Golf Balls Were Originally Made From Bird Feathers Stuffed Into Leather

The modern dimpled golf ball is the result of centuries of evolution. Before the rubber ball era, golfers played with the 'featherie' — a hand-stitched leather pouch stuffed with enough goose or chicken feathers to fill a top hat, packed tightly when wet and allowed to dry into a firm ball.

Making a single featherie could take a skilled craftsman an entire day, making them expensive and precious. A good featherie could travel about 150–175 yards when hit well. They were used from at least the early 1400s until the gutta-percha (sap) ball replaced them in the 1840s. The featherie's inconsistency contributed to the famous unpredictability of early golf.