In 1984, Questor sold off Spalding/Evenflo to a Venezuelan group headed by Gustavo and Ricardo Cisneros. Established in Caracas in 1929 as a small material transport business, the Cisneros Group had its fingers in everything from soft drinks, ice cream, and beauty products to banking and a burgeoning telecommunications business. As we’ve discussed before, it’s extremely difficult for legacy brands to remain relevant, especially when new, fresh brands get aggressive. Titleist and PING were established competitors, while TaylorMade and Callaway were flexing their muscles. New entries such as Nike and Adams were turning heads as well. And Spalding’s ace in the hole Strata was old news by the time the Pro V1 and Nike Tour Accuracy hit the scene. Tim Harris, “Coburn Haskell” in Players: 250 Men, Women and Animals Who Created Modern Sport (London: Yellow Jersey, 2009), Kindle Edition.

By the end of the 18th century, the featherie became more or less standardised. It was on average 1 ½ inches in diameter and weighted about 1.4 ounces (39.7 grams) to 1.6 ounces (45.4 grams) which largely corresponds to the size and weight of a modern golf ball. It was typically also treated with chalk or some By 2002, players such as Hal Sutton, Bernhard Langer, and Luke Donald were playing the Hogan Apex ball. And Jim Furyk won the 2003 U.S. Open with the new Strata Ace, which featured playing card suits ( a la Penfold) instead of numbers. Colin Montgomerie joined the staff, and Spalding had big plans.White says the KKR leadership team was much more hands-on than the Cisneros brothers had ever been, which is understandable if you just shelled out a billion simoleons for a sporting goods company. One of the key advantages of the Spalding Molitor Golf Balls is their soft feel. Upon impact, these golf balls offer a satisfying sensation that instills confidence in your swing. Additionally, these golf balls are engineered for incredible accuracy, allowing you to hit your desired targets consistently. The combination of soft feel and accuracy makes these golf balls a reliable choice for golfers of all skill levels. The market was changing rapidly, as well. TaylorMade, now owned by adidas, was rising, and Callaway was a major force. The solid core Strata now had competition from the Titleist ProV1. PING was still PING, and Tiger was becoming Tiger. Spalding, like its old school brethren Wilson and MacGregor, simply wasn’t sexy to a new generation of golfers. Two golf balls in my collection, the Spalding Dot golf ball #241 and the Spalding Dot Diamond 90 golf ball #349, appear on the 1975-1982 USGA lists.

In the early days, golf clubs were hand-forged using a hammer and anvil. It was a time-consuming, costly and inconsistent process. By the early 1920s, Spalding began using a mechanical hammer to drop-forge heads in an assembly line, making the process faster, more consistent, and considerably less expensive. These three golf balls all have 324 circular dimples arranged in a modified icosahedron pattern (four dimples were removed in each polar region for the name and number). Patents were filed in 1972 in both Great Britain(1) and the United States(2) for this technology.

Product Specifications

Work, Bertram G., and Coburn Haskell. “Ball.” U.S. Patent 622,834, filed August 9, 1898, and issued April Information about the early history of golf balls is unfortunately very scarce. According to most authors who investigated the early history of golf ball, 14 15 16 17 the first balls (if we ignore the story about the shepherd and stones) were probably made of wood, most likely beech, boxroot and similar hardwoods. We know that the first record of a sold golf ball dates from 1452, 18 while the first feather ball known as the featherie was introduced only in the early 17th century. From 1932 until 1973 – two years after Jones’ death – Spalding sold over 15 different models and two million sets of Bobby Jones clubs. This advertisement was interesting for several reasons. First, not only did it contain information about TOP-FLITE XL II golf balls but also about TOP-FLITE II and TOP-FLITE PLUS II golf balls. GB 1,381,897, Golf Ball Dimple Spatial Relationship, Oct 12 1972 priority date Mar 20, 1972, published Jan 29, 1975.

Allan Robertson.” Photograph. Source: World Golf of Fame & Museum. http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/. We knew something was up,” recalls White. “We had small layoffs on an ongoing basis, and people kept looking over their shoulder. Finally, my number came up along with everyone else in the product management and marketing teams.” Chapter 11, Section 363 Spalding decided it would be good business to provide golf course design services free of charge to anyone with the money and inclination to build one. Brilliant idea? Yes. Original? No. Spalding’s buddy Wright had been doing the same thing since 1892. John Holmes, “New crop of golf balls blossoms in year without ProV1 launch” PGA http://www.pga.com/golf-equipment/golf-buzz/new-crop-golf-balls-blossoms-in-year-without-prov1-launch. As a former pro athlete, Spalding saw the value of using professionals to help promote both the game and his products. In 1900, Spalding released the Vardon Flyer, the golf ball used by Harry Vardon. Spalding sponsored Vardon’s 1900 tour of America, culminating in Vardon winning the U.S. Open in Chicago. During their time together, Vardon and Spalding agreed the best way to grow the game in the U.S. – and grow the market for Spalding golf products – was to build more golf courses.

Terence Melvin, Dennis Nesbitt, US 4,925,193, May 15, 1990, filed Apr. 10, 1989, priority date Jan. 14, 1986.

Even though the Haskell’s rubber-wound core ball is traditionally regarded as the first modern golf ball, the origins of the ball that is used by today’s pros and amateurs alike dates from the 1960s. At that time, an American chemical engineer named James R. Bartsch (1933-1991) entered the golf ballmaking business only to find out that he was not going to succeed unless he finds a way to reduce the cost of the materials and labour. He started to experiment with various synthetic materials and refused to give up until he found the perfect formula. Bartsch’s ball, however, wasn’t only more than twice less expensive to produce 63 but it also re-introduced the concept of a solid-moulded ball. In the advertisement the TOP-FLITE II golf ball dimple pattern was called the ‘422 hex dimple design’. This golf ball produced the ‘LOW TRAJECTORY flight pattern’ which gave extra roll. I do not have this golf ball in my collection. However, from the USGA list I discovered that from 1990-1993 a TOP-FLITE II logo Spalding golf ball with 422 dimples appeared. The US patent 5,044,638 3 discloses this dimple pattern. In addition, a TOP-FLITE II golf ball with 332 dimples also appeared in the USGA lists from 1987 to 1993. Tiger Woods gives his insight on golf equipment”, Golfweek, last modified August 20, 2014. http://golfweek.com/2014/08/20/tiger-woods-golf-equipment-nike-golf-irons/. When it comes to greenside control and the short game, the Spalding Molitor Golf Balls truly shine. Their construction and design facilitate exceptional spin control and shot shaping, enabling you to execute delicate chips, pitches, and bunker shots with precision and finesse. By using these golf balls, you can enhance your ability to get up and down, saving valuable strokes around the green.

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Spalding Molitor Golf Balls are equipped with several impressive features that make them stand out from the competition. With a Super Reactive Titanium Core, these golf balls deliver ultimate distance and high-energy performance. The Ionomer Cover ensures a high initial velocity and flight, while also providing superior launch performance with more loft for longer flight. Additionally, these golf balls offer a soft feel and incredible accuracy, allowing you to enhance your greenside control. The 2-piece solid core construction and 85 compression further contribute to the exceptional performance of these golf balls. Unrivaled Distance and Energy Performance