The earliest golf balls consisted of goose feathers stuffed into a leather pouch that was soaked in water and dried. In the mid-19~(th) century, that design was replaced by a solid gutta-percha (trans 1,4-polyisoprene). Textures were added to improve the aerodynamics of the ball, and dimples were introduced in the early 1900's. Improved performance balls, especially with regard to "feel" and control were achieved by winding rubber thread under tension around a solid rubber core and covering this with gutta-percha. Balata replaced gutta-percha, because of its better adhesion to the rubber windows, color and toughness (1).
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