Post navigation feathery plot centers around a unique type of golf ball used during a record match at st. Throw in the suspense of murderous thugs, auctioneers, and millionaires who covet the feathery at any cost, and you have a seriously entertaining novel. One may think by the books cover that the feathery is just about a type of golf ball, crafted by hand in the 1800s. The golf ball evolved from a fragile feather bag to a durable, dimpled sphere that could be driven long distances and spun for control. It is possible the kaatsen ball later inspired the scots to invent the feathery sometime in the 17th or early 18th century as a subsitute for the wooden ball which was. Instead of laying out the story of the game in a linear fashion, the book is a series of essays along themes, among them scotland, america, equipment, the early tour years, and television. However, the cost of a single ball was the same as you would pay for a driver. Gutta percha balls were first painted white in an attempt to hide the darkcolored gutta sap.
Golf ball history from that first rock in the field hit with a bent stick, through the wooden ball and the featherie, right up to the modern day dimpled ball. The changing story of the balls manufacture falls broadly into welldefined phases, beginning with the feathery, which was used for centuries until it was superseded by guttapercha. The feathery was one of the earliest types of golf ball, handmade in the 17th century from bird skin stuffed with chicken feathers. The feathery incorporates greed, love, loss, survival, and its relation to the world of gambling, antique collecting and pursuing ones dreams.
Then or later, the featherie ball was developed and introduced. History of golf balls and history of golf ball production, covering the feathery ball. Golfers who have an interest in the history of the royal and ancient game will know the name allan robertson. Golf clubball bookends, philpsmcewan club, feathery. Click this link if you are wondering whether your feathery golf ball is genuine. The first golf balls painted appear to be feathery balls in the 17th century. The feathery touch of death by john logue books on. When american golfer barry vinson turns up dead at the british open, golf writer john morris and his companion, julia sullivan, search for clues, but when an antique golf ball is stuffed down a second murder victims throat, they uncover a bizarre mystery as old as the game itself a mystery taking them back through the history of scotland itself, where golf and blood are all part of the game. Over the last 20 years of so i have handled about 30 genuine feathery golf balls and have studied hundreds of photographs of genuine, replica and fake balls. Golf balls have evolved throughout the history of the game.
Only 370 yards long, this hole would be a par5 with a feathery, requiring 3 shots to reach the green. David anderson known as old daw a feathery golf ball maker, then senior caddie and keeper of the green at st andrews from 1840 1856 built the house plus a separate house and shop, the house was occupied by jamie anderson the famous golfer son of daw. Club making entered the iron age as cleekmakers created an arsenal of mashies, niblicks, and rut irons capable of handling practically any lie. The first golf ball in history was known as a featherie.
Wooden golf balls were used up until the seventeenth century, when the feathery ball was invented. The 50 golf books every golfer should read golf digest. In 1836 the longest drive ever recorded with a feathery ball, 361 yards accomplished by samuel messieux at elysian fields the same year. Authentic handmade replica feathery golf balls by rs youtube. Golf ball history feathery to modern love golf days.
The story is set in san diego, london and new york, as well as in ancient and modern scotland. Vinson could pulverize his tee shots and dazzle with his short game. No less an authority than world golf hall of fame member charles blair macdonald claimed that robertson was the best known golfer of his generation and generally thought to have been the. For clarity there is a clear distinction between replicas and fakes. The feathery touch of death by john logue overdrive. It starts off with the wooden croisse ball flanders circa 1420. In the first four hundred years of golf there were only four types of golf ball the hairy, the feathery, the gutty and the haskell. Authentic hand crafted feathery golf balls made with real goose feather and down in the original featherie style from scotland.
The feathery ball period lasted from as early as the 14th century to as late as the 16th century and was produced until the early 1850s. Click this link if you are seeking to buy a feathery golf ball antique golf balls for sale. When american golfer barry vinson turns up dead at the british open, golf writer john morris and his companion, julia sullivan, search for clues, but when an antique golf ball is stuffed down a second murder victims throat, they uncover a bizarre mystery as old as the game itself. It was claimed that a top hatfull was required for each one, and the blended malt whisky brand was created to reflect the craftsmanship required to make them. Sprinkled in among the main chapters are personal essays by great writers of golf rick reilly, dan. An apprentice would be bonded to a mastercraftsman for up to seven years whilst they learnt how to make.
Thats probably because everyone enjoyed hitting things with sticks. He was considered the premier ball maker of his time. Mythical origins of the golf ball and the game of golf. History of the golf ball display desk plaque, very highly. This highly detailed collectable is a must have piece for any golfer. Jamie is one of only four golfers who have won three consecutive opens.
The feathery golf ball had a big influence on golf club design and was the ball of choice for wealthy golfers from around 1620 to 1848. These balls were made of leather, filled with feathers, and then commonly painted with white paint. The casing was then turned inside out, and feathers a gentlemans top hat full by measure were boiled. They are balls made from pieces of animal hide sewn together and stuffed with feathers. An authentic feathery golf ball styled in the 1700s design. Golf ball history evolved through various phases continuously improving the quality of the ball. Golf digest has narrowed the list to a nifty top 50, standouts that arent so much the best ever but a wellrounded collection that every golfer should read for the combination of golf knowledge. This is a video of several shots i hit with some old hickory shafted clubs and my handmade feathery golf balls. The feathers and leather were fashioned into the ball while wet. The science and the art, the price of a single feathery ball from a reputable.
