Creating Golf Ball Art

By Jeff Gulley

It was on the golf course that Henry Workman was challenged to do something new.

It was four years ago when his golfing partner picked up a ball that had been run over by a mower and asked him what he could do with it.

Workman went back to his shop in rural Osawatomie and began carving. His finished product was a rose made carved out of the inside of the golf ball. That first carving led to more and Workman has perfected the art, something that he can not find another person doing in the United States.

“It has really turned into something I enjoy,” he said. “I get so much more satisfaction out of carving these things than I ever got from wood.”

Workman has been a wood carver for 35 years. His creations include wall hangings and dolphins that were entered in the Kansas State Fair and carvings for a Catholic church in Topeka. He started working with wood while serving as a Boy Scout leader, carving neckerchief holders for the boys.

But the golf balls are different. Carving with a Dremel tool, Workman has created flowers, golfers and horses. The small, detailed carvings are works of art that have garnered attention all over the state.

Workman keeps the golf balls in a egg carton. As it is opened, the balls, stripped of their outer shell, look more like Easter Eggs than golf balls. Its the one thing still has Workman puzzled. Each golf ball, it seems. has a different color inside.

“I called one company and asked why that was,” he said. “The lady on the phone said she didn’t even know who to ask and that no one had every asked that question.”

Workman said that the color scheme can not be traced by manufacturer.

“You can open up two balls by the same company and they will be different,” he said.

But for Workman, the colors help add to his art. He said he spends six hours carving people and can spend up to 27 hours carving a flower.

He is working on new carvings now in hopes of having an art show this spring in Topeka.

If your interested in one of Workman’s creations, you can contact him at Carvings by Henry, (913) 557-9398.

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Posted by admin on Nov 17 2010. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry