Patent Grant
6939249
The present invention relates to golf balls and more particularly, the invention is directed to a progressive performance golf ball having a high moment of inertia sub-assembly.
The spin rate of golf balls is the end result of many variables, one of which is the distribution of the density or specific gravity within the ball. Spin rate is an important characteristic of golf balls for both skilled and recreational golfers. High spin rate allows the more skilled players, such as PGA professionals and low handicapped players, to maximize control of the golf ball. A high spin rate golf ball is advantageous for an approach shot to the green. The ability to produce and control back spin to stop the ball on the green and side spin to draw or fade the ball substantially improves the player's control over the ball. Hence, the more skilled players generally prefer a golf ball that exhibits high spin rate.
On the other hand, recreational players who cannot intentionally control the spin of the ball generally do not prefer a high spin rate golf ball. For these players, slicing and hooking are the more immediate obstacles. When a club head strikes a ball, an unintentional side spin is often imparted to the ball, which sends the ball off its intended course. The side spin reduces the player's control over the ball, as well as the distance the ball will travel. A golf ball that spins less tends not to drift off-line erratically if the shot is not hit squarely off the club face. The low spin ball will not cure the hook or the slice, but will reduce the adverse effects of the side spin. Hence, recreational players prefer a golf ball that exhibits low spin rate.
Reallocating the density or specific gravity of the various layers or mantles in the ball is an important means of controlling the spin rate of golf balls. In some instances, the weight from the outer portions of the ball is redistributed to the center of the ball to decrease the moment of inertia thereby increasing the spin rate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,964 discloses a golf ball with a reduced moment of inertia having a core with specific gravity of at least 1.50 and a diameter of less than 32 mm and an intermediate layer of lower specific gravity between the core and the cover. U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,126 discloses a ball with a dense inner core having a specific gravity of at least 1.25 encapsulated by a lower density syntactic foam composition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,838 discloses another golf ball with a dense inner core having a diameter in the range of 15-25 mm with a specific gravity of 1.2 to 4.0 and an outer layer with a specific gravity of 0.1 to 3.0 less than the specific gravity of the inner core. U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,285 discloses another golf ball with reduced moment of inertia by reducing the specific gravity of an outer core to 0.2 to 1.0.
In other instances, the weight from the inner portion of the ball is redistributed outward to increase the moment of inertia thereby decreasing the spin rate. U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,393 discloses a golf ball with a hollow inner core with one or more resilient outer layers, thereby giving the ball a soft core, and a hard cover. U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,887 discloses a high moment of inertia golf ball comprising one or more mantle layers made from metals, ceramic or composite materials, and a polymeric spherical substrate disposed inwardly from the mantle layers. U.S. Pat. No. 705,359 discloses a golf ball having a perforated metal shell positioned immediately interior to the outer cover. U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,806 discloses perimeter weighted golf ball, wherein the weights are visible on the surface of the golf ball. On the other hand, the weight of the ball can also be distributed outward by using a hollow, cellular or other low specific gravity core materials, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,193,618 B1 and 5,823,889, among others.
These and other references disclose specific examples of high and low spin rate balls, but none of these references employ the selective variation of the ball's moment of inertia to create a progressive performance ball, which exhibits low spin when struck by a driver and high spin when struck by a wedge. Hence, there remains a need in the art for an improved progressive performance golf ball.
The present invention is directed to a golf ball with a controlled moment of inertia.
The present invention is also directed to a progressive performance golf ball with a controlled moment of inertia.
The present invention is preferably directed to a ball comprising an intermediate layer covering a core and a cover encasing the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer preferably comprises a non-continuous layer having a specific gravity of greater than 1.2 and a thickness from about 0.025 mm to 1.27 mm. The intermediate layer is preferably positioned at a distance radially outside of the centroid radius. The intermediate layer is preferably positioned at a distance ranging from about 0.76 mm to 2.8 mm from the outer surface of the golf ball.
In accordance to another aspect of the invention, the specific gravity of the non-continuous layer is greater than 1.5, more preferably greater than 1.8 and even more preferably greater than 2.0. The thickness of the non-continuous layer may also range from 0.127 mm to 0.76 mm, and more preferably from 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm.
