Article Written 2025. Copyright Gavin Bottrell. 

How far did feathery golf balls actually go? by Gavin Bottrell.

I started collecting old golf clubs in 1998 and made my first long nose golf club from scratch in 2005. If you possess a moderate amount of ability for making things, I’d thoroughly recommend it as a learning exercise, and having made a club I wondered what hitting a ball would be like. I had previously obtained a replica gutty ball, with a softish feel to it, and so proceeded to try it out on a local school field – I found it went off the face surprisingly well. I returned home with a fresh insight into historical golf to be met by my wife at the doorstep asking, “Could you take this old duvet to the tip please?” When I realised it was feather-filled a thought flashed through my mind: I could use the filling to make a feathery golf ball of my own! And so, an obsession was born.

I made my first three feather balls during 2006 but to call them balls would be stretching the imagination. Ball No.4, made in the spring of 2007, was a giant leap forward and on a fine weather day I went back to the local school field accompanied by my five-year-old son. He did a great job of handling the video camera and theresulting four-minute film has now been viewed over seven thousand times on YouTube¹. The first shot using Ball No.4 went about one hundred and twenty yards. “That’s encouraging”, I thought. The second and third shots I paced out at about ninety-five yards. The fourth shot was barely fifty yards and on retrieval it was clear the ball had burst open, as can be seen on the footage. I had read about the fragility of feather balls and so wasn’t surprised. I had used household cotton thread to sew the seams together and reasoned that a stronger twine would result in a much more durable ball. On that day I set myself the challenge of making a feathery ball that performed as well as those produced by the old master makers. I had read of prodigious length strokes made with featheries and so I set a target of two hundred yards for a drive. With sixteen years of hindsight and having spent about one thousand hours researching and working on this challenge I now realise my naivety! I’ve carried out many stand-alone experiments to try to understand what goes into making a good ball and have learnt a lot about leather, feathers, twine, paint, stitching techniques, hand tools and the physics of golf ball flight. A few months ago I completed making ball No.27 – it has good shape, weighs the correct amount, and bounces very well on a hard surface. However, my longest shot has been one hundred and sixty-seven yards, but my average is a measly one hundred and thirty yards. This makes me wonder – am I missing something crucial to making a good performing ball? Is my target distance of two hundred yards realistic? How far could the best players, and players of my standard hit them? 

The Longest Hit on Record

Numerous modern golf books, and websites, state that the longest drive with a feather ball was three hundred and sixty-one yards achieved by Samuel Messieux in 1836 at St. Andrews. Many of these entries say that the ground was hard, and several say it was frozen. Going back through time we can see if there is any consistency to this narrative. 

Johnston & Johnston² in 1993 wrote this was done on a “slightly frosty day with a gentle following wind.” They also say, “Local folklore has estimated the length of the drive at 380 or even 400 yards. We prefer the more conservative of the reminiscences of those claimed to have witnessed the feat.”

Henderson & Stirk³ in 1979 state, “according to W. Dalrymple, writing in Golf Monthly September 1911, he drove a teed ball from the Hole o’ Cross Green into the Hell bunker, a distance of about 360 yards. The wind and ground were favourable. Old Tom Morris more than once confirmed his belief in the truth of this himself”.

The Golfers Handbook⁴ of 1931 contains a wealth of information regarding the distances achieved using wound balls and gutta balls, but it stresses there are “normal” and “freakish” conditions. It states, “M. Messieux, a French teacher at Madras College is, in old golf publications, credited with having driven 361 yards on St. Andrews Links in 1858.”  This is the only entry I can find that states 1858, as opposed to 1836. It continues, “He used a feather ball. The late Tom Morris was present, it is stated, when the drive was measured. This feat cannot be credited, as feather balls could carry a very short distance in comparison with gutta balls, which displaced the feather ball. The drive is only mentioned here as it is chronicled in old publications, for either some error must have arisen in identifying the Frenchman’s ball, or some agency outside the player must have propelled the ball the alleged distance.”

Moving back into the 19^th Century Golf Illustrated⁵, in 1899 gives the distance achieved as “380 yards, the stroke being played with an old fashioned feather ball. The feat is vouched for by Old Tom himself.” It is worth noting that Tom Morris would’ve been about fifteen years old at the time; old enough to be out on the links in person.   

In 1881 an interesting change occurs to the narrative when Macgregor⁶ says, “Tradition tells of a feat in driving greater even than this, that of Mr. Messieux, who, on St. Andrew’s Links, drove one of the old feather balls 308 yards before it stopped.”

If one carries out searches on particular phrases it quickly becomes apparent that many publications of the time lifted vast swathes of text from their competitors, changing the odd word here and there, and adding or omitting certain points. Barring a few words this entry of 1881 is the same as three others which appeared four years earlier in The Ardrossan and Saltcoatres Herald⁷, a London magazine called Belgravia⁸, and The Aberdeen Journal⁹. Having located these records of the drive being 308 yards, rather than 380 yards, I thought maybe a clear typographical error had occurred in later accounts.

