The golf balls of this invention had 76% of the surface covered with dimples 3. This increased the distance that the golf ball would travel. The three XL TOP-FLITE golf balls #245, 333, and 524 that appeared on earlier USGA lists had only 59% of the surface covered with dimples. They had 320 large dimples and 12 small dimples arranged in the Spalding icosahedron dimple pattern 4. This new Spalding dimple technology was important because Spalding and Acushnet Companies had spent considerable time in court from 1981 to 1990 hashing out patent issues 5. Spalding had obtained a patent on a new cover material called Surlyn® in 1974 and had sued Acushnet for infringing and won. Acushnet filed an appeal and sued Spalding over patent violations regarding golf ball dimple patterns, fluorescent ball covering, and golf ball moldiing. Finally in 1990 the two companies settled their differences and agreed to cross license their patents. By 2002, players such as Hal Sutton, Bernhard Langer, and Luke Donald were playing the Hogan Apex ball. And Jim Furyk won the 2003 U.S. Open with the new Strata Ace, which featured playing card suits ( a la Penfold) instead of numbers. Colin Montgomerie joined the staff, and Spalding had big plans.

Spalding Molitor Golf Balls are equipped with several impressive features that make them stand out from the competition. With a Super Reactive Titanium Core, these golf balls deliver ultimate distance and high-energy performance. The Ionomer Cover ensures a high initial velocity and flight, while also providing superior launch performance with more loft for longer flight. Additionally, these golf balls offer a soft feel and incredible accuracy, allowing you to enhance your greenside control. The 2-piece solid core construction and 85 compression further contribute to the exceptional performance of these golf balls. Unrivaled Distance and Energy Performance In the advertisement the TOP-FLITE II golf ball dimple pattern was called the ‘422 hex dimple design’. This golf ball produced the ‘LOW TRAJECTORY flight pattern’ which gave extra roll. I do not have this golf ball in my collection. However, from the USGA list I discovered that from 1990-1993 a TOP-FLITE II logo Spalding golf ball with 422 dimples appeared. The US patent 5,044,638 3 discloses this dimple pattern. In addition, a TOP-FLITE II golf ball with 332 dimples also appeared in the USGA lists from 1987 to 1993. Acts of Parliament banning golf”, National Library of Scotland, accessed August 3, 2016. http://digital.nls.uk/golf-in-scotland/banned/1457-act.html. Spalding obtained a patent 7 for a golf ball with 410 dimples on Oct. 29,1991. This new dimple pattern had three sizes of dimple diameter: D1=0.165 inch, D2= 0.140 inch, and D3=0.110 inch. The % surface coverage was 73%. Here is the dimple pattern.The 1990 patent with 492 dimples was a continuation of an application originally filed Jan. 14, 1986. Since a patent application must be filed within one year of the invention, the earliest date for this invention must be about Feb. 1985. Therefore I was not surprised to see Spalding golf balls with 492 dimples on the June 1985 USGA conforming list. Spalding golf balls that have this 492 dimple pattern on the June 1985 list are: Top-Flite 492 Spalding USA, Top-Flite Plus Spalding 492, Top-Flite Plus Spalding 492 (orange cover), and Top-Flite Plus Spalding 492 (yellow cover). These golf balls continue to appear on the USGA lists every year until 1993. A fifth ball with 492 dimples, Top-Flite Spalding 492 with logo, appeared on the USGA lists from 1988 to 1993. Harris, Tim. “Coburn Haskell” in Players: 250 Men, Women and Animals Who Created Modern Sport, Coburn Haskell. London: Yellow Jersey, 2009. The Royal and Ancient Game”, British Golf Museum, accessed August 3, 2016. http://www.britishgolfmuseum.co.uk/the-collections/the-royal-and-ancient-game/. I had released it into the foreign market through a network of distributors mid in 1978, where it was well received.

Dimple Pattern.” Illustration. Source: United States Patent Office. Available from https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US878254.pdf .In 1893, Spalding bought the Lamb Knitting Machine Company in Chicopee, Mass which made, obviously, knitting machines and, less obviously, eggbeaters, bicycle wheels, and rifles. Among Jones’ innovations: the first matched set of steel-shafted irons, the first set of irons with the sweet spot in the center of each club (denoted by a circle of dots on the clubface), and an iron set where the scoring irons were one length, the mid irons were one length, and the long irons were one length. Not quite Bryson-like, but innovative for the day.

In May 1991 Spalding obtained a US patent 4 for a golf ball with 422 dimples. The dimples were arranged in a modified icosahedron pattern. There were 40 dimples with a diameter of 0.165 inches, 20 with a diameter of 0.153 inches, and 362 with a diameter of 0.142 inches. Testing showed that this ball flew ten yards farther than the Spalding golf ball with 492 dimples 5 (271.2 yards versus 261.1 yards). The Strata, however, proved to be a gold mine for Spalding. Its high point came in 1998 when Mark O’Meara won the Masters and the Open Championship for Spalding.I do not have any of these golf balls in my collection but I have one Spalding ball with 492 dimples, ball #504, Spalding Plus, Extra Distance. This ball first appeared on the 1995 USGA list Spring Edition. Paul Donnelley, Firsts, Lasts & Onlys of Golf: Presenting the most amazing golf facts from the last 600 years (London: Hamlyn, 2010), Kindle Edition. When it comes to greenside control and the short game, the Spalding Molitor Golf Balls truly shine. Their construction and design facilitate exceptional spin control and shot shaping, enabling you to execute delicate chips, pitches, and bunker shots with precision and finesse. By using these golf balls, you can enhance your ability to get up and down, saving valuable strokes around the green. Tim Harris, “Coburn Haskell” in Players: 250 Men, Women and Animals Who Created Modern Sport (London: Yellow Jersey, 2009), Kindle Edition. By this time, Spalding was making everything from barbells, dumbells, punching bags, and rowing machines to fencing blades, whistles, shot puts, javelins, and golf clubs. Spalding, along with Wright and Ditson, was importing golf clubs from Scotland. By the following year, Spalding began making clubs in the U.S. In 1895, Spalding started manufacturing golf balls.

Last but not the least important, we mustn’t forget the fact that golf is a game that keeps on growing and evolving. And with it, golf essentials– including the golf ball – continues to evolve as well. Maybe another major revolution may already be on its way, but we just don’t know it yet. Footnotes The XL TOP-Flite golf balls #245, #524, and #333 are similar to golf ball #29 1 in that all the names appear on the seam of the golf ball. However, ball #29 uses an older italics font 5 for the XL Top-Flite while balls #245, 524, and 333 all use a newer bold font for the XL Top-Flite name. For this reason I think that the ball #29 was introduced before ball #245.During his time with Spalding, Stewart dropped from 6 th to 123 rd on the money list, with his only win coming at the 1995 Houston Open. I also have a TOP-FLITE XL II golf ball with 332 dimples. These dimples are arranged in the Spalding 4,880,241 2 dimple pattern discussed earlier. This golf ball appears on the USGA list from 1988 to 1991. Notice that the font for the name on ball #560 is slightly different from the font for balls #327 and #328.