Liquid Core Balls
Liquid-core balls are golf balls whose core consists of a liquid-filled sphere around which rubber thread is wound.
This construction shaped the golf ball for decades: at the centre sat a small sack of paste or liquid, around which machines wound hundreds of metres of elastic rubber thread under tension, coated with a soft balata cover made of natural rubber. The result was a ball with an exceptionally soft feel and high spin — exactly what good players were looking for on short shots around the green. The drawback: the balls were sensitive; a thin strike scratched the cover, and in the cold they played hard as stone. Since the turn of the millennium, multi-layer balls with a solid core have almost completely displaced the wound balls.
In practice you rarely encounter liquid-core balls today, for example when rummaging through an old bag from the basement or among lake balls that are getting on in years. An example from the past: the pro of the nineties chose the wound balata ball because with it he could stop his approach shot to the green deliberately with backspin — amateurs with an impure strike lost distance with the same ball and destroyed it after a few holes. Modern multi-layer technology delivers that feel today without the sensitivity.
The most stubborn misconception is the romantic glorification: “balls used to have more feel” is only true to a limited extent. The compression and the cover materials of modern balls are more finely tuned than winding technology ever allowed. Whoever finds an old liquid-core ball today should no longer play it: the liquid may have leaked out, the balata cover becomes brittle, and the flight characteristics are far below what a current ball delivers. As a collector's item or decoration in the clubhouse it still works wonderfully.
FAQ
Can I still play an old liquid-core ball today?
That is not advisable. The liquid in the core may have leaked out, the balata cover becomes brittle over the years, and the flight characteristics are well below what a modern ball delivers. As a collector's item or decoration in the clubhouse, however, it still works well.
Did the old wound balls really have more feel than today's balls?
Only to a limited extent. The soft cover and the high backspin gave pros a fine feel around the green, but modern multi-layer balls tune compression and cover materials more finely today than winding technology ever could. Amateurs with an impure strike lost distance with the old balls and damaged them quickly.
Where do you still encounter liquid-core balls today?
Mostly when rummaging through an old bag from the basement or among older found balls from the water hazard. You can recognise them by the often yellowed, soft cover and in part by indented seams. If you are unsure, leave the ball where it is — it should no longer be played.