In August 1859, Chambers’ Journal¹⁰ says, “Only fancy a golfer with a single sweep of his club driving a ball 380 yards! Yet this was actually accomplished many years ago, in the days of feather-balls, by M. Messieux on St. Andrews links”. If there had been a mix up between 380 and 308 yards then it wasn’t first made in 1877. In this publication it also says, “another player, so tells the golfing legend, sent a ball from his club which soared upwards and onwards to a distance of 200 yards before alighting.” If we go forward in time to 1877, to the similar sentence in the Belgravia magazine we read, “Mr Skipsey was a noted “driver”. On one occasion he drove a ball upwards and forwards 200 yards before it touched the ground.”  As Skipsey’s name features in the 1877 reference, but not in the 1859 reference, it suggests both accounts were copied from an even earlier source, as I think it highly unlikely the author of the latter account would introduce Skipsey’s name at random.

Initially, I thought the account in Chambers’ Journal was the earliest dated reference I could find to Messieux’s drive. I had located a copy of The Handy Book of St. Andrews¹¹ that was hand stamped 1861, but after discussing this book with fellow BGCS member Peter Grunwell I learnt two things: the adverts within it are dated June 1859, and that H.B. Farnie was the author. It says, “The longest stroke ever driven was accomplished by Samuel Messieux, Esq., of the Royal and Ancient Club. He drove a teed ball from the Hole o’ Cross green, coming in, right into the Hell Bunker, a distance of about 380 yards. The wind and ground were favourable.” Farnie had written The Golfer’s Manual¹² two years previously in 1857 under the pseudonym A Keen Hand. It is very curious that no mention is made of Messieux’s shot in this seminal work. If any members know of, or can find any references pre-dating 1859, to Messieux’s drive it might be highly revealing.

Samuel Messieux was a skilful and powerful player, winning “three gold medals in the 1820s, one at Leith and two at St. Andrews, where he was later to win the Silver Cross, in 1840” ¹³. Samuel was born in Switzerland, but there are conflicting reports of when he was born. The 1851 British Census¹⁴ indicates he was born about 1786, whilst a modern Swiss newspaper article¹⁵ states he was born in 1796. Given the painting, and very early photograph, as shown, I think it more probable he was born in 1786, although this means he made his longest drive when he was about fifty years old – not impossible but quite an achievement in itself!

Messieux’s golfing prowess is mentioned in Carnegie’s 1933 poem, The First Hole at St. Andrews on a Crowded Day¹⁶.

Here’s Mr. Messieux, he’s a noble player
But something nervous- that’s a bad affair,
It sadly spoils his putting when he’s pressed
But let him win and he will beat the best.

Samuel Messieux (1786 -1859). Painting c1825  Photograph c1848

I began to wonder whether the physical features of the Old Course, even after all these years, can help determine the possible truth about Messieux’s drive. Fortunately, two maps were commissioned in the early years of the 18^th Century, one in 1821¹⁷ and one in 1836¹⁸. 

1821 Plan of Pilmour Links

It seemed logical to initially focus on the 1821 map reasoning that any changes over the following decades and centuries would be easier to understand if I studied then in chronological order. The map contains a wealth of detailed information including the length of all the holes, laid out in a matrix, and the width of the course at certain points. I asked myself “how accurate is this map and do the details shown all make sense?” I set to work with a hand-held Vernier gauge and a calculator. After several hours I was able to construct the table shown.

Initially, I measured using an “as the crow flies” method, but after some unexpected results I switched to a “centre-line” method, as per modern yardage charts; I feel confident this is how the surveyor measured the course. As there are two holes positions shown on the very large Hole O’Cross green I had to make a decision as to which one to measure to, however, after some trial calculations, I decided to measure to a point mid-way between them. Next, I used the same methodology to measure the width of the course between the numbered stones. This gives the table shown.

Only after having done a considerable amount of Vernier measuring and calculating, did I notice the scale marker at the bottom of the map giving the distance in chains; a chain being twenty-two yards. I recomputed the figures, using the indicated scale in a more direct fashion, expecting the yardages to tie-up even more accurately. However, I was finding considerable errors. After much frustration I decided to have a much more detailed look at the matrix on the map. I started to doubt my ability to add two numbers together with any accuracy. I started to think how I would go about working out such a matrix from scratch and reasoned I would definitely work all the numbers out in rough first before transcribing them into the final version of the document. And that’s when something became clear - the matrix, as printed in 1821, contains major typographical errors! 

I can imagine the surveyor, Mr.Martin, copying his rough workings by candle-light late at night, maybe trying to hit a deadline. Strained eyes, and a slight fuddled brain, could easily swap around the 7 and the 8, mistake a copperplate 3 for an 8, and a 9 for a 0. Although the matrix has been reproduced with these errors in at least one book ( St.Andrews Home of Golf, James K.Robertson, 1967, See inside cover), someone must have noticed as the holes are given their correct lengths in The Handy Book of St.Andrews printed in 1859.  

