Acushnet Company

Erin C McDermott

Manjari Kuntimaddi

Dennis Britton

Brian Comeau

Michael J Sullivan

Edward Costa

Mark L Binette

Michael Michalewich

Doug Goguen

Derek A Ladd

A golf ball composition is disclosed herein that includes at least one layer formed from metal foam. The metal foam can provide lightweight, durable, and high strength design parameters for golf ball constructions in order to provide greater adaptability and customizability, among other advantages.

Golf ball including metal foam layer

Golf balls having cores with increased hardness gradients are provided. The cores have an increased 'positive' hardness gradient (or a “hard-to-soft” hardness) where the outer surface of the core is harder than the center. The increased positive hardness gradient can be achieved by introducing a water-releasing agent into the core rubber formulation during the curing process. The resulting golf balls have reduced spin and sufficient impact durability.

Golf balls having cores with increased hardness gradient

Compositions including a water releasing agent and golf ball cores made from such compositions having a high hardness gradient are disclosed. The type and concentration of the components in the composition, including the water releasing agent, affect the hardness and hardness gradient of cores made from the composition and, thus, can be used to produce a golf ball having desirable performance characteristics. Cores made from the composition may be cured using infrared radiation to further increase the hardness and hardness gradient of such cores. Cores cured using infrared radiation may have a center and a skin with hardness greater than the hardness of the center to produce a high hardness gradient.

High hardness gradient golf ball cores and methods of making same

The present disclosure provides methods of reducing center shifting of golf ball components, which, in turn, improves concentricity of the resulting golf balls. The methods include extruding a golf ball component material through an extruder to form an extrudate having a first temperature, cutting the extrudate at a second temperature to form a component prep, and molding the component prep into the golf ball component. The preps formed by the methods of the present disclosure include surfaces having reduced or no concavity.

Methods of reducing center shift of golf ball components and improving concentricity

Compositions including a hardness agent and a water releasing agent and golf ball cores made from such compositions having a tailored hardness gradient are disclosed. The type and concentration of the components in the composition, including a hardness agent and a water releasing agent, affect the hardness, hardness gradient, and compression of cores made from the composition and, thus, can be used to produce a golf ball having desirable performance characteristics.

Golf ball core hardness gradient manipulation using hardness agent and water releasing agent

Golf ball having at least one layer formed from a thermoset or thermoplastic composition comprising one or more free radical scavengers selected from lignosulfonates, hydroxycarboxylic acids, carbohydrates, superplasticizers, or combinations thereof.

Golf ball and method of making same

Golf ball comprising one or more layers and/or indicia formed from a fluorescent composition comprising: a base polymer; and a colorant; wherein the colorant is a small-molecule ionic isolation lattice formed from one or more fluorescent dye and one or more cyanostar macrocycles. The one or more fluorescent dyes may include at least one dye selected from xanthenes, oxazines, styryls, cyanines, trianguleniums, or mixtures thereof. The colorant may be a dispersion of the small-molecule ionic isolation lattice in a carrier medium or a powder. In particular embodiments, at least one of the one or more layers is a cover layer and/or a coating layer.

White golf ball

Golf balls having cores with increased hardness gradients and improved impact durability are provided. The cores have an increased 'positive' hardness gradient (or a “hard-to-soft” hardness) where the outer surface of the core is harder than the center. The cores are formed from rubber formulations including combinations of a terpene-based resin, ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber, and/or a water releasing agent. The resulting golf balls have increased impact durability and resilience.

Golf balls having increased impact durability

Golf balls of the invention include at least one core layer comprised or consisting of a homogenous rubber-based core composition with a plurality of functionalized inorganic aluminosilicate ceramic microspheres dispersed throughout without agglomerating to create a relatively higher cross-link density of the core layer material. In golf balls of the invention, cross-link density gradients may be created between core layers by pre-electing the presence/absence, amount, type, and degree of functionalization of the plurality of functionalized inorganic aluminosilicate ceramic microspheres in two given core layers to target important properties such as resilience/CoR and desired playing characteristics such as distance.

Golf ball incorporating functionalized inorganic aluminosilicate ceramic microspheres in at least one core layer

Golf ball comprising layer formed from polymer composition comprising delignified natural wood. The delignified natural wood may be basswood, oak, poplar, ash, alder, aspen, balsa wood, beech, birch, cherry, butternut, chestnut, cocobolo, elm, hickory, maple, oak, padauk, plum, walnut, willow, yellow poplar, bald cypress, cedar, cypress, fir, hemlock, larch, pine, redwood, spruce, tamarack, juniper, yew, and/or bamboo and having a lignin content of less than 20 wt %. Hemicellulose content may be less than 30 wt %, or about 15 wt % or less, or less than 15 wt %. The delignified natural wood is included in the polymer composition in an amount of 20 wt % or less, based on total weight of the polymer composition. Examples of polymer compositions include rubbers, polyurethanes, polyureas, ionomers, and combinations thereof. In specific embodiments, the golf ball core and/or intermediate layer is formed from the polymer composition. The delignified wood may comprise chopped wood pieces and/or powder.

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Providence, RI, United States of America

Erin C McDermott