Loved and Lamented Balls of our Youth

[ScooterMcTavish]

What ball do you really miss?

Reading the ball hawking topic reminds me of my youthful days when we had to find balls to have something to play with. This led me down memory lane to remember all the old balls I played.

This got me to thinking that there must be others with nostalgic feelings for that one special ball.

For me, this ball was the Dunlop DDH II in high-vis yellow.

Not only was it actually a good feeling ball, it also travelled well in wind. Plus, back in the day, there were two dimple patterns: otti (think Top Flite), and icosahedral (think Titleist DT). The DDH II was really the first ball to break with these conventions.

Plus, after its launch, dimples got much more creative, including the 492 dimple balls which were covered with a huge amount of teeny weeny dimples (think Golden Ram 492 and Top Flite Plus).

Anyone else have some old faves they'd like to rave about?

[persimmonpal]

Man I remember all of those.. The Top Flite Pluss II is the only Top Flite I was ever happy to get.. dont ask me why! I remember the Slazengers, and the Titleist DT. Molitors were pretty popular back then too. Those were the days!

[amerza18]

I liked the Titleist Professional and the original Maxfli Revolution wound ball. Those were the best feeling balls i've ever played, next to the balata. But the "smile" you used to put on the balata when you thinned one, hurt because they were so pricey.

[Arsey51]

The Slazenger wound balata that they made in 1984. You could spin 'em with a butter knife.....Better than ANYTHING from that company presently.

[XYB34A]

In the 1980's, I lived in Greenville SC. There was a Maxfil outlet there. I loved the Maxfli balata ball before the HT. It was in the DDH pattern but just balata.

The Slazenger balata was great, the longest balata ball out.

I liked the Titleist Balata Low Trajectory the best, in 90 compression.

Hard balls include the Maxfli MD, it was a really long ball. It ran and ran, off the green even.

Spalding Tour Edition, is one of the first two piece balls that spun well. They actually had too much spin as they would spin back off the green in nothing flat. They made a funny noise when u putted with them too.

Wilson K28 is another good one.

[cantill2]

My favorite ball as a kid was the release of the original Pinncale Gold! This ball was long off the tee!!!

[JD3]

Titleist Professional 90 for sure. Loved the flat trajectory and the way it wanted to get down for chips. Distant 2nd was Spalding Tour Edition. Norman-endorsed solid core ball for better players that was about 10 years ahead of its time.

[minimal45]

i'm pretty young but i remember a ball they used to make that they dont make anymore and i loved it, it was by strata i think it was called the tour ace? anyone recall that ball i think jim fuyrk used it when he won his us open. very cool ball.

[Tanner25]

Yellow, Spalding Molitor

[freedom35]

Man, what great memories. For me, when I started playing competitively as a junior in the early 90s, I used the Maxfli HT balata. Then, it was the Rextar. What a marshmallow that was. Remember hitting a putt once that wobbled to the hole, it was so out of round.

But I think my all-time favourite came after college. The Top Flite Strata Tour 100. Great distance, great spin and great feel, plus durability that balata and the Titty Professional could only dream of. Started playing it and never considered anything else until they stopped making it. Been looking for a slam dunk like it ever since although I did quite like the Strata Tour Ultimate.

[kwantfm]

Rextar Balata... beautiful looking and playing golf ball. A little more durable than the Titleist Balata. The Professional changed everything though, just like the Pro V1 did a few years later.

[Tanner25]

[quote name='freedom35' post='1944123' date='Sep 10 2009, 09:36 PM']Man, what great memories. For me, when I started playing competitively as a junior in the early 90s, I used the Maxfli HT balata. Then, it was the Rextar. What a marshmallow that was. Remember hitting a putt once that wobbled to the hole, it was so out of round.

But I think my all-time favourite came after college. The Top Flite Strata Tour 100. Great distance, great spin and great feel, plus durability that balata and the Titty Professional could only dream of. Started playing it and never considered anything else until they stopped making it. Been looking for a slam dunk like it ever since although I did quite like the Strata Tour Ultimate.[/quote]

why was the Strata ditched?

[502 to Right]

Circa 1984 I loved to find the Titleist 384 DT. It came in white, orange, or yellow. I have no recollection how it felt or played but it looked cool, which is pretty important when you're 14 years old.

