Spalding Sports Worldwide, Inc.

John T Neill

Michael J Sullivan

Mark L Binette

Thomas J Kennedy, Iii

R Dennis Nesbitt

Viktor M Keller

William M Risen, Jr

Thomas J Kennedy

Michael John Tzivanis

John L Nealon

William Risen

Disclosed herein is a multi-layer golf ball having a soft outer cover. The golf ball has an inner cover layer with a Shore D hardness of 60 or more, and an outer cover with a Shore D hardness of 53 or less. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the outer cover comprises at least 75% of a soft, ionomeric copolymer formed from a polyolefin, an unsaturated carboxylic acid, and a monomer of the acrylate ester class. The golf ball of the invention has exceptionally soft feel and high spin rates on short shots of 80 yards or less and, particularly, 40 yards or less, while maintaining good distance and average spin on full shots.

Multi-layer golf ball

Disclosed herein is a golf ball and method for making the same. The golf ball has an ionomeric cover which includes a high melt ionomer having a Vicat softening temperature of 74&deg; C. or more (preferably 80&deg; C. or more, more preferably, 84&deg; C. or more) and a melt temperature of 96&deg; C. or more (preferably 98&deg; C. or more, and most preferably 100&deg; C. or more). Additionally, the high melt ionomer utilized in the invention exhibits a difference in melt temperature and Vicat temperature of 25&deg; C. or less (preferably 19&deg; C. or less, more preferably, 17&deg; C. or less). The golf ball cover is superior in heat resistance to a conventional cover but is otherwise substantially identical in composition.

Golf ball having improved heat resistance

Disclosed herein is a multi-layer golf ball having a soft outer cover. The golf ball has an inner cover layer with a Shore D hardness of 60 or more, and an outer cover with a Shore D hardness of 55 or less, and more preferably 50 or less. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the outer cover comprises at least 75% of a soft copolymer formed from a polyolefin, an unsaturated carboxylic acid, and a monomer of the acrylate ester class. The golf ball of the invention has exceptionally soft feel and high spin rates on short shots of 80 yards or less and, particularly, 40 yards or less, while maintaining good distance and average spin on full shots.

The present invention is directed to the use of gel material in a golf ball. In one aspect of the invention discrete gel particles form an integral structural and functional role in the hard-cover, mantle or core elements of a golf ball to provide an additional ways of varying the playability properties of a golf ball. In one embodiment the invention is directed to a golf ball comprising a mantle dispersed with discrete voids filled with gel to provide a heterogeneous mixture of at least one gel material and at least one non-gel material. In another embodiment of the invention 10 parts of ground down silica gel material, 50 parts Iotek&reg; 1002, 50 parts Iotek&reg; 1003, and 0.025 parts UM Blue to provide a composite mantle. In this embodiment the degree of measured compression (and good guide to deformability and initial spin rate when struck by a golf club) is increased with a commitment decrease in Shore C/D hardness. In another aspect of the invention discrete elastomeric particles form an integral structural and functional role in the hard-cover, mantle or core elements of a golf ball.

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Westfield, MA, United States of America

John T Neill