Evolution of the golf ball

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Modern golf balls are centuries removed from the original balls. Here is a brief history:

1400s: The first balls are solid wood, probably beechwood.

1618: "Featheries," stitched leather skins filled with boiled feathers, are first used. A ball is sometimes more expensive than a club.

1840s: Gutta-percha balls, or "guttees," are introduced. They are made from the gum of a Malaysian tree.

1890: Molds are used to mass-produce balls, improving the affordability, consistency and quality.

1898: One-piece rubber balls are introduced by Coburn Haskell, an engineer for B.F. Goodrich.

1900: Wound golf balls start to appear. Rubber thread is wound around a solid rubber core.

1905: A dimple pattern is introduced to a Haskell ball, maximizing lift and minimizing drag.

1931: The size and weights of balls are standardized by the U.S. Golf Association.

1968: Spalding introduces the first solid-core (two-piece) ball.

2000: Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open with Nike's solid-core ball with a urethane cover.

2001: Solid-core balls balls are used by 90 percent of the golfers at the Masters, a dramatic switch from 2000, when wound balls were favored by nearly a 2-1 ratio.