Balata
Balata is a rubber-like natural substance that formerly served as the cover for golf balls.
Balata is the milky sap of a South American tree, tough and rubber-like at the same time. For decades it was the material of choice for the cover of high-quality golf balls, because it is soft and offers the clubface a lot of grip. This grip generates enormous backspin — exactly what good players want for approaches to the green. The downside: balata is sensitive. A thin strike or contact with the edge of the clubhead scratches the cover, and the ball is ruined. Balata balls were played over wound cores, which made up the classic tour ball of the past.
On the course one felt the difference immediately. An example: with a balata ball, a half pitch from 60 metres stopped after a short hop, while a hard distance ball rolled on another eight metres. In return, the ball forgave almost nothing: whoever struck the ball fat or in the bunker pulled the clubface too steeply through the sand saw a cut in the cover afterwards. Such balls were expensive and quickly disappeared from play. Today urethane covers deliver a similar feel with considerably more durability.
A typical misconception is taking balata for a synonym of a particularly soft ball. In fact the term describes only the cover material, not the compression of the core. Even a balata ball could be wound hard. For the normal day of play the difference is history anyway: modern multi-layer balls combine spin on the green with abrasion resistance on the fairway. Whoever finds old balata balls has a collector's item, not a playing item.
FAQ
Why does hardly anyone play balls with a balata cover today?
Balata is soft and delivers a lot of spin, but it is extremely sensitive to cuts and abrasion. A single thin strike could ruin the ball — and that at a high price per ball. Modern urethane covers offer almost the same feel on the green but last considerably longer, which is why balata has bowed out of the game.
Can I still play an old balata ball?
Technically it is possible, but it does not make sense. The cover of old balls becomes brittle, and the wound core loses tension over decades, so that distance and flight behaviour suffer. As a collector's item or memento, a balata ball is appealing — on the course, however, it no longer has any place.
Why were balata balls considered spin miracles?
The soft, grippy cover stays on the clubface longer at impact and therefore takes on a great deal of backspin. Especially with pitches and approaches, the ball stopped almost dead after a short hop. You bought this advantage, however, with zero forgiveness: struck untidily, the ball was done for.