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Balata Golf Balls

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JB

JB

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Did you play them? Memories?
 
I really want to try one. I have heard some interesting things about them, but I didn't start playing golf until after these became obsolete.
 
Have only seen one and it was somewhat oblong. Made me happy that I live right now.
 
I did, I remember them vaguely as I learned the game, dont really remember having much to compare them to so it seemed like that was "the ball"
 
I'm sure I did, but not enough to make them stand out. If I did I was really young. Never remembered seeing one of those egg shaped things haha
 
I did play them but not enough memories to have much of an opinion.

I think in HS I just played whatever I could find or get for cheap in the used ball bin.
 
yep, at the time $8.00 a sleeve seemed expensive. Finding one on the course in good condition was like finding gold.
 
When I played in high school, we would get a sleeve of Titleist Tour 100 Balatas before each match. That was the only time I played them, because my parents wouldn't give me money for golf. This was the early 90s, and I was still playing Walter Hagen blades and a Bullseye putter. When I wasn't playing a match, I was rockin' the Molitors or Top Flites.
 
I used to think I needed them because I thought I was good back in high school. I loved how they'd lose their shape after being skulled with a bladed iron shot a few times. I'd like to go play a round with one right now to see what it's like.
 
Were the Top Flite XL 2000's and Strata Tour Ultimates balata balls?

If so, those get my vote
 
The worst part would be finding one, getting excited, and then turning it over to find a big smile in it.
 
Erky said:
The worst part would be finding one, getting excited, and then turning it over to find a big smile in it.
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That "smile" was the worst.
 
i do remember finding a bad one & cutting off the cover, cutting through the rubber band like material to get the liquid filled core, just to see how it was constructed
 
The good ole Tour Balata golf balls. So soft and if you hit them anywhere but sent it was like the ball had a parachute attached. I remember sawing a precept in half one time and the compression inside blew up and the core bounced around our house breaking numerous things.... I blamed it on the CAT
 
A kid on our team in high school wrote to a bunch of manufacturers asking for free gear for our team in about 1990. RAM sent him a case of 12 dozen RAM Tour Lithium Balata balls. They were terrible, and "lithium balata" must be a proprietary name, because they sure as hell weren't balata.
 
I played them. I would LOVE to try one with today's equipment to see what it would be like. I have a shag bag at home that has some in there. Might have to pull one out (if I can find a round one) and take it to the course this weekend. Oh, and yes, the SMILE sucked! Wonder how they would stand up to today's wedge grooves?

JM
 
Titleist Tour Balata 90 (red numbers) was my go to for basically the 90's. Awesome feeling with the irons and I could work a 40yrd draw into any greenside sand trap!
 
I remember taking the cover off, cutting the rubber band. And watching the cat play with the moving rubber band ball.
 
Wow, I haven't thought about a Balata in a long while! I remember my Grandfather use to play them a lot when I was young, so I would play them, too. Compared to today's ball, they feel like a 70 compression ball. So soft, almost rubber like feel on the face. They would spin, no doubt about that, but if you caught it wrong, it would give you a big smile! It was always fun cutting them open after that, all the rubber banding would fly apart. If there day, they were a great ball, no days, not even close.
 
When I started playing golf I aspired to be able to afford Titleist Tour Balata 90's. Oh how awesome out was to find them and imagine all those rubber bands spinning wildly as it approached the green.
 
I never played them, but I used to collect them as a kid when walking by the golf course, then dad would use a hack saw on them and I'd roll them down the street and see how far they'd last before the string would break!
 
I did not. I've asked my pops about them tho. I often ponder grabbing some off bay just to play around with. Does anyone have a picture of said "smile" ? I'm assuming it's when the ball splits?
 
Hawk said:
Have only seen one and it was somewhat oblong. Made me happy that I live right now.
Click to expand...



Get off of my lawn.


When I was a kid, I played a wound ball. The last line of balata balls (Tour Professional, Tour Prestige) were really fun to play with.

But, yeah, there were times when I hit a thin shot that I new the ball would be lumpy afterwards. Very glad to be playing solid core balls now.
 
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