them for a blocks, blades and balata tournament.

Old School by Chazz Michael Michaels, on Flickr

[dlygrisse]

Plus you could work the bejeezus out of them. I used to be able to curve the ball 20-30 yards in the air. Low burners, hooks, slices knock downs that actually stayed in the air for a bit etc. no straight shots back then even with the wound surlyn balls. Today everything just flies straight.

 

All you guys obsessed with low spin drivers would lose your friggin mind. The only thing that spun more were the Tour Editions. Not sure what they were made of, maybe urethane but the pros gave up on them because they couldn't keep them on the greens and the driver spun as well.

[dlygrisse]

I'll admit, while I usually had a few balatas in the bag I usually played something more like a Titlest DT which at the time was a harder cover wound ball. They spun plenty and wouldn't cut or go out of round as easy. The "rock Flites" and pinnacles or Molitors were hard cover and compression. Brutal balls to hit.

 

The beauty of balata was you could hit a 1 or 2 iron. The ball took off low and spun into the air. Hybrids not needed.

[LittleLeftToRight]

I remember the balata days. It is too bad they can't find a similar material now, or produce a ball with the same characteristics. Loved those things. When I was a kid, the balata balls were gold. We would play them until they had two cuts. LOL. I still remember playing in a USGA Junior qualifier at a private club (not used to the conditions, muni player) and backing a wedge off a green and back down the fairway. A friend was watching from the next tee and he just put his hands in the air. Crazy. Nothing compares to them these days, not to say what we have now is inferior or superior. They are just different. I still have some balatas from when I quit the game in the early 90s. I only use them for carpet putting these days. I found one last year around a practice green and played it with a huge smile for a half hour of fun. I left it for the next guy. Man, you could stick a balata ball on an ice cube... Good times.

[cxx]

I remember the balata days. It is too bad they can't find a similar material now, or produce a ball with the same characteristics. Loved those things. When I was a kid, the balata balls were gold. We would play them until they had two cuts. LOL. I still remember playing in a USGA Junior qualifier at a private club (not used to the conditions, muni player) and backing a wedge off a green and back down the fairway. A friend was watching from the next tee and he just put his hands in the air. Crazy. Nothing compares to them these days, not to say what we have now is inferior or superior. They are just different. I still have some balatas from when I quit the game in the early 90s. I only use them for carpet putting these days. I found one last year around a practice green and played it with a huge smile for a half hour of fun. I left it for the next guy. Man, you could stick a balata ball on an ice cube... Good times.

 

I'm afraid the modern ball is better by a mile. That's why everyone switched. Hitting farther, straighter and higher just works better.

[dekez]

Those were the days... Before Urethane and Surlyn, you used to see a lot of crazy shots that you just don't see anymore. Wild banana hooks, corkscrews, you name it. It was fun. No one talks about "smileys" anymore. And when was the last time you worried that your ball was not round?

[MoaningM]

HT balata 90 i used to use when i could afford it! I remember my mate taking the top clean off a brand new balata ball (like a boiled egg) off the first tee when he had a huge hangover. Worst of all it was one of my balls and we were playing foursomes.

 

These are my stash, slazenger balata and old titties! Sadly no maxfl HT's

 

[BrianMcG]

 

I'm surprised it felt soft! 100 tour balata should be a ton firmer feeling than almost anything out there today, pinnacle golds included!

 

Huh?! Are you on crazy pills or something.

[nitram]

Never was able to afford the Titleist Balata's. But used to walk the creeks and briars along the course to find 'em. Then I'd use 'em in high school tournaments. I remember getting a dozen Tour 100's for Christmas and thought I'd hit the lotto. Usually played Slazenger and and MaxFli HT. As time progressed, we'd hit Maxfli DDH off the tee and a Titleist Lady's balata on approach and around the green. As someone mentioned earlier, I'd spend an hour to find 2 or 3 'perfect' balls to putt with.

 

However, I don't miss balata vs. today's balls anymore than I miss points and condenser's vs. EFI. But hey, that's just me.

[hoosiervolunteer]

I could not imagine the amount of spin that could be generated on a full shot with a fresh PM Mack Daddy wedge and Maxfli balata ball. There is good chance it would spin all the way back out into the fairway and run up your leg.

[denvergolf]

I could not imagine the amount of spin that could be generated on a full shot with a fresh PM Mack Daddy wedge and Maxfli balata ball. There is good chance it would spin all the way back out into the fairway and run up your leg.

About the same thing that happened with a square groove eye 2 LW...