Historians disagree over the origins of golf, giving credit for its invention to everyone from the romans and dutch to the french and chinese. Brian weis posted on march 20, 2016 tony parker, world golf hall of fame historian shares history of the feathery golf ball. Hotchkiss 1997, the author of one of the most acclaimed books on the history of the golf ball, the latter revolutionised the game at least four times. The history of the feathery and the game of golf is well researched and told in a delightful manner. If you have any questions about the content of the site, or just want to introduce yourself as a fellow enthusiast i would be delighted to hear from you. The answer most emphatically is the golf ball, as the rules of thistle golf club history makes clear. The new ball flew farther than the feathery and was.
The feathery is an easy, entertaining read whether you are a golfer or just like a good. The feathery touch of death ebook written by john logue. Andrews with a feathery, a gutta percha and one of todays golf balls. Tony parker, world golf hall of fame historian, shared information about feathery golf ball. The featherie ball was a handcrafted ball made of goose feathers packed into a cowhide sphere. But this book is written in such a way that you learn the history of the sport without. The new ball design was called the feathery or featherie depending on whos writing about. How far featheries flew the longest recorded drive ever hit with a feathery golf ball was 361 yards. The art of the original feathery golf ball was thought to have been lost to the sands of time. Although the era of the feathery golf ball may have started in the early 1400s and run until the late 1840s, it is believed that it was in 1618 that a new type of golf ball was created by handcrafting a cowhide sphere stuffed with goose feathers.
The feathery is a touching story of a young mans struggle to find his place in the world. History of early wooden, hairy, feathery or featherie, gutty and haskell golf balls. In the middle of the 1800s a scotsman used a natural rubber, guttapercha obtained from the dry sap of the malaysian sapodilla tree, to fashion a golf ball called gutty. As it dried the leather shrank and the feathers expanded to create a hardened ball.
It is possible that feathery golf balls were used for play from the earliest written records of golf which date to 1457. These balls were exceptionally expensive to produce at the time. Under the guidance of herbert warren wind, dean of american sportswriters, the classics of golf library was created to preserve and make available the works of the leading authors of early and modern golf literature. Here is a look at the history of golf balls and how they have evolved over centuries. Golf as we know it was first played with a leathercovered ball stuffed with goose or chicken feathers. Several pieces of substantial leather were tightly stitched, leaving a small opening. Family history golf tournaments 101 mel lewis, nzpga. The term is erroneously used for caoutchouc bookbinding as gutta percha.
If a ball has fewer or more pieces, it cannot be a genuine feather ball. A feathery golf ball with his stamp allan is a very rare and prized collectors item today. Both men were feathery ballmakers of the highest repute and allan followed in the family tradition. And even fewer golfers know that the ball has been responsible for quite a few revolutions in golf. A golf ball is a special ball designed to be used in the game of golf. The bookends have the appearance of a mahogany or walnut wood. But with the recent revival of hickoryshafted golf clubs in use by enthusiasts the world over, there has come a new interest in some of the other original elements of the sport. The feathery plot centers around a unique type of golf ball used during a record match at st. It displays 5 of the major changes in the golf ball history from 1420 to 1900.
Here are the key features that identify a genuine feather golf ball. How the ball is hit and directed is the essence of golf. Feathery golf balls feather stuffed leather covered golf balls the first real golf ball was known as a featherygolf ball. Golf equipment improved, with many of the top golf ball and club makers being in high demand.
Feathery golf balls feather stuffed leather covered golf balls the first real golf ball was known as a feathery golf ball. Originally these balls were likely to have been filled with wool or hair. The impact the golf ball has had on the game of golf can best be related by imaging that you are playing the first hole at st. Basically, the feathery was a leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers, then stitched up and painted. How feathery golf balls were made and how far they went. The feathery plot centers around a unique type of golf ball used durin. Feathery golf balls feather stuffed leather covered golf. The history of the golf ball in the beginning there was the rock.
This exclusive collection of sixtynine books is available for. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the feathery touch of death. Feathery golf balls were expensive to make easily damaged and only the privileged few could afford to use them. Wooden balls were used until the early 17th century, when the featherie ball was. Smashwords the feathery touch of death a book by john. But such wooden balls were also used in other stickand ball games. The feather ball period was the longest period of stability in the history of the golf ball. Prior to featheries the singular is also frequently spelled featherie, people playing golf or its antecedents used wooden spheres. History of golf balls and history of golf ball production, covering the feathery ball, rubber golf ball, gutta percha, wooden ball.
Featherys could be packed firmer than hairies and could travel around 190 yards. Learn all there is to know about the history of the golf ball, from its origins to. He is reputedly one of the first, if not the very first golf professional. Thats why used golf balls can be pulled from ponds and still perform like new. A golf ball is a special ball designed to be used in the game of golf under the rules of golf, a golf ball has a mass no more than 1.
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