The Wooden Ball There is very little known about this period other than the balls used were made from hardwoods such as beech and boxroot, and then crudely rounded with tools. This period lasted between the 14th Century and the 17th Century. There are no known surviving artifacts from this period so the facts are from written information. There was for example documented evidence to show that there were several club makers in existence during this time. In the late 16th Century it is recorded that one William Mayne was producing clubs for the nobility in Scotland. A bowmaker by trade, in 1603 Mayne was appointed, among other things, clubmaker to King James VI of Scotland, shortly before his accession to the throne of England. Even earlier it is recorded that James IV of Scotland had purchased some golf clubbes in Perth. These were also bought from a bower or bowmaker, then a flourishing trade and one which possessed all the necessary tools, required to produce a rudimentary golf club. Record books also show that in 1447 King James II issued his now famous edict in Parliament that golf was to be outlawed. His concern was that his subjects were more interested in golf than training how to use the war fare weapons of their time. Worried that this would leave his country unprotected banned golf. Although the game was outlawed it was continually played over the next 300 years but not by the masses.