The fact the matrix contains such typographical errors, makes me believe that the chain scale indicator was written on the map without employing much care as using this directly causes all the holes to come out too short. Considering the stone-to-stone breadth calculations these have greater percentage errors than the length calculations.  If we consider the two that have errors greater than ten percent it is possible to suggest that 140 yards was mistakenly entered instead of 160 yards for between stones 3 and 4, and 120 yards was entered instead of 150 for between stones 17 and 18. Clearly, whoever drafted the final version of the 1821 map was having an “off day”.

From my analysis I have shown that the 1821 map depicts the layout of the course and the lengthof each hole quite accurately providing an alternative scale measure, such as my vernier method, is used. Whilst the document contains clear errors it is still extremely valuable in helping us understand how the course developed.    

1836 Plan of The Golfing Course

By coincidence Messieux’s shot was played in the year this map was produced, hence it is ideal for analysing his drive. Although the map doesn’t list the length of each hole, we know them by cross-referencing the 1821 map, which does, and the 1859 Handy Book. Using a Vernier gauge, and a copy of the map, I set out to determine how accurate it is with regards to the length of the holes. Firstly, I compared the two scales drawn onto the map, one in yards and one in chains. I found these to compare almost exactly: 1mm of Vernier measurement corresponded to 3.54 yards. Using the known length of the holes (A), I could then compute how long they should measure on the map (B), and compare them with the Vernier measured distance (C). 

We can see that columns B and C are incredibly close and therefore can state the 1836 map accurately depicts the holes with regards to length. Using the map alone there is no easy way we can ascertain whether all the topographical features, and particularly the bunkers, are in their correct positions. However, I did manage to ascertain, using modern maps, that the Shepherds House is located accurately and this gave me confidence that Hell bunker is positioned correctly.   

The Hole O‘Cross green was the largest on the course and contained two separate holes in the ground, one for going out and one for coming home. I have not found any clear record which specifies which hole was aimed at by the groups playing in opposite directions; they might have alternated from day-to-day for some variation. The measurement of the length of the hole tallies with a point on the green mid-way between the two hole locations.  The rules of play in 1836 specified “balls must be teed not nearer the hole than two club lengths nor further from it than four”, and for the purposes of removing loose impediments “the putting green is considered not to exceed 20 yards from the hole”. If they did play to the nearest hole on the green then their subsequent tee shots would’ve been played over the remainder of the large green itself. Writing in 1887 James Balfour¹⁹ reminiscences in some detail: “The changes that have taken place on the course during these forty-five years have been very considerable. “First of all, the course is much wider,” and “it is about two-thirds broader than it used to be.” He continues, “The long hole home, like the long hole out, has been entirely changed. The big yawning bunker in front of the tee, that was ready to catch a topped ball and to hold it, is almost entirely avoided, while the “Beardies”, where so many balls used to be kidnapped, and from which escape was not always made with the loss of only one stroke, are never looked at. Now the play is on the low ground to the left of the Elysian Fields, thus crossing the bunker diagonally. This line used to be absolutely impossible.”

Balfour makes it clear a topped tee shot will be caught in the large Hole O’Cross bunker, and that the Beardies were in the general line of play. He strongly reinforces the point that the area to the left, when coming home, was “absolutely impossible”, and that players had to play down the Elysian Fields.

Working back from Hell Bunker we can plot some shots of differing lengths and directions, to see if they are logical, or even possible.  Shots of 380 yards have not been plotted, but they would stretch off the top of the image.

A ball played along line A would have to carry 237 yards over the vast “impossible” whins to reach the fairway before rolling a considerable distance into Hell bunker. An extremely brave or foolish line to take! The only other alternative would’ve been to aim over the Beardies and play for a considerable hook.

If play was along line B, then a straight shot of 361 yards would reach Hell bunker. I have also plotted a shorter shot of 308 yards and found that its starting location is just about within a circular piece of ground. In later years the teeing area did move to this area, and has been extended back over the decades, but there is no evidence this area was used as a tee back in 1836, and it would contradict both the teeing rules and Balfour’s account.

Depending on which hole in the ground was played to, I believe it is likely players would’ve either teed off from Points C or D. Before drawing conclusions regarding Messieux’s drive it is worth considering other notable shots that were recorded as being achieved with a feather ball. 

The Longest Carry Achieved with a Feather Ball.

A correspondent to Golf: A Weekly Record, in 1891, relates that he is in possession of a copy of The Golfers Manual, published in 1857, and that handwritten notes in the flyleaf tell of prodigious feats²⁰. He intimates that these were written by H.B. Farnie himself.  The first note relays Messieux’s drive recording it as 380 yards. Another states, “The longest carry on record was by Captain Robert Patullo; the next by Mr. John Graham.” These statements by themselves are of little value, however, they do corroborate much more detailed information given in the 1859 Handy Book of St. Andrews which states, “The longest carry on record was done by Capt. Robert Patullo, who carried a ball from the whins on the Elysian fields at the wall between the gate and the shepherd’s house, sheer on to the near end of the Hole o’ Cross green. Another tremendous carry was effected by Mr John Graham, who, in a still thick night, carried a ball from half way between the “gates” and the rushes going out to Dyke Hole, right over the two bunkers, on to the lower putting green of the second hole.” Unfortunately, what is missing from these accounts are the distances achieved, however, using the 1836 map we can estimate what yardages may have been involved.

