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Balata Golf Balls

SuperStroke
Six4three5 said:
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?
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I don't have a picture, but basically, if you hit one with the leading edge of your club near the equator of the ball, it would form a rift in the delicate cover. It resembled a smiley face. If it was bad, you could get a fingernail in there and start pulling the cover apart. Either way, the ball was ruined.
 
Six4three5 said:
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?
Click to expand...


The ball didn't necessarily split open. The cover would just cut and you could see the rubber band layer underneath.
 
I remember, and I don't want to go back to them either. I like modern golf technology.
 
I have played the Titleist Tour Pro 90s and Titleist Tour Prestige Such a soft feel - however I do remember the "smiles" and if you skulled it really badly it would be lopsided - crazy how far technology has come!

Anyone remember Taylormade Innergel Balls with their plastic sleeves?
 
Oh yes I played them....always fun to get to your ball and find the big cut in the cover....or have one hit a tree and make it lopsided.
 
ShanksaloT said:
I have played the Titleist Tour Pro 90s and Titleist Tour Prestige Such a soft feel - however I do remember the "smiles" and if you skulled it really badly it would be lopsided - crazy how far technology has come!

Anyone remember Taylormade Innergel Balls with their plastic sleeves?
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I still have some empty Taylormade plastic sleeves. I used them for all kinds of stuff, like putting money in when I would go out on a boat, etc.
 
God I played them and had no business early one. They shredded like hemp cloth at a dead show. I loved the slazeger balata for some reason but I seemed to put smiley face on them during.
 
here is one that somebody peeled a little after the "smiley" and the rubber bands started coming out

burro002%20084.JPG
 
Yup, played the Titleist 90 a bunch when I was a teenager. Put plenty of smiles on 'em too.
One thing I could do with them and my Walter Hagen "Haig Ultra" 9 iron was back them up 10-12 feet upon hitting the green. I can't do that now.
 
i remember playing them in high school that is one type of ball i do not miss
 
I played them, Titleist Tour Balata, for years.

I loved the sound, feel and spin but durability was non-existent. If you hit a cart path - done; if you bladed a wedge - done; if you hit a good sand shot - done; and if you managed to make it through a round the ball wasn't - round that is.

I loved them but I would not go back; the new top line balls outperform them in every way.
 
Playing in high school, a few of the guys on my team were all about them (I think because they were about $3 a ball). I never really cared for them much. Seemed like any time that I found one, it was always cut up.
 
I remember backing up Titleist Tour Balatas around 25 feet. That was fun!

I don't really miss them though...
 
I used to use them quite a bit if I had them. The we played at wasn't the greatest so we always played the ball up. Typically used one ball off the tee and then played the balatas around the green. I wasn't that great a player at the time, but compared the other balls, on some shots they made a world of difference. If you hit one poorly though, it was done. We used to buy the Maxfli balata since they were a few dollars cheaper than the Titleist.
 
Not on a regular basis, but I did play them now and again. Too many smiles were too expensive.
 
I never really cared for them my buddy loved them and I never once got a "smile" on the balata's mine always looked like a frown.
 
Man, I never knew about the issues with them... I remember lusting over them in the local golf shop or pro shop at whatever course I was playing. I couldn't afford them so I played Top Flite X-outs or whatever recovered balls I was able to find. Couple that with the set of MaxFli tournament blades I started golf with and I couldn't break 100.

I always thought it was cool when I'd tee off using my persimmon 5 wood which had 1 stripped screw in the sole and 2 loose screws that I'd tighten every hole... the sole would come loose and drop down and cut the ball... it would corkscrew down the fairway mostly straight. Ah, memories.
 
I haven't read the thread and I'm probably in the minority lol but I loved them, I cut the hell out of them but man I loved the action on those things. Talk about turning a ball!
 
I would play them when I found them, kind of like I do now with ProV1s.

My only real memory of them was how much hair they would have after an iron shot, and I'm not even a high spin player.
 
The old one hole and then done balls
 
JB said:
Did you play them? Memories?
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I played them and I remember that they could at times not be all that straight and many were flawed a little right out of the box. Some guys use to sort through several boxes to put together a good box. I think I got the leftovers a lot of the time. Plus the old irons cut the crap out of them.
 
I played Titleist balata balls for many years, such a sweet feel off the clubface, lots of spin but not good if you hit them incorrectly which left dents, gouges, etc.
 
Best ball I think I ever played was the Rextar Balata with the graphite windings. This thing would dead stop on a green on first hit and most of the time spun backwards.
 
RadRob said:
Yup, played the Titleist 90 a bunch when I was a teenager. Put plenty of smiles on 'em too.
One thing I could do with them and my Walter Hagen "Haig Ultra" 9 iron was back them up 10-12 feet upon hitting the green. I can't do that now.
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That "90" was insane .. I dunno about 10-12 feet lol. but it was the only ball I could ever back up, that and the ole "Prestige"
I'm now playing the Nike PD Soft, (just recently) and it seems to have a lot of the same character? I dunno why but, I love them.


But nothing beats those ole balata balls lol .. work them any which way but loose .. fun ball.
 
I played them a lot back in the day, liked them too. Lot's of fond memories. They were not durable by any means, and I put a smile on many of their faces, but they were the best at the time if you wanted green-side spin and control.
That being said, I don't miss them. Modern balls are better in every way.
 
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