[jbsg02]

I have a few Titleist Tour Prestige 90 balls from way back, if you don't remember it was the brief successor to the Tour Balata while the Professional was the hot ball. Putted with it the other day, it's insane how soft it is even compared to modern "soft" balls like a Pro V1. The thing doesn't even make a sound off the putter hardly

[spinball]

Loved the Top~Flite Z Balata 90. At the very end of that era I was hitting a Peerless Pete blonde persimmon driver. The feel and sound of a well struck drive are like nothing you hear anymore. The range I go to uses old balls and I hit some old balatas from time to time. Now feels like the headcover is still on.

[NRJyzr]

I still have a bit of a stash of HT100s. A seller on ebay had several dozen, urethane cover HT, and was selling them two dozen at a time. I scored four or six dozen at the time, don't remember which.

 

I'd also found the local 2nd Swing had come into some HT100s, they turned out to be genuine balata, as I found out with a thin hit one day. LOL Grabbed a couple dozen of those, as well.

 

Think I have a bit over two dozen left, in an unknown mix of the urethane and balata covers.

 

[KAndyMan]

Ahh the memories of trudging through the woods golf ball hunting and finding Titleist Balata and Professional balls. It was like finding a pile of candy when i would stumble upon one of those. You could spin a full 7 iron off the green with those old balatas and the old grooves. Hooks and slices were no joke either. Almost dangerous how some of those would go. You would also have proof of a good shot by 1/4 of the balls cover staying with the club head. I also remember some of those old balls turning into an oval if they hit a tree or rock real hard. Nothing like having to play 2nd shot on a par 5 with a ball that was obviously no where near round anymore. It was basically a guess at that point as to where it would go.

[getair23]

Awesome read here, thanks for brining back great golf memories. It was fun having to curve the ball L or R, because these things didn't want to go straight. I sure you remember blading a shot, knowing you were going to find a big smile on the ball when you walked up to it.

[NoTalentLefty]

I was too poor to play balata. When you found them they had the smile already. We would take them home and cut the cover off and watch the rubber windings spin when unwound. That was entertainment in my high school years.

[RobE]

I'm surprised it felt soft! 100 tour balata should be a ton firmer feeling than almost anything out there today, pinnacle golds included!

 

Huh?! Are you on crazy pills or something.

 

Must be, because he never played a balata or he could have never said such a thing.

[NRJyzr]

It's not quite balata but I played most of my round yesterday with Maxfli HT-100s. In part because I was also playing with Ram persimmons. :)

 

Also had Mizuno MS-11's in the bag. Hitting wound balls with the MS-11's is like hitting a marshmallow with a pillow, even with the PX shafts i have in the 'Zunos. Its not a great combo for me, feel is too indistinct.

 

I did recently score a dozen NIB Maxfli Elite 90s on the bay. Possibly the last bit of wound ball action for me, most everything is priced a little high for my taste. ;)

[grm24]

Ahh the memories of trudging through the woods golf ball hunting and finding Titleist Balata and Professional balls. It was like finding a pile of candy when i would stumble upon one of those. You could spin a full 7 iron off the green with those old balatas and the old grooves. Hooks and slices were no joke either. Almost dangerous how some of those would go. You would also have proof of a good shot by 1/4 of the balls cover staying with the club head. I also remember some of those old balls turning into an oval if they hit a tree or rock real hard. Nothing like having to play 2nd shot on a par 5 with a ball that was obviously no where near round anymore. It was basically a guess at that point as to where it would go.

The Professional was not a balata ball. It was urethane.

[RobE]

The Professional was not a balata ball. It was urethane.

 

Actually, the Professional had a "Elastomer" cover.

 

 

Now technically, elastomer is a type of synthetic rubber, just like (poly)urethane..... and balata.

[grm24]

The Professional was not a balata ball. It was urethane.

 

Actually, the Professional had a "Elastomer" cover.

 

 

Now technically, elastomer is a type of synthetic rubber, just like (poly)urethane..... and balata.

The Professional was not balata covered. Balata is a natural substance that starts as tree sap. The Professional was a urethane elastomer covered ball as was the god awful 2000 version of the Prestige then the Pro-V1. As it still is today. End of discussion.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manilkara_bidentata

[dpark]

Wound balls with balata are awesome feeling, especially with persimmon woods. Still have a few sleeves left that I save for classic club events. My typical ball is the Wilson ZIP. It actually feels pretty close, but does not spin anything like a real balata ball.