Perimeter weighted golf ball

• US 6,991,563 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• 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): Blau, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/208,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20030022733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 473351-377
• 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, a thin layer having a thickness of about 0.025 mm to about 1.27 mm encasing the core, and a cover encasing the thin layer,

wherein the thin layer comprises a diene polymer cross-linked with at least about 50 phr of a reactive co-agent, wherein the diene polymer is polymerized with a metallocene catalyst;

wherein an elastomeric composition is disposed in the core, in the thin layer, in the cover, or between the core and the cover, wherein the composition comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, highly neutralized polymers, metallocene or single-site catalyst catalyzed polymers, polybutadienes, ethylene-propylene-diene polymers, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), SEBS, SEPS block polymers, styrene-ethylene block copolymers, diene polymers, and any polar group grafted or copolymerized polymers;

wherein the elastomeric composition further comprises about 10 phr to about 50 phr of a second reactive co-agent.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diene polymer comprises one or more polymers selected from a group consisting of polybutadienes, ethylene-propylene-diene polymers, and SEBS.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diene polymer comprises an ethylene-propylene-diene polymer comprising about 70% to about 90% ethylene, or about 1% to about 5% ethylidene-2-norborene, or both.

4. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the reactive co-agent comprises one or more compounds selected from a group consisting of non-metallic oligomers, bismuth, and metallic salts selected from zinc, magnesium, calcium, barium, tin, aluminum, lithium, sodium, potassium, iron, or zirconium salts of diacrylate, dimethacrylate, or monomethacrylate.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin layer further comprises sulfur or peroxide.

6. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin layer has a specific gravity of at least about 1.2.

7. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of less than about 41.15 mm.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball further comprises one, two, or three intermediate layers disposed between the core and the cover, each intermediate layer having a thickness of less than about 2.54 mm.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin layer is disposed outside a centroid radius of the golf ball.

10. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the thin layer has an inner diameter of at least about 38.4 mm.

11. A golf ball comprising a core, a thin layer having a thickness of about 0.025 mm to about 0.76 mm encasing the core, and a cover encasing the thin layer, wherein the thin layer comprises a diene polymer cross-linked with at least about 50 phr of a reactive co-agent;

wherein an elastomeric composition is disposed in the core, in the thin layer, in the cover, or between the core and the cover, wherein the composition comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, highly neutralized polymers, metallocene or single-site catalyst catalyzed polymers, polybutadienes, ethylene-propylene-diene polymers, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), SEBS, SEPS block polymers, styrene-ethylene block copolymers, diene polymers, and any polar group grafted or copolymerized polymers,

wherein the elastomeric composition further comprises greater than about 50 phr of a second reactive co-agent, and

wherein the diene polymer comprises a metallocene catalyzed polybutadiene or a metallocene catalyzed ethylene-propylene-diene polymer, or both.

12. A golf ball comprising a core, a thin layer having a thickness of about 0.025 mm to about 0.76 mm encasing the core, and a cover encasing the thin layer, wherein the thin layer comprises a diene polymer cross-linked with at least about 50 phr of a reactive co-agent;

wherein an elastomeric composition is disposed in the core, in the thin layer, in the cover, or between the core and the cover, wherein the composition comprises one or more materials selected from a group consisting of thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, highly neutralized polymers, metallocene or single-site catalyst catalyzed polymers, polybutadienes, ethylene-propylene-diene polymers, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), SEBS, SEPS block polymers, styrene-ethylene block copolymers, diene polymers, and any polar group grafted or copolymerized polymers,

wherein the elastomeric composition further comprises greater than about 50 phr of a second reactive co-agent, and

wherein the diene polymer comprises an ethylene-propylene-diene polymer comprising about 70% to about 90% ethylene, or about 1% to about 5% ethylidene-2-norborene, or both.

13. A golf ball comprising a core, a thin layer having a thickness of about 0.025 m to about 0.76 mm encasing the core, and a cover encasing the thin layer, wherein the thin layer comprises a diene polymer cross-linked with at least about 50 phr of a reactive co-agent and the diene polymer is polymerized with a metallocene catalyst;

wherein an elastomeric composition is disposed in the core, in the thin layer, in the cover, or between the core and cover wherein the composition comprises one are more materials selected from a group consisting of thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, highly neutralized polymers, metallocene or single-site catalyst polymers, polybutadienes, ethylene-propylene-diene polymers, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), SEBS, SEPS block polymers, styrene-ethylene block copolymers, diene polymers, and any polar group grafted or copolymerized polymer, wherein the elastomeric composition further comprises greater than about 50 phr of a second co-agent and wherein the thin layer has a specific gravity of at least about 1.2.

14. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the thickness of the thin layer is about 0.127 mm to about 0.76 mm.

15. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the thickness of the thin layer is about 0.25 mm to about 0.5 mm.

16. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the reactive co-agent comprises one or more compounds selected from a group consisting of non-metallic oligomers, bismuth, and metallic salts selected from zinc, magnesium, calcium, barium, tin, aluminum, lithium, sodium, potassium, iron, or zirconium salts of diacrylate, dimethacrylate, or monomethacrylate.

17. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the thin layer further comprises sulfur or peroxide.

18. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the core comprises an innermost core and one or more core layers.

19. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the core has a diameter of less than about 41.15 mm.

20. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the golf ball further comprises one, two, or three intermediate layers disposed between the core and the cover, each intermediate layer having a thickness of less than about 2.54 mm.

21. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the thin layer is disposed outside a centroid radius of the golf ball.

22. The golf ball of claim 13, wherein the thin layer has an inner diameter of at least about 38.4 mm.