In accordance to another aspect of the present invention, the intermediate layer may also comprise a thin dense layer having a specific gravity of greater than 1.2 and positioned proximate to the non-continuous layer. Additionally, the intermediate layer may also comprise a second non-continuous layer.
In accordance to another aspect of the invention, the golf ball comprises an intermediate member and a non-continuous member, and the intermediate member is located proximate to the non-continuous member.
The core preferably has a specific gravity of less than 1.1, and more preferably less than 1.0, and even more preferably less than 0.9. Additionally, the core is preferably foamed to reduce its specific gravity. Alternatively, the core may include fillers, hollow spheres or the like to reduce the specific gravity. The cover preferably has a hardness of less than 65 Shore D, more preferably between about 30 and about 60, more preferably between about 35 and about 50 and most preferably between about 40 and about 45. The cover is preferably made from a thermoset or thermoplastic polyurethane, an ionomer, a metallocene or other single site catalyzed polymer. The cover preferably has a thickness of less than 1.27 mm, more preferably between about 0.51 mm and about 1.02 mm, and most preferably about 0.76 mm.
Preferably, the non-continuous layer covers at least 10% of the surface area of an adjacent layer, more preferably at least about 25% and most preferably at least about 50%.
The present invention is also preferably directed to a ball comprising a core, an intermediate layer and a cover wherein the weight or mass of the ball is allocated outwardly to form a high moment of inertia and wherein the cover is made from a soft material having a hardness of 65 (shore D) or less. The moment of inertia of the ball is preferably greater than 0.46 oz·inch2, more preferably 0.50 oz·inch2, and most preferably 0.575 oz·inch2. Similar to the embodiment discussed above, the intermediate layer may comprise a non-continuous layer having a high specific gravity. It may also comprise a thin dense layer and/or a second non-continuous layer. The core preferably has a low specific gravity and is preferably foamed. The specific gravities, locations, thicknesses, hardness and surface areas discussed above relating to the individual layers of the inventive golf ball are equally applicable to this embodiment.
In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:
Referring generally to
In accordance to one aspect of the present invention, this radial distance, hereinafter referred to as the centroid radius, is provided. When more of the ball's mass or weight is reallocated to the volume of the ball from the center to the centroid radius, the moment of inertia is decreased, thereby producing a high spin ball. Hereafter, such a ball is referred as a low moment of inertia ball. When more of the ball's mass or weight is reallocated to the volume between the centroid radius and the outer cover, the moment of inertia is increased thereby producing a low spin ball. Hereafter, such a ball is referred as a high moment of inertia ball.
The centroid radius can be determined by following the steps below:
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined weight is initially set at a very small weight, e.g., 0.01 oz, and the location of the thin shell is initially placed at 0.01 inch radially from the center of the ball. The 0.01 oz thin shell is then moved radially and incrementally away from the center. The results are reported in the following table:
The results show that for a 1.62-oz ball with a 1.68-inch diameter, the centroid radius is approximately at 0.65 inch (16.5 mm) radially away from the center of the ball or approximately 0.19 inch (4.83 mm) radially inward from the outer surface. In other words, when the reallocated weight is positioned at a radial distance about 0.65 inch, the new moment of inertia of the ball is the same as the baseline moment of inertia of a uniform density ball. To ensure that the preferred method of determining the centroid radius discussed above is a correct one, the same calculation was repeated for predetermined weights of 0.20 oz, 0.405 oz (¼ of the total weight of the ball), 0.81 oz (½ of the total weight) and 1.61 oz (practically all of the weight). The results are reported in the following tables:
In each case, the centroid radius is located at the same radial distance, i.e., at approximately 0.65 inch radially from the center of a ball weighing 1.62 oz and with a diameter of 1.68 inches. A graph of the “Changes in Inertia” value versus radial distance for each predetermined weight, shown in
Ball 10, as shown in
In accordance to one aspect of the invention, ball 20 is a high moment of inertia ball comprising a low specific gravity inner core 22, encompassed by a high specific gravity intermediate layer 24. At least a portion of inner core 22 is made with a cellular material, a density reducing filler or is otherwise reduced in density, e.g., with foam. As used herein, the term low specific gravity layer means a layer or a portion of the layer that has its specific gravity reduced by a density reducing filler, foam or other methods. Inner core 22 and layer 24 are further encased within a cover 26. Preferably, the cover does not have a density adjusting element, except for pigments, colorants, stabilizers and other additives employed for reasons other than adjusting the density of the cover. The high density or high specific gravity layer 24 is positioned radially outward relative to the centroid radius. Ball 20, therefore, advantageously has a high moment of rotational inertia and low initial spin rates to reduce slicing and hooking when hit with a driver club.