[Dei3Nascar8]

No doubt it has to be the Titleist Tour Balata 90. Every ball for years I measured off that ball till one day I relealized I had to get over it because I would never have it again. Found a Tour Balata 100 about two weeks ago and forgot how great feeling they were. Play a couple holes with it and knocked it a bit out of round, or I could havefound it that way. Great ball but I really enjoy playing a ball till I lose it not for 3 holes.

[volrus]

The first dozen...or shall I say 15 ball pack that I ever bought with my own money were Top Flite Plus 2 so they are fond to me. Other than that, how could you ever forget the Titleist Balata 90 or 100 compression. I used to love the fact that you could knock it completely out of round almost to the point of an egg shape!

[takafam]

Ram Lighting was just the very best.

[The Derkness]

Titleist Professional 90 and HP Eclipse
Nike Tour Accuracy DD
Maxfli A10



-Derk

[mickw]

Anybody remember these "illegal" babies?

 

 

 

[taskerc]

Wilson Prostaff Control - they felt better than Titleist DT Wounds and weer half the price - used to buy them in the ridiculously low priced 15 packs. These were the balls I lost my golf virginity with - ah the memories .....

[The_Lama]

Aside from the classic Titleist DT 90s of the era, I always enjoyed playing with Spalding's Tour Edition and a little later the Maxfli Revolution.

I can't remember the early Bridgestones to break through the marketing clutter, but I remember using them and since have been a fan of Bridgestone/Precept balls in general. Was it a Rexstar?

[URStillAway]

Early to mid 70's when I first started golfing at a young age my parents used to buy me a dozen x-out "Club Specials" for my birthday each year. Cheap soft balls. Found one recently and saved it for the golf ball cabinet.

The first balls that we could afford that did not slice or cut when mis-hit were "Star Flites" and "Canada Cups"

Man, we thought those were such a great improvement and great balls.

I still have some of those and you would not believe how hard the cover is.

[Terpman]

For me, I remember fondly loving the original Black Max from Maxfli (made by Sumotomo Rubber, Inc.- now known better as Srixon) and always wanting to play Molitors because they came packaged in a triangular box instead of a sleeve with each ball individually wrapped in soft paper.

[soberguy16]

Maxfli Revolution, Top Flight Strata, Titleist Prestige

[Titleist87]

Maxfli DDH (blue numbers?) or Maxfli Master.

Titleist HP2 Tour.

[OpusX20]

Spalding Tour Edition
Wilson Ultra Competition
Titleist Tour Balata 100
Spalding Top Flite Plus

[mat562]

Maxfli HTs (the initial version before they screwed up the cover) and the Titleist Professional were both fantastic balls for their respective times.

The Maxfli was always a better ball in the wind, I thought, than the Titleist balatas. It held its line in a crosswind and was less prone to upshooting into a headwind. A fantastic ball.

The Professional was also a wonderful ball. It did everything; went miles, spun like a balata and lasted for ages as a bonus. Next to the everything else that was available at that time it was like a prince among thieves.

The old Tour Edition was also another gem. I often dabbled with one in my younger days and it was a remarkable thing. Tremendous feel and performance around the greens and spinning 5 irons back never got old. In an era when balatas struggled to last more than a full round, you could get three or four rounds out of a Tour Edition without batting an eyelid.

I've still got a few of each in my practice ball bag and tend to use one of the well-worn Professionals or a Tour Edition when I have a clonk with my old Joe Powell persimmon for fun.

[Mike_C]

I remember the old Wilson Pro Staffs from the late 70s-early 80s with the "truncated cone" dimples...I played it or years.

 

Anybody remember Royal Golf Balls? They had one that had dimples like the current Callaways, but I thought they were terrible in the wind..

 

 

And I remember when the Polara first came out, then was outlawed in the 1970s. I found a few in the woods, they must not have been that slice/hook reducing.....

[Freddie Klien]

Dunlop 65's availible in both us 1.68 and uk 1.62 sizes
Slazenger +'s
Slazenger XTC
B51xd's
Molitor

[Santee]

Mostly used Wilson ProStaffs. Loved them.
Titleist DT was my favorite, when I could afford them. Also used the Molitor quite a bit.
This wasn't that long ago, maybe 6 years, but does anyone remember the Precept Pwr.....something? Can't fully recall the name. Came in a generic looking, red and white box. Those were very good balls. Does anyone recall these?

[dpark]

I am very surprised no one has mentioned the Ping bi-colored golf balls. They were very cool back in the day...

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