Penfold Heart Golf Ball

Famed for the playing card suits stamped on the golf balls, a Penfold ball became the most famous golfing ball in cinematic history when used in the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger. James Bond (Sean Connery) played a Penfold Heart golf ball when defeating Auric Goldfinger in a golf match against the Bond villain.

The film took its cues from the novel, in which Ian Fleming also mentions that James Bond uses a Penfold Hearts while Goldfinger uses a Dunlop 65 Number One, in the golf match. The Penfold Hearts is mentioned twice in the Goldfinger novel. The first time it's mentioned in chapter 8:

“Goldfinger took out his driver and unpeeled a new ball. He said, 'Dunlop 65. Number One. Always use the same ball. What's yours?'
Penfold. Hearts.”

The second mention, in chapter 9:

'He looked sharply at Goldfinger. 'You play a Number One Dunlop, don't you?'

'Yes, of course.' A sixth sense of disaster wiped the triumph off Goldfinger's face. 'What is it? What's the matter?'
'Well,' said Bond apologetically.' "Fraid you've been playing with the wrong ball. Here's my Penfold Hearts and this is a Number Seven Dunlop”

The game in the film is played at Stoke Park Golf Club, Stoke Poges.

If the 1960s Bond movies made the young Sean Connery a star, they also shot the Penfold Heart to fame. Never before was a golf ball in such demand. Orders for Penfold Hearts sky-rocketed as golfers competed to be seen with the uber-cool golf ball after James Bond's line: "Mine's the Penfold Heart!"

Since 2008 a new version of the ball was available, and in October 2020, another new version of the ball was released, still with the Hearts design.

2008 version

In 2008, Penfold released a new version of their Heart Golf Ball. The original golf ball from the 60s used in the movie probably had the old Penfold logo (pictured on the left) on it, which is different from the current script font logo.

The original golf balls are sometimes available on Ebay, fetching high prices. The 2008 version comes in different sets:

Collector's set of Penfold Heart Golf Balls made to celebrate the Ian Fleming Centenary 2008
A limited collector's set of one dozen Penfold Hearts has been specially produced to celebrate the anniversary of Ian Fleming's birth. Only 500 sets were produced. Each set of 12 balls comes with a card of authenticity and a commemorative slipcase. These collector's sets were only available via the Penfold Golf website (see link below). 

2020 - today version

On 16 October 2020, a new version of the Penfold Hearts golf ball was released, featuring a darker color Hearts and the script logo. The packaging prominently features the numbers 1927, the year Penfold was founded.

The new Penfold Heart ball is now available on the Penfold Golf website.

2021 Penfold x Uncrate set

In 2021, Penfold partnered up with online men's store Uncrate to offer a set of dozen Penfold Hearts golf balls and Uncrate Spade golf balls. 

Get the Penfold x Uncrate set at Uncrate.com

Complete the look
As part of his golf outfit, Sean Connery as 007 wears a Slazenger sweater which is still available.