The intermediate layer 24 preferably has the highest specific gravity of all the layers in ball 20. Preferably, the specific gravity of layer 24 is greater than 1.8. The term specific gravity, as used herein, has its ordinary and customary meaning, i.e., the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water at 4° C., and the density of water at this temperature is 1 g/cm3. More preferably, the specific gravity of layer 24 is greater than 2.0 and most preferably, the specific gravity of layer 24 is greater than 2.5. The specific gravity can be as high as 5.0, 10.0 or more. Intermediate layer 24 may be made from a high density metal or from metal powder encased in a polymeric binder. High density metals such as steel, tungsten, lead, brass, bronze, copper, nickel, molybdenum, or alloys may be used. Layer 24 may comprise multiple discrete layers of various metals or alloys. Alternatively, a loaded thin film or “pre-preg” or a “densified loaded film,” as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,411 related to golf clubs, may be used as the thin film layer in a compression molded or otherwise in a laminated form applied inside the cover layer 26. The “pre-preg” disclosed in the '411 patent may be used with or without the fiber reinforcement, so long as the preferred specific gravity and preferred thickness levels are satisfied. The loaded film comprises a staged resin film that has a densifier or weighing agent, preferably copper, iron or tungsten powder evenly distributed therein. The resin may be partially cured such that the loaded film forms a malleable sheet that may be cut to desired size and then applied to the outside of the core or inside of the cover. Such films are available from the Cytec of Anaheim, Calif. or Bryte of San Jose, Calif.
Preferably, intermediate layer 24 is also a non-continuous layer, i.e., it does not encase core 22 completely, and portions of core 22 directly contact cover 26. Additionally, intermediate layer 24 may comprise a non-continuous layer and a high specific gravity layer. In accordance to an aspect of the invention, non-continuous intermediate layer 24 may be a screen, a lattice, a scrim, a geodesic pattern or a perforated spherical shell. The perforations may be round, oval, square, any curved figure or any polygon. The perforations may be arranged in a pattern or in random. The non-continuous layer may also be arranged in a random pattern, such as the patterns achieved by a non-woven or sputtering application. For example,
Screens 40, 42, 44 and 46 and perforated shells 50 and 52 are shown herein for illustration purpose only and the invention is not so limited. The weight of the screens are preferably carried by the segments 48 so that the weight is evenly distributed throughout layer 24. Alternatively, some of the weights can be allocated to nodes 54 of the screen as shown in FIG. 6. Other embodiments of non-continuous shell 24 are shown in
Segments 48 are preferably made from a durable material such as metal, flexible or rigid plastics, high strength organic or inorganic fibers, any material that has a high Young's modulus, or blends or composites thereof. Suitable plastics or polymers include, but not limited to, one or more of partially or fully neutralized ionomers including those neutralized by a metal ion source wherein the metal ion is the salt of an organic acid, polyolefins including polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene and copolymers thereof including polyethylene acrylic acid or methacrylic acid copolymers, or a terpolymer of ethylene, a softening acrylate class ester such as methyl acrylate, n-butyl-acrylate or iso-butyl-acrylate, and a carboxylic acid such as acrylic acid or methacrylic acid (e.g., terpolymers including polyethylene-methacrylic acid-n or iso-butyl acrylate and polyethylene-acrylic acid-methyl acrylate, polyethylene ethyl or methyl acrylate, polyethylene vinyl acetate, polyethylene glycidyl alkyl acrylates). Suitable polymers also include metallocene catalyzed polyolefins, polyesters, polyamides, non-ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers, copolyether-esters, copolyether-amides, thermoplastic or thermosetting polyurethanes, polyureas, polyurethane ionomers, epoxies, polycarbonates, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, and blends thereof. Suitable polymeric materials also include those listed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,187,864, 6,232,400, 6,245,862, 6,290,611 and 6,142,887 and in PCT publication no. WO 01/29129.
