"Had the gutta-percha golf ball not been invented, it is likely enough that golf itself would be in the catalogue of virtually extinct games, only locally surviving, as stool-ball and knurr spell." Horace Hutchinson
Thanks to reader Tom Wicevich of Ridgeway, Colorado, where they're not playing much golf yet, for this striking comparison photo. Tom says:
The other day I purchased a new driver, the "R7 Draw". Shortly after, I was passing by my rack of older clubs and saw my Wilson Staff driver from my first complete set, circa 1967. I think you are one of the people who could appreciate the comparison. The only question is....."How did we ever hit the ball?"
Our club holds an event periodically in which we play persimmon woods and balata balls. To say scores soar is an understatement.
By the way, stool-ball and knurr and spell were stick-and-ball precursors to baseball, played as far back as the Middle Ages.