Considering Patullo’s shot, if we take a point mid-way between the gates and the Shepherd’s house as a starting point then a carry of 240 yards would reach the green. (Several days after calculating this I discovered a modern yardage chart for playing the Old Course in reverse – a carry of 231 yards to the front of the green is indicated from what I believe is the same point). If the shot had been of a shorter length then I think a greater proximity to the gate would’ve been emphasised. Conversely, if the shot had been longer I think a closer proximity to the Shepherd’s house, or maybe even the Benty bunker, would’ve been highlighted. In truth, we cannot state the length of carry with a high degree of accuracy, but it does provide a good ball-park figure of what was possible.  

The name of Patullo was a familiar one to R&A members of the time, and clearly golfing skill was plentiful in their family. John Patullo of Balhouffie joined the R&A in 1781 and became Captain in 1793 after winning the Silver Club. In 1800, Robert Patullo Senior won the Silver Club with a score of 96 to become Captain. He also won the gold medal thrice in a row in 1812, 1813 and 1814. Robert Patullo Junior was a member of the club in the 1820s although he was never Captain. Carnegie¹⁶, writing in 1833 says:

“There young Patullo stands and he me’thinks
Can drive the longest ball upon the links
And well he plays the spoon and iron but
He fails a little when he comes to putt.”

Whilst the Handy Book in 1859 refers to a Captain Patullo, Carnegie in 1833 refers to young Patullo as being the longest hitter. It is not absolutely clear which Robert Patullo was the longest hitter; it might be that they were both accorded that honour during their prime years.  

Considering John Graham’s shot, The Handy Book states that it started half-way between the gates and the rushes on the Dyke hole and rolled onto the green of the second hole whilst going out. I believe this means the shot finished on the Hole of Bafield green as labelled on the 1836 map. There are two ditches shown crossing the course and these might have contained some rushes, particularly near the boundary of the course. There is an opening in the wall on the left–hand side and this gap might have been filled with gates. The account states that the two bunkers were carried and thereafter the ball reached the green. If we plot a shot that starts between the gates and the start of the first ditch, then a carry of about 225 yards is required to carry both bunkers, and a roll of about 40 yards is required to reach the vicinity of the hole. If this was the shot played, and these were the yardages involved, then I believe this shot was certainly tremendous for the time and extremely note-worthy.

Allan Robertson’s Longest Shot

Within Allan’s obituary²¹, written in September 1859, it states, “(1839)- Allan drove a teed ball from the corner of dyke hole going out, over all three ditches- 250 yards. His longest shot.” As with Patullo’s carry, The Handy Book gives more detail, “Allan Robertson, the best player that ever lived, was born 11^th September, 1815, and has done a variety of beautiful feats on the golfing links. His longest ball was a teed stroke from the Dyke Hole going out, the teeing ground being between the long bunker and the small one at the end of the hill. Allan drove up to the ditch immediately to the south of the small bunker lying between the Principal’s Nose and the Green Bunkers; distance, 250 yards. This was on 21^st February, 1839, with a south wind and no frost.”

The figure below shows a 250–yard shot plotted on the 1836 map starting from the Hole of Bafield green. The modern Old Course reversed yardage chart gives a distance of 238 yards from the Wig bunker to the small bunker to the south of the green. We will never know how accurately they measured Allan’s shot, but it does generally tally with modern yardages, so we can have confidence that it was about 250 yards.      

Whilst Allan was revered as the greatest golfer of his time, he didn’t carry a reputation as being one of the longest hitters. This is not particularly unsurprising as he was a man of small stature and favoured light weight clubs, referred to as “toy” in his obituary. 

It is very interesting to note that Allan’s longest shot was recorded as being done with a feather ball, and not a gutta. Whilst it is well-documented that Allan resisted the introduction of the gutta ball, it is recorded in his obituary: “bout 1850 Allan entered into regularly golf-ball making from gutta percha.” An article in a newspaper²² in 1863 states that Allan made his last feathery in 1852. If these accounts are correct then Allan made both feather and gutta balls for a period of about two years most likely to cater for the preferences of his customers. We cannot say precisely when, or if ever, he made the switch to playing exclusively with the gutta ball, but we know his stroke play records were achieved in the late 1850s with guttas as they survive to this day.

The Glasgow Long-driving Competition.

