When golf was invented in Scotland during the 1600s, golf clubs were made out of wood and leather. The golf balls were made out of tightly packed feathers inside of an animal hide. As time went on, golf clubs, specifically woods, were made out of metal, but were still very small compared to modern clubs. Taylormade was the first brand to come out with a metal wood in 1978. They replaced the persimmon woods that had reigned supreme for centuries. Modern woods are much larger than the original metal woods which allow for more mistrikes than previous clubs, something called "forgiveness." Golf balls evolved from hide covered feathers to the rubber balls. They were easier and cheaper to manufacture than the feather golf balls before, and performed better due to the introduction of dimples. These dimples allowed for more lift and less drag. Modern golf balls have a a rubber/resin core and either a suryln or a urethane cover. A urethane cover is softer and allows you to spin the ball more than the suryln covered balls.