EXPLOSIVE GOLF BALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15664, 18 July 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

EXPLOSIVE GOLF BALL.

CURIOUS ACCIDENT TO PLAYER.

A painful accident, resulting from cutting open a liquid core golf ball, has occurred to Mr. George B. Brand, a well-known player. Mr. Brand had some friends at his house in Augustus Road, Wimbledon Park, London. One of them picked up an old golf ball, of English make, and began pulling it to pieces, saying as ho unwound the rubber strings, "Let's see how much there is of it." Mr. Brand stood looking on. Mr. Brand's friend reached the core, a bag about the size of a marble, and pierced it with a knife. Instantly the liquid inside the core squirted out with astonishing force

Mr. Brand was struck in the eye, suffered agonising pain, and became unconscious. Dr. George Scott was called in, but it was 6ome time before Mr. Brand returned to consciousness. Tho object of the liquid core is to give greater resilience to the ball. The core consists of a small rubber bag filled with an incompressible fluid. This fluid in some cases consists mainly of soft soap, with as much alkali as is to bo found in a rathor alkaliue soap. One ball, known as a "water core " ball, has in the centre a quarter of an ounce of plain water. About a year ago tho case was widely reported of" an American boy who lost the Eight of an eye owing to the contents of a golf ball core spurting into his eye. The core in this case contained soap, caustic soda, and barium sulphate. A scientific examination of a number of English golf balls of well-known make showed that none of the balls contained any acid or fine chloride, but when the bag containing the paste was opened tho paste spurted out with great force, and it was clear that tho liquid might cause inflammation if it entered the eye.