Titleist Balata Duped?

[sbboudreau]

UPDATE: We are all set concerning this ball in question. Thank you to ALL who posted information. CHEERS!

 

 

 

I need a little help, I purchased on ebay a sleeve of Titleist Balata Pro Trajectory 100 Golf Balls. There is only (all black lettering)Titleist, the number 1 and Pro Trajectory 100 imprinted on the ball, Also in very small letters stamped into the ball is a run number (X2 not black, but white like the ball) above both Titleist stamps. The sleeve is black and says "Titleist Pro Trajectory" on top and 100 is at the bottom, with a window that runs down the corner of the box, similar to the same surlyn covered ball sleeve of that era and on the back bottom in small letters "3 Balata Covered Golf balls" no date to be found and no UPC code. All my years of golfing and using the early to mid 90's Balata balls they always had Balata imprinted on the ball. This sleeve looks to be from mid to late 80's, the dimple pattern is similar to the 392 pattern and not latitudinal - longitudinal. I don't want to be a jerk about this but I just picked up a set of mid 80's Tour Model Irons and I wanted a balata ball of the same era to play with. I already called Titleist and they had absolutely no specifics about lettering on their older balls. I have no clue how to add pictures sorry. Sleeve is not in question, only the balls. Any help would be greatly appreciated but time is limited, one day has passed.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I can't help you out regarding the ball, but if you press "More Reply Options," which is located to the bottom right of the "Reply to this topic" box, you should be able to find the "Add a picture" button. A picture may help someone who is more knowledgeable than me.

I played balatas in the late Eighties and early Nineties sometimes, but I can't remember the exact lettering of the Titleist models. I don't recall them having "balata" written on each individual ball, but I am not anywhere near certain about that.

Can't you tell by the softness of the cover, though? Should be a lot softer to the touch than Surlyn?

 

Alternatively, you could deliberately blade one with a wedge. If it smiles, it's a balata :taunt:

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

just go play a round with one and you'll know, catch an iron shot thin off any lie and the ball will look like this.... :D

 

 

 

FWIW you must have the 384 balls, fondly known as "Pro Traj", in your possesion. these pre-dated their replacement the 392 Titleist Tour Balata 90/100. I faintly remember also markings of a "384 Tour 100" on a model year.... anyway, distinctly remember the Tour Balata 392 and they did say "Balata 100" on the side.

[sbboudreau]

Pictures of the balls. Thanks for the help getting these on

[sbboudreau]

I can't help you out regarding the ball, but if you press "More Reply Options," which is located to the bottom right of the "Reply to this topic" box, you should be able to find the "Add a picture" button. A picture may help someone who is more knowledgeable than me.

I played balatas in the late Eighties and early Nineties sometimes, but I can't remember the exact lettering of the Titleist models. I don't recall them having "balata" written on each individual ball, but I am not anywhere near certain about that.

Can't you tell by the softness of the cover, though? Should be a lot softer to the touch than Surlyn?

 

Alternatively, you could deliberately blade one with a wedge. If it smiles, it's a balata :taunt:

Thank you for the help with the pictures. I know the Balata is much softer and these feel hard with my fingernail. I never played this old of a Balata, so cannot determine from memory, as I said i remember the early to mid 90's balata. I don't need to deliberately "Blade" the ball, I'll do it at least twice in a round, sometimes on one hole :fie: Thanks again

[sbboudreau]

just go play a round with one and you'll know, catch an iron shot thin off any lie and the ball will look like this.... :D

 

 

 

FWIW you must have the 384 balls, fondly known as "Pro Traj", in your possesion. these pre-dated their replacement the 392 Titleist Tour Balata 90/100. I faintly remember also markings of a "384 Tour 100" on a model year.... anyway, distinctly remember the Tour Balata 392 and they did say "Balata 100" on the side.

Thank you. As I said I don't want to be a jerk to this seller, but I want what I paid for. Thank you for this valuable info.

[oldpalchamp]

Titleist stopped producing the Tour Balata around 2000-2001. Quite honestly, and I may be wrong, don't think there was very much golf ball counterfeiting going on back then. Also, pretty sure, they were using synthetic balata then.

[birly-shirly]

Looks like what you have is consistent with the sleeve which says the balls are balata covered. I think you're probably OK. As I recall the surlyn balls of that time were stamped either PTS or DT.

[Soloman1]

I seem to remember playing this ball in the 1980's before the Tour Balata 100's,

 

They look very familiar.

 

But, I also can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, and a lot of women look familiar to me now...

[sbboudreau]

I seem to remember playing this ball in the 1980's before the Tour Balata 100's,

 

They look very familiar.

 

But, I also can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, and a lot of women look familiar to me now...

LMAO Thank you

[TimV]

I have several of those...

They are Balatas.

[Bonneville85308]

I have a sleeve of those exact same balls sitting in a closet somewhere here....pretty sure they are from the 1980s and they do say "balata covered" on the box.

[sbboudreau]

I have several of those...

They are Balatas.

Thank you

 

I have a sleeve of those exact same balls sitting in a closet somewhere here....pretty sure they are from the 1980s and they do say "balata covered" on the box.

Thank you

[augustgolf]

I can also verify....balata.

 

Loved this ball. The dimpled didn't actually touch one another so you could get a good, boring trajectory, or you could jack 'em up to really carry downwind.

 

Fine feeling paired with a traditional wooden-headed club and/or solid forging.

 

You could also feel the softness even more with some of the early Ping cast 17-4 irons.

 

Enjoy! I have bunches of these in my shag bag

[sbboudreau]

I can also verify....balata.

 

Loved this ball. The dimpled didn't actually touch one another so you could get a good, boring trajectory, or you could jack 'em up to really carry downwind.

 

Fine feeling paired with a traditional wooden-headed club and/or solid forging.

 

You could also feel the softness even more with some of the early Ping cast 17-4 irons.

 

Enjoy! I have bunches of these in my shag bag

Thanks, I hope I get more than a few rounds out of them. This Balata I have never played and seriously look forward to playing them.

[sbboudreau]

I want to thank everyone who posted to this topic.

[pacman16]

I was researching these balls I just got and had the exact same questions as the OP.

 

They are balata but at the time they were made .. they never felt the need to write 'balata' on the ball.  It was only in later years with later models that they wrote it on the ball.  These say 'Pro Trajectory 100'.