In 1889 a learned historical society, The Regality Club, published a book²³ drawing together “a record of old Glasgow Buildings and of Old Glasgow Relics”. A chapter is devoted to the Glasgow Golf Club and contains this transcription of a paper found within the club’s records:

                                                                                                                  “Glasgow, 11^th April, 1786

We, John Dunlop and Cunningham Corbett, merchants in Glasgow, did, at the request of Matthew Orr, Esq., now in London, attend this day at the Golf House to witness John Gibson strike five teed balls towards the first hole in the Green, which having done (the day being mild and little or no wind), we measured the same in the most correct manner, and found their distances as follows:-

                                                                                    Yards                     Feet                  Inches

First ball                                                                       182                   2                        3
Second “                                                                       194                   0                        4
Third “                                                                        186                   2                        4
Fourth “                                                                        201                   0                        8
Fifth “                                                                          201                   1                        11

            We have to observe that about the distance of 140 yards from the place of striking off at the golf course there is a rising towards the hole, which prevented the balls from running the distance they would otherwise have done; and in corroboration of this circumstance we requested the said John Gibson to strike a ball from the first hole towards the second (the intervening ground being nearly about a level for 200 yards, when there is a gentle declivity), and having correctly measured the same found the distance 222 yards.

In testimony whereof we have herewith set our names.
                                                                                                John Dunlop
                                                                                                C.Corbett”

Given the care taken to mark the shots to the inch we can conclude these are extremely reliable measurements. It is also worth noting that the record gives details about the ground topography, and the weather.  Furthermore, the fact that five shots in succession were taken means that none can be claimed as being freakish; it even explains that the last, and longest shot of two hundred and twenty-two yards, was achieved with the aid of ground that sloped gently downwards beyond a point of two hundred yards. It makes me wonder what distance John Gibson could achieve with favourable ground conditions and a strong wind behind him.

 Mr.Laing’s Bet at Blackheath

On the 26^th June 1813 the following wager was entered into the bet book of The Blackheath Golf Club:

“Mr Laing offers a bet of a Gallon, that in the course of the season he will drive a Ball 500 feet, giving him the chance of 10 strokes to accomplish it, and the choice of ground. Mr Hamilton lays he will not do the above.” 

This is the equivalent of 166 yards.  Writing in 1897 Hughes²⁴ states, “Mr. Laing, in 1818, some five years afterwards certainly, won both the Medal of the Knuckle Club and the Silver Club of the Blackheath Golfers, so that he may be taken as above the average of players, and the bet looked upon as some criterion of what was considered at that time a good drive with the old feather ball.” This view was repeated in 1981 by Henderson & Stirk²⁵. I think this statement is very misleading and has influenced others regarding the potential range of feather balls. Firstly, we do not know how good a golfer Mr. Laing was in 1813; he might have just taken up the game, though most golfers will know that even rookies can hit the ball far. Secondly, regarding the Knuckle Club Spring medal, at the time Laing won it was contested by only a handful of players and the winner gained the title Grand Knuckle – the Knuckle Club employed the same titles as Freemasonry and it is almost certain they were part of that order. Play for the Silver Club, and hence Captaincy of the whole club, was also limited to two or three players. In 1823 the Captaincy changed to be purely elective and the Captain won the Silver Club by default. So in the years when Laing “won” these trophies it is very likely there was a high degree of pre-selection, and that golfing skill wasn’t the main factor. We can see this when analysing the stroke scores for players in the Knuckle Club and comparing them to the stroke scores for the Summer Medal after 1823. The best players of the time, Black, Cunningham and Flemyng were completing fifteen holes in about 102 to 104 strokes. The worst players were taking between 145 and 152 strokes. We know that Laing tied for the Knuckle Club Spring medal in 1817 with a score of 121, and won it outright with a score of 117. There is no record of how many strokes he took to win the Silver Club in 1818 beating Lindsay, but analysing Lindsay’s strokeplay scores over the years, his best being 120, his worst 145. I conclude that Lindsay was a player of average to poor ability. If we consider that Laing’s best score was only three less than Lindsay’s best it is an indication that Laing was also a player of average to poor ability. Of course, we are working from a very limited data set, but my conclusion is that Laing wasn’t a good player at all, and a drive of 500 feet was probably his upper limit.

Hitting Balls Over Buildings

St. Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh. The following paragraph was published in 1838 In Kay’s Portraits²⁶ and tells of a wager laid in the last years of the 18^th Century:

“In 1798, bets were taken in the Burgess Golfing Society, that no two members could be found capable of driving a ball over the spire of St Giles’ steeple. The late Mr Sceales of Leith, and the present Mr Smellie, printer, were selected to perform this formidable undertaking. They were allowed to use six balls each. The balls passed considerably higher than the weather-cock, and were found nearly opposite the Advocates’ Close. The bet was decided early in the morning, in case of accident, the parties taking their station’at the south-east corner of  Parliament Square. The feat is described as one of easy performance. The required elevation was obtained by a barrel stave, suitably fixed; and the height of the steeple, which is one hundred and sixty-one feet, together with the distance from the base of the Church, were found to be much less than a good stroke of the club.”

This account describes the feat as being of “easy performance” and that the balls passed “considerably higher than the weather-cock”. So the pure distance involved was not a problem. However, next time you’re in the vicinity of a fourteen-storey building imagine trying to drive a golf ball over it, having teed it on curved plank of wood an inch wide and maybe fifteen inches high to represent the stave of a small barrel. For additional comparison, a professional with a driver swing speed of 113 mph will attain a maximum height of one hundred feet, whilst carrying the ball two-hundred and seventy-five yards²⁷. This account may not help us much in ascertaining how far feather balls travelled but it certainly helps us appreciate the skill of the golfers who played with them.  

