Perimeter weighted golf ball

• US 6,902,498 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2003
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Voorheis, Peter R., Sullivan, Michael J, Ladd, Derek A
• Primary Examiner(s): Vidovich, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/658,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20040048690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 473351-378
• US Class Current: 473/374
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0043 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0047 Density; Specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0051 Materials other than polybutadienes; Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0054 Substantially rigid, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0065 Deflection or compression
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/06 Elastic cores

Abstract

A perimeter weighted golf ball with a low compression core is provided. The core preferably comprises a diene polymer that has low cross-link density or not cross-linked with a reactive co-agent. This core has low compression and low specific gravity. The low specific gravity core is encased within a thin dense layer positioned outside of the centroid radius to provide the ball with a high moment of inertia. The same core can be encased within a plurality of intermediate layers having either increasing hardness or decreasing hardness to provide selective golf balls for either low swing speed players or advanced players. Alternatively, a thin layer of diene polymer highly cross-linked with reactive a co-agent may be incorporated into the ball to increase the hardness of the ball.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprising a core layer comprising;

an elastomeric composition,

a reactive co-agent present by less than about 10 phr by weight of the elastomeric composition, and

a cross-linking agent;

a thin dense layer encasing the core, the thin dense layer being positioned at a radial distance outside a centroid radius of the golf ball, and having;

an inner diameter of at least about 38.4 mm,

a specific gravity of greater than about 1.2, and

a thickness from about 0.127 mm to about 0.76 mm; and

a cover encasing the thin dense layer.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric composition comprises a diene polymer.

3. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the diene polymer is metallocene catalyzed.

4. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the cross-linking agent is a peroxide.

5. The golf ball of claim 4, wherein the diene polymer is a polybutadiene.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the polybutadiene is metallocene catalyzed.

7. The golf ball of claim 2, wherein the cross-linking agent is sulfur.

8. The golf ball of claim 7, wherein the diene polymer is an ethylene-propylene-diene polymer.

9. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the ethylene-propylene-diene polymer is metallocene catalyzed.

10. The golf ball of claim 8, wherein the ethylene-propylene-diene polymer comprises about 70% to about 90% ethylene.

11. The golf ball of claim 10, wherein the ethylene-propylene-diene polymer further comprises about 1% to about 5% ethylidene-2-norborene.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric composition comprises a material selected from a group consisting of metallocene catalyzed polymers, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), SEBS, SEPS block polymers, styrene-ethylene block copolymers, and polar group grafted or copolymerized polymers.

13. The golf ball of claim 12, wherein the polar group grafted or copolymerized polymers comprise maleic anhydride or succinate modified metallocene catalyzed ethylene copolymers.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the reactive co-agent is about 0 phr.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the reactive co-agent comprises a metal salt of diacrylate, dimethacrylate, or monomethacrylate, or a non-metallic oligomer.

16. The golf ball of claim 15, wherein the metal is selected from zinc, magnesium, calcium, barium, tin, aluminum, lithium, sodium, potassium, iron, zirconium, and bismuth.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core layer has an Atti compression of about 0 to about 70.

18. The golf ball of claim 17, wherein the Atti compression of the core layer is about 10 to about 60.

19. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core layer has a specific gravity of less than about 1.05.

20. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core layer has a diameter of about 41.15 mm or less.

21. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core further comprises an innermost core encased by the core layer.

22. The golf ball of claim 21, wherein the innermost core comprises a diene polymer and about 10 phr to about 50 phr of a reactive co-agent.

23. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the thin dense layer is greater than about 1.5.

24. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the thin dense layer is greater than about 2.0.

25. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the thin dense layer is about 0.25 mm to about 0.5 mm.

26. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin dense layer is made from a densified loaded film.

27. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin dense layer is made from a polymer loaded with a specific gravity increasing agent.

28. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin dense layer is made from a diene polymer with tungsten powder.

29. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin dense layer is applied to the core as a liquid solution.

30. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprising a core layer comprising

an elastomeric composition,

a reactive co-agent less than about 5 phr by weight of the

elastomeric composition, and

a cross-linking agent;

a thin dense layer encasing the core, the thin dense layer being positioned

at a radial distance outside a centroid radius of the golf ball, and having;

an inner diameter of at least about 38.4 mm,

a specific gravity of greater than about 1.27, and

a thickness from about 0.025 mm to about 1.27 mm; and

cover encasing the thin dense layer.

31. A golf ball comprising:

a core comprising an innermost core encased by a core layer comprising;

an elastomeric composition,

a reactive co-agent present by less than about 10 phr by weight of the elastomeric composition, and

a cross-linking agent;

a thin dense layer encasing the core, the thin dense layer being positioned at a radial distance outside a centroid radius of the golf ball, and having;

an inner diameter of at least about 38.4 mm,

a specific gravity of greater than about 1.2, and

a thickness from about 0.127 mm to about 0.76 mm; and

a cover encasing the thin dense layer;

wherein the innermost core comprises a diene polymer and at least about 50 phr of a reactive co-agent.