The feathery golf ball, also known as feather ball or featherie ball, was a handsewn, cowhide bag painted and stuffed with goose feathers. It was invented in the seventeenth century. Until then, only wooden balls had been used in golf. Feathers were packed very tightly into the cowhide--there were enough feathers in each ball to fill a medium-sized bucket.
The leather and feathers were boiled and shaped into a ball while still wet. As the featherie dried, the feathers expanded and the leather tightened, making a hard ball easily used in golf. This ball was not only hard, but could fly over 250 yards. After the ball was made, the ballmaker painted the leather and punched his mark on the ball.
The featherie was the standard golf ball for nearly two centuries. It flew far superior to the wooden balls that preceded it. Unfortunately, even the most experienced ballmakers could only produce one or two featheries per day. This made them very expensive--often, they cost more than golf clubs.
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The quality of a featherie varied based on its maker. It was extremely difficult to make a perfectly spherical featherie, so they were often awkward and lopsided. This negatively affected their flights. Featheries were also difficult to use in the rain. The stitches that held the ball together would rot, and they would split upon hitting the ground--usually spilling a payload of feathers.
Within a few years of the gutta percha ball's production, featheries ceased to see common use. It was far cheaper to produce the more aerodynamic gutties.
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