The Meville Monument. A footnote in Kay’s Portraits of 1838 states, “for a bet, a ball was driven, some years ago, by Mr Donald McLean, over Melville’s Monument, in St Andrew Square.” This stone column with statue, erected in 1821, is one hundred and fifty feet high, so slightly less than the steeple of St. Giles. This statement is corroborated in the 1877 Belgravia Magazine:

“Two similar matches were made to drive a ball over the Melville Monument, in St. Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh. In both cases the club and ball won; in the one case Mr. Donald Maclean, writer to the Signet, accomplishing the feat; in the other Mr. Skipsey, a clerk in the Exchequer, Edinburgh.”

This is clearly the same Mr. Skipsey that was mentioned earlier as being able to drive a ball two hundred yards. 

Other Literary References

Gowffiana²⁸. A poem believed to date circa 1831, and whose author is unknown, includes a reference to distances achieved:

“What pleasure to find, what pleasure to see, A hunder an’ echty ! gang clean af the tee!”

The use of the word “clean” is thought provoking – this might be a shot that carried 180 yards, rather than the full length of shot achieved. 

The Golfiad. A poem by Carnegie¹⁶, written in 1833.

“And swiped like Oliphant and Wood below-
Smack over Hell* at one immortal go!”

This is clearly indicating that first-class golfers could carry Hell bunker with their tee shot. This is corroborated by James Balfour writing in 1887 about how the Old Course was played in the 1840s:      

“The tee stroke used always to be played to the right of the big bunker with the uncouth name, unless when now and then some huge driver “swiped over h— at one immortal go.” The second stroke was always to the left on to the Elysian Fields, where the grass was then short and smooth like a putting-green. The third had to navigate the intricate “Beardies”, and the fourth was across a wide, staring, horrid bunker, beyond which was a beautiful putting-green. Altogether, this used to be the finest golfing hole, certainly on the Links, and probably in the world.”

However, Balfour’s description of playing to the right of Hell bunker is at odds with how play is described in The Handy Book of 1859:  “Then striking off from the Gingerbeer, or the 4^th hole, to the Elysian Plains, there was no course whatever to the right of Hell Bunker; and players had either to cross boldly, or dodge round by the shepherd’s house.”

It is possible that Balfour made a mistake and meant to say that shorter hitters would aim left rather than right off the tee. This would fit as both accounts state that anything to the right of Hell bunker was a definite no-go area. The figure below shows two alternative tee shots, and a subsequent route to the green, as described by Balfour.   

Another record of Messieux’s is concerned with this hole²⁹: “Of Messieux, the brilliant driver, who drove the Hole o’ Cross in two strokes.”

Could this be possible? We have already analysed Patullo’s record carry of about 240 yards. The figure below shows a possible  combination that would allow Messieux to reach the green in two strokes. Whilst the account does not say in what year this was achieved, Messieux was an old man by the time of the gutta ball – he died in 1859, and hence I feel it safe to say this was achieved with a feather ball. 

Willie Dunn’s Drive

In The Life of Tom Morris³⁰, published in 1907, it says, “Willie was a very long driver, and his style was particularly easy and graceful. A bunker on the St. Andrews links to this day commemorates a feat of his. From the homeward Hole O’ Cross green at the fifth hole, and from the medal tee, he once drove right over the Elysian Fields into the little crescent-shaped bunker at the end of them. To this day the bunker is known as “Dunny”. The distance, as measured on the map, is 250 yards.” Whilst I could find no details to confirm this was done with a feather ball, the passage in the book was describing the great matches held between the Dunns, Tom Morris and Allan Robertson in the 1840s; I feel it is very likely the stroke was played with a feather ball. After much searching, I found a modern course planner that showed a very small bunker labelled “Dunny’s”. Correlating the bunker’s position to the 1836 map and plotting 250 yards backwards indicates possible tee-positions. Interestingly, neither line on the figure stretches right back to the 6th green. One reaches the circular grassy area highlighted earlier when discussing Messieux’s drive. The 1842 edition of the St. Andrews rules³¹ states, “The ball must be teed not nearer the hole than two club lengths.” By 1875 the rule had changed to “not nearer the hole than eight nor farther than twelve club lengths, except where special ground has been marked by the Conservator of the Links, which shall be considered the ‘teeing ground’”. Hence, sources³² credit Tom Morris as introducing separate teeing grounds around 1875. The mention of the “medal tee” in the account of Willie’s drive may be to aid the reader in 1907 to understand the shot. Or it could indicate that a separate teeing area was already in operation near to the Hole O’Cross green many years before it was recorded in the rule book update – this fits with some accounts that state Allan Robertson introduced separate tees. Furthermore, in describing it as the medal tee does this imply there were different sets of tees as we have today: one for match-play format and one for the more challenging medal?

