Tiger Woods once played St. Andrews with a golf ball made of dried sap
Tiger Woods will take aim at a 15th major championship this year at St. Andrews. He told a great story about the first time he played the Old Course in 1995.
By
Kyle Porter
•
1 min read
Tiger Woods played the Old Course with old buddy Jason Dufner on Sunday to get ready for the British Open. Woods and Dufner got 18 holes in and then Woods told an amazing story about the time he played the Old Course with a "gutty."
What is a gutty? Well, I'll let the folks at knetgolf.com explain.
It wasn't until 1848 that Rev. Dr. Robert Adams began creating golf balls out of Gutta Percha "Gutty". The Gutty golf ball was created from the dried sap of the Sapodilla tree. It had a rubber-like feel and was formed into ball shapes by heating it up and shaping it while hot.
The arrival of the gutta percha ball or "gutty", as it was called, revolutionized the game of golf and allowed its spread to the masses. The gutty period lasted from 1848 until the late 1890’s. A mere blink of an eye when compared to the feathery, but the Gutty had a much greater impact on the game of golf, due to its affordability, playability and durability.
So why was Big Cat hitting gutties (guttys?) at the Old Course? Here's Bob Harig of ESPN.
"Peter Dawson [the R&A CEO] came out to the ninth hole [a drivable 350-yard par 4]. At the time, I had just switched to the new Nike ball, the Tour Accuracy. I've got a 43 1/2-inch steel driver (he uses a 44 1/2 today, and many players use 45-inch shafts). I throw it pin high on the green.
"He comes out and says, "I want to have a little fun with you, here, hit this one." He gave me an old gutta percha [golf ball]. I hit driver, 4-iron to the same hole. It felt like a whiffle ball. The cross bunkers that are literally right off the tee, I thought they were there just for decoration. But into the wind with a gutta percha, you might not be carrying it. It's amazing how long it starts and you think you can't get the ball airborne."
They should make Jordan Spieth use one for the entire 2015 version of the British Open just to level the playing field.