Flexible material with relatively low specific gravity can also be used as long as nodes 50 are made heavier to achieve a high moment of inertia ball. Alternatively, low specific gravity flexible materials can be used in non-continuous layer 24 in conjunction with a proximate high specific gravity layer. One readily apparent advantage of the invention is that the geodesic or polyhedron screens and perforated shells have an inherent spring-like property that allows the screens and the shells to deform when the ball is struck by a club and to spring back to its original shape after the impact. This property may also improve the CoR and the distance of the ball in addition to the primary function of weight allocation. Another readily apparent advantage of an invention is highly rigid materials, such as certain metals can now be used in a golf ball, because the rigidity of the screens and perforated shells is considerably less than that of a hollow sphere. Suitable metals include, but not limited to, tungsten, steel, titanium, chromium, nickel, copper, aluminum, zinc, magnesium, lead, tin, iron, molybdenum and alloys thereof.
Suitable highly rigid materials include those listed in columns 11, 12 and 17 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,977. Fillers with very high specific gravity such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,217 at columns 31-32 can also be incorporated into the non-continuous layer. Suitable fillers and composites include, but not limited to, carbon including graphite, glass, aramid, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, silicon carbide, boron carbide, natural or synthetic silk.
In accordance to another aspect of the invention, a golf ball may have more than one non-continuous layer as illustrated in FIG. 1. Preferably, intermediate layers 14 and 16 are non-continuous layers arranged adjacent to each other. More preferably, layers 14 and 16 are screens or shells shown, by examples, in
In accordance to another aspect of the invention, a golf ball may have a non-continuous layer and an intermediate layer, such as a continuous layer. For example, one of intermediate layers 14 or 16 may be a non-continuous layer and the other is a continuous layer, or vice versa. Alternatively, the non-continuous layer may be embedded in the continuous layer.
The non-continuous layer 24 may be manufactured by casting, injection molding over the core 22, or by adhering injection or compression molded half-shells to the core by compression molding, laminating, gluing, wrapping, bonding or otherwise affixed to the core. Alternatively, the non-continuous layer 24, such as the geodesic or polyhedron screens shown in
Alternatively, the non-continuous layer 24 may also comprise discrete portions. The core may be molded with indentations or channels defined thereon. These indentations are sized and dimensioned to receive the discrete portions of the non-continuous layer 24. Examples of discrete, non-continuous layers 24 are shown in
Additional suitable high specific gravity materials for the intermediate layer 24 and suitable methods such as lamination for assembling intermediate layer 24 on to core 22 are fully disclosed in co-pending patent application entitled “Multi-layered Core Golf Ball” bearing Ser. No. 10/002,641, filed on Nov. 28, 2001, and this application is incorporated herein in its entirety. The disclosed materials and methods are fully adaptable for use with the non-continuous layer 24 of the present invention. More specifically, partially cured layer 24 may be cut into figure-8-shaped or barbell like patterns, similar to a baseball or tennis ball cover. Other patterns such as curved triangles and semi-spheres can also be used. These patterns are laid over an uncured core and then the sub-assembly is cured to lock the non-continuous layer on to the substrate.
As stated above, at least a portion of core 22 may comprise a density reducing filler, or otherwise may have its specific gravity reduced, e.g., by foaming the polymer. The effective specific gravity for this low specific gravity layer is preferably less than 1.1, more preferably less than 1.0 and even more preferably less than 0.9. The actual specific gravity is determined and balanced based upon the specific gravity and physical dimensions of the intermediate layer 24 and the outer core 26.