 General Historical Descriptions of Golf

Grierson³³ in 1807 states, “In playing, struck with a bat or club of about four feet in length, having a small, tapering, elastic shaft, with a crooked head, into which is run a quantity of lead to render it heavy, and it is fortified by a piece of horn before. A good player, with one of these clubs, will strike the ball to a distance of one hundred and eighty or two hundred yards.”

An extensive search reveals that a very similar paragraph describing golf, the equipment used, and how far the balls travels was used in several later and earlier works^34-41. The earliest incarnation I can locate was written by Guthrie⁴² in 1770, though I suspect he obtained the information from an older publication.

 “One of the peculiar diversions practised by the gentlemen is the Goff, which requires an equal degree of art and strength, it is played by a bat and a ball, the latter is smaller and harder than a cricket ball, the bat is of a taper construction, till it terminates in the part which strikes the ball, which is loaded with lead and faced with horn. An expert player will send the ball and amazing distance at one stroke.”

Guthrie does not specify how far the balls travelled, the earliest one that does is by Hugo⁴³ in 1779: “The ball being struck with this club, will fly to the distance of 200 yards.”

Conclusions

Taking all the records cited into consideration, and critically assessing records of individual feats, leads me to the following conclusions. First–class golfers of the late 18th century were perfectly capable of achieving drives of 200 yards on level ground without wind assistance. Greater distances, of 220 yards, and likely more, could be achieved if the ground topography and weather conditions were favourable. It has been a commonly held belief that balls made in the 18th Century and earlier were physically larger⁴⁴. If so, this would likely result in shorter shot lengths, due to increased drag effects, yet we see no evidence of this in the records. It may be that very early balls were bigger, and that size generally decreased over the centuries, but from the diary of Thomas Kincaid⁴⁵, writing in 1687, we know he was very aware of the importance of physical size when he wrote, “your ball must be of middle size. Neither too big nor too little, and then the heavier it is in respect of its bigness it is still the better.” I believe some feather balls of large size have, in the past, been wrongly labelled as being “early”, or dating from the 18th Century. The largest ball I own weighs 51g and close inspection reveals it was made by John Gourlay, and must have been made after his brother William died in 1844, so the last few years of the feathery era. Conversely, the Royal Blackheath Golf Club used to own a ball of medium size that carried a date label of 1718. When I inspected this ball in 2008, I felt the date had to be wrong as it was no bigger than others I had seen that dated from the 1840s. However, now I see no reason why that ball might not have dated from the early 18th Century.

There are enough detailed accounts to conclude that the very best players in the latter years of the feathery era could carry the ball one hundred and eighty yards with regularity to clear such features as Hell bunker with their tee shots. If there was a very strong wind then I believe exceptional carries of two hundred and twenty yards were possible but very rare. It has been written⁴⁶ in recent times of feather balls: “There was little or no roll and so control was relatively easy.”  On the contrary, there is evidence that balls carried and rolled, and my experiments with replica feather balls confirm this. The table shows what I believe was achievable for the range of golfers. The figures are based on accounts, graphical analysis and interpolation. I have used the term “handicapper” for convenience fully appreciating that a long hitter can be a high handicapper and vice-versa.

Feather Ball Distance Matrix

A formulaic approach suggests that two hundred and eighty yards would be the upper limit for a feather ball with extremely favourable ground and weather conditions. So is Samuel Messieux’s record drive akin to a fisherman’s tale? After all, the earliest written records date twenty-three years after it happened and from the year in which Messieux died; who wouldn’t want to be remembered for the longest ever hit? After analysing Allan’s longest drive, Patullo’s carry, studying the layout of the Hole O’ Cross, and constructing the typical distances achieved matrix I found myself rapidly concluding three hundred and sixty-one yards must be a gross exaggeration. On the same day I planned to finish writing this article I happened to pick up a copy of The Golfer’s Handbook from 1931. It describes Douglas Rolland as “the biggest hitter amongst professional golfers in the era of the gutta ball”⁴⁷.  His average in peak form at Sandwich in 1894 was calculated to be 205 yards with the longest shot being 235 yards. The book also gives an accurate record of the distances achieved in the long driving competition held at the 1923 Open Championship; the single longest stroke was made by D.A. Curtis, of Bournemouth with 278 yards. Surely, I thought, this evidence puts the final lid on the absurdity of Messieux’s drive. And then I read of Edward Blackwell in 1892 driving three hundred and sixty-six yards with a gutta ball at St. Andrews – the ball was hit from the 18^th tee and settled at the clubhouse steps⁴⁸. This drive would’ve been “off the chart” for the average distances of the time, though it was noted there was a west wind and the “condition of the course was that of a normal summer”. This points to the influence of a freak factor such as the ball rebounding from a stone or multiple stones. A significant amount of data exists to indicate what was achievable with a gutta ball under normal conditions, and it is my contention that gutta balls and feather balls travelled very similar distances. If this is correct, and some freak factor is also added in, then Messieux’s drive must be considered as being theoretically possible however improbable, and that he deserves his place in golf history.

