I have actually played golf with one of those, but I have to agree with BMatthews that the rubber wound ones were the ultimate source of tan rubber. They made really cool humming sounds when stretched across the handlebars of your bike.

Sometimes there were surprises inside those gems. When I was a kid, one night I was unwinding a ball in bed (don't tell mom) & when it was fully unwound -- aside from miles of rubber band, there was a funny squooshy ball in the middle [8D] -- so I poked & prodded it until something gooey [:'(] leaked out all over the bed [X(] (please don't tell mom). In the dead of night, I sneaked the sheets down to the laundry room & re-made the bed [&:]. My mother was really pi$$ed [>:][>:][>:] at the mess when she discovered it, but nobody knew a thing about it.

Sorry Mom.[&o]