Golf Balls

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[Narrator] Anyone who's ever sliced into a sand trap

knows golf is not an exact science,

but what goes into the modern golf ball is.

Now, back in the old days,

the ancestors of today's Titleists and TaylorMades

were simply compressed goose feathers wrapped in leather,

but then, 19th century manufacturers

switched to gutta-percha, aka trans polyisoprene,

a polymer of natural rubber,

leading to cheaper, more durable balls known as gutties.

Early golfers also discovered

that dimpled balls had less drag than smooth ones,

thus increasing their lift and accuracy.

So, today you will find up to 482 indentations

on the average ball's surface.

A sleek, aerodynamic shell of polyurethane elastomer

combining flexibility with a tremendous resistance

to abrasion,

and that cratered casing is wrapped around

a Master's tournament of ingredients like zinc oxide,

used as a filler.

And polybutadiene,

a polymer that's basically rubber with memory,

allowing the material to revert to its original shape

in a thousandth of a second,

say, after getting whacked by a club.

Then, when you go looking for your ball,

it may be easier to find,

thanks to masterbatch red, a polymer used for coloring.

Just one more way modern technology

suits this ancient sport to a tee.

Fore!

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