Given my matrix I can now reflect on whether my ambition to make a replica feathery and hit it two-hundred yards is realistic. Although my handicap has recently dropped to an all-time low, I am definitely a shortish hitter. Therefore, I feel a revised target of one hundred and eighty yards is more appropriate for my ability. As my longest shot to date has been one hundred and sixty-seven yards, achieved on a cold but fine January morning, some might think I only have a bit further to go. However, my average is about one hundred and thirty yards, and it is worth stating that my powerful hitting friends have not hit one of my replica balls any further than one hundred and forty yards. Clearly something critical seems to be missing from the balls I have made and so my quest continues! Whilst finishing this article an email has arrived from a local university. They have been carrying out some tests on a genuine feather ball for me. I’m hoping the results might provide more clues about how feather balls were made, and what factors combine to make a ball than can be hit over two hundred yards. If they don’t, and I never eventually make a high-performing ball, then I haven’t ruled out the possibility of taking out an old feather ball and testing it – my curiosity might not be able to resist after all these years.

Gavin Bottrell

February 2024.

Notes

1. https://youtu.be/xG0s7d6K-l0?si=QPYN39q7vn89V35

2. The Chronicles of Golf: 1457-1857. Johnston & Johnston, Cleveland, Ohio. Pp479.

3. Golf In The Making, Henderson & Stirk, 1979, pp44

4. The Golfer’s Handbook, 1.y,fc           ;p931.pp.212.

5. Golf Illustrated Vol 2, 1899o, pp.65.

6. Pastime and Players, Robert Macgregor, 1881 pp34.

7. The Ardrossan and Saltcoates Herald, 22nd September 1877.

8. Belgravia, A London Magazine, M.E. Braddon, May 1877, pp349

9. The Aberdeen Journal, 22nd May 1877.

10. Chamber’s Journal of Popular Literature, Saturday August 6th 1859.

11. The Handy Book of St. Andrews, Joseph Cook & Sons, Cupar, Likely authored by H.B. Farnie. 1859. Pp111

12. The Golfer’s Manual , A Keen Hand ( H.B. Farnie), 1857.

13. Challenges and Champions, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club 1754-1883. J. Behrend & P. Lewis, 1998. Pp89.

14. The 1851 British Census & FamilySearch.Org indicate Messieux was born in 1786/7.

15. www.HandleZeitung.ch, August 2005.

16. Golfiana, or, Niceties Connected with the Game of Golf. George Fullerton Carnegie. 1833

17. Plan of Pilmour Links, surveyed by A. Martin, 1821.

18. Plan of The Golfing Course, surveyed by W&J Chalmers. 1836.

19. Reminiscences of Golf on St. Andrews Links by James Balfour, Edinburgh , David Douglas, 1887.

20. Golf: A Weekly Record, 30th January, 1891.

21. Alan Robertson’s Obituary, Dundee Advertiser September 1859

22. The Daily Review , Thursday , 17th September, 1863

23. The Regality Club, First Series, 1889, James Maclehose & Sons, Glasgow, Chapter “The Glasgow Golf Club”, by Colin Dunlop Donald, pp 147. The Regality Club was an historical society established in 1885  )

24. Chronicles of Blackheath Golfers. W.E. Hughes, Chapman & Hall, 1897. Pp67.

25. Henderson & Stirk, Royal Blackheath, 1981, pp 57

26. Kay’s Portraits Vol 1 1838 pp 208 

27.  www.blog.trackman.com/apex-height

28. See Lot 20  Christies, The Origins of Golf Sale, May 2012.

29. Golf and Golfers, Past and Present, 1891, John Gordon McPherson, pp26

30. The Life of Tom Morris, W. Tulloch. 1907 Chapter 7.

31. www.ruleshistory.com

32. www.scottishgolfhistory.org/origin-of-golf-terms/tee/ (many others exist)

33. Delineations of St. Andrews; Being A Particular Account of Every Thing. James Grierson, 1807.

34. Caledonian Sketches, or, A Tour Through Scotland , Sir John Carr, London. Mathews & Leigh, 1809

35. The Strangers Guide to Edinburgh, T. Brown, 1807.

36 The Percy Anecdotes, Sholto Percy, Rueben Percy, London, T. Boys, 1821

37. The Olio or Museum of Entertainment 1829, Vol.2, pp270

38. Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Sir David Brewster, Vol. 10. 1830. pp 334

39. The Beauties of Scotland Vol. 1, Robert Forsyth, 1805, pp83,

40. Hoyle’s Games . 1790 Edition.

41  The Expedition of Humphry Clinker. Tobias Smollet, London. 1771

42. A New Geographical, Historical and Commercial Grammar. William Guthrie of Brechin. London. 1770.

43. The History of Edinburgh. Arnot, Hugo. Printed for W. Creech, Edinburgh & J. Murray, London,  1779.

44.  The Oldest Clubs, R. Gowland, 2011. pp229.

45. Thomas Kincaid’s Diary, National Library of Scotland, Adv.MS.32.7.7

46. Golf Implements and Memorabilia. K. McGimpsey & D. Neech, 1999, pp 21.

47. The Golfer’s Handbook, 1931, pp207.

48. The Golfer’s Handbook, 1931 pp211