The gutta then used for balls was often dirty gray, full of foreign particles and none too easy to find on the imperfect fairways of that day.

Then, when a leading authority made the statement in his presence that white gutta-percha would make a fortune for the inventor, Penfold spent an intensive period in the laboratory.

Penfold left Dunlop in 1927 to form his own company, Golf Ball Developments Ltd, based at Bromford Lane, Ward End, Birmingham.

[1] Penfold devised a winding technique which permitted extreme tension of the rubber thread and unerring accuracy.

[2][3] The company continued manufacturing golf balls at Bromford Lane up until the late 1990s, and the brand was featured in Ian Fleming's James Bond story and film Goldfinger.