The low specific gravity layer can be made from a number of suitable materials, so long as the low specific gravity layer is durable, and does not impart undesirable characteristics to the golf ball. Preferably, the low specific gravity layer contributes to the soft compression and resilience of the golf ball. The low specific gravity layer can be made from a thermosetting syntactic foam with hollow sphere fillers or microspheres in a polymeric matrix of epoxy, urethane, polyester or any suitable thermosetting binder, where the cured composition has a specific gravity of less than 1.1 and preferably less than 0.9. Suitable materials may also include a polyurethane foam or an integrally skinned polyurethane foam that forms a solid skin of polyurethane over a foamed substrate of the same composition. Alternatively, suitable materials may also include a nucleated reaction injection molded polyurethane or polyurea, where a gas, typically nitrogen, is essentially whipped into at least one component of the polyurethane, typically, the pre-polymer, prior to component injection into a closed mold where full reaction takes place resulting in a cured polymer having a reduced specific gravity. Furthermore, a cast or RIM polyurethane or polyurea may have its specific gravity further reduced by the addition of fillers or hollow spheres, etc. Additionally, any number of foamed or otherwise specific gravity reduced thermoplastic polymer compositions may also be used such as metallocene-catalyzed polymers and blends thereof described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,824,746 and 6,025,442 and in PCT International Publication No. WO 99/52604. Moreover, any materials described as mantle or cover layer materials in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,919,100, 6,152,834 and 6,149,535 and in PCT International Publication Nos. WO 00/57962 and WO 01/29129 with its specific gravity reduced are suitable materials. Disclosures from these references are hereby incorporated by reference. The low specific gravity layer can also be manufactured by a casting method, sprayed, dipped, injected or compression molded.
Low specific gravity materials that do not have its specific gravity modified are also suitable for core 22. The specific gravity of this layer may also be less than 0.9 and preferably less than 0.8, when materials such as metallocenes, ionomers, or other polyolefinic materials are used. Other suitable materials include polyurethanes, polyurethane ionomers, interpenetrating polymer networks, Hytrel® (polyester-ether elastomer) or Pebax® (polyamide-ester elastomer), etc., which may have specific gravity of less than 1.0. Additionally, suitable unmodified materials are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,535, 6,152,834, 5,919,100, 5,885,172 and WO 00/57962. These references have already been incorporated by reference. The core may also include one or more layers of polybutadiene encased in a layer or layers of polyurethane. The non-reduced specific gravity layer can be manufactured by a casting method, reaction injection molded, injected or compression molded, sprayed or dipped method.
The cover layer 26 is preferably a resilient, non-reduced specific gravity layer. Suitable materials include any material that allows for tailoring of ball compression, coefficient of restitution, spin rate, etc. and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,419,535, 6,152,834, 5,919,100 and 5,885,172. Ionomers, ionomer blends, thermosetting or thermoplastic polyurethanes, metallocenes are the preferred materials. The cover can be manufactured by a casting method, reaction injection molded, injected or compression molded, sprayed or dipped method.
In accordance to another aspect of the present invention, it has been found that by creating a golf ball with a low spin construction, such as low specific gravity core 22 and non-continuous high specific gravity intermediate layer 24 of ball 20 discussed above, but adding a cover 26 of a thin layer of a relatively soft thermoset material formed from a castable reactive liquid, a golf ball with “progressive performance” from driver to wedge can be formed. As used herein, the term “thermoset” material refers to an irreversible, solid polymer that is the product of the reaction of two or more prepolymer precursor materials.
The thickness of the outer cover layer is important to the “progressive performance” of the golf balls of the present invention. If the outer cover layer is too thick, this cover layer will contribute to the in-flight characteristics related to the overall construction of the ball and not the cover surface properties. However, if the outer cover layer is too thin, it will not be durable enough to withstand repeated impacts by the golfer's clubs. It has been determined that the outer cover layer should have a thickness of less than about 0.05 inch, preferably between about 0.02 and about 0.04 inch. Most preferably, this thickness is about 0.03 inch.
The outer cover layer is formed from a relatively soft thermoset material in order to replicate the soft feel and high spin play characteristics of a balata ball when the balls of the present invention are used for pitch and other “short game” shots. In particular, the outer cover layer should have a Shore D hardness of less than 65 or from about 30 to about 60, preferably 35-50 and most preferably 40-45. Additionally, the materials of the outer cover layer must have a degree of abrasion resistance in order to be suitable for use as a golf ball cover. The outer cover layer of the present invention can comprise any suitable thermoset material which is formed from a castable reactive liquid material. The preferred materials for the outer cover layer include, but are not limited to, thermoset urethanes and polyurethanes, thermoset urethane ionomers and thermoset urethane epoxies. Examples of suitable polyurethane ionomers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,974 entitled “Golf Ball Covers,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in the present application.
Thermoset polyurethanes and urethanes are particularly preferred for the outer cover layers of the balls of the present invention. Polyurethane is a product of a reaction between a polyurethane prