High performance golf ball having a reduced-distance

• US 7,938,745 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2008
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Michael J., Aoyama, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Trimiew; Raeann
• Application Number:
  US12/331,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20090098951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 473/351, 473/378
• US Class Current: 473/378
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2043/001 Short-distance or low-velocity balls for training, or for playing on a reduced area
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0003 Golf balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0004 Surface depressions or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00065 located around the pole or the equator
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0012 Dimple profile, i.e. cross-sectional view
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0021 Occupation ratio, i.e. percentage surface occupied by dimples
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0031 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0033 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0045 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0061 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0064 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0078 Coefficient of restitution
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/008 Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0083 Weight; Mass
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0089 Coefficient of drag
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/009 Coefficient of lift
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/0096 Spin rate

Abstract

A golf ball having a reduced distance while maintaining the appearance of a normal high performance trajectory. The golf ball has a core, an inner cover layer, and a cover. The core has a diameter of from about 1.300 to 1.620 inches, while the ball has a weight from 1.30 to 1.620 ounces, a diameter from 1.670 to 1.800 inches and a maximum Coefficient of Restitution from about 0.600 to about 0.790 as measured at 125 ft/sec incoming ball velocity. The ball has a lift to weight ratio of greater than 1.5 at a Reynolds number of about 207,000 and a spin ratio of about 0.095.

Claims

1. A golf ball comprising:

a core;

an inner cover layer;

a cover;

the core having a diameter of from about 1.300 to 1.620 inches,

wherein the golf ball has a weight from 1.30 to 1.620 ounces, a diameter from 1.670 to 1.800 inches and a maximum Coefficient of Restitution from about 0.600 to about 0.790 as measured at 125 ft/sec incoming ball velocity and wherein the ball has a lift to weight ratio of greater than 1.5 at a Reynolds number of about 207,000 and a spin ratio of about 0.095.

2. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a natural or synthetic base rubber selected from the group consisting of polydienes, polyethylenes (PE), ethylene-propylene copolymers (EP), ethylene-butylene copolymers, polyisoprenes, polyisoprenes, polybutadienes (PBR), polystyrenebutadienes (SBR), polyethylenebutadienes, styrene-propylene-diene rubbers, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers (EPDM), fluorinated polymers thereof (e.g., fluorinated EP and fluorinated EPDM), butyl rubber, halogenated butyl rubber, and blends of one or more thereof.

3. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a polybutadiene, a co-reaction agent, a peroxide, and at least one of a butyl rubber, a halogenated butyl rubber, a butyl rubber copolymer, a sulfonated butyl rubber, a polyisobutylene, an ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, a copolymer of isobutylene and methylstyrene, or a styrene butadiene rubber.

4. The golf ball of claim 3, wherein the polybutadiene is mixed with an elastomer selected from the group consisting of natural rubbers, polyisoprene rubbers, styrene-butadiene rubbers, synthetic natural rubbers, diene rubbers, saturated rubbers, polyurethane rubbrs, polyurea rubbers, metallocene-catalyzed polymers, plastomers, and multi-olefin polymers (homopolymers, copolymers, and terpolymers) in order to modify the properties of the core to create a golf ball with reduced distance.

5. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover is comprised of a thermoplastic or thermosetting polyurethane or polyurea.

6. The golf ball of claim 5, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of about 40 to 70.

7. The golf ball of claim 6, wherein the cover has a Shore D hardness of 45-65.

8. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the Coefficient of Restitution is from about 0.640 to 0.760.

9. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball weight is from about 1.45 to 1.610 ounces.

10. The golf ball of claim 9, wherein the golf ball weight is from about 1.500 to 1.600 ounces.

11. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the golf ball is from about 1.675 to about 1.695 inches.

12. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the core is from about 1.400 to about 1.550 inches.

13. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the core is from about 1.450 to about 1.510 inches.

14. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the core is comprised of an inner core and at least one core layer, the inner core having a diameter from about 0.50 to about 1.20 inches.

15. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer and cover comprise a total thickness of about 0.025 to about 0.12 inches.

16. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer and cover layer comprise a total thickness of about 0.040 to about 0.110 inches.

17. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the inner cover layer has a thickness of about 0.070 inch and the cover has a thickness of about 0.040 inch.

18. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover includes a dimple pattern covering at least 60% of the ball surface.

19. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the cover includes a dimple pattern covering at least 75% of the ball surface.

20. The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the golf ball has a lift to weight ratio of greater than about 1.7 at a Reynolds number of about 207,000 and a spin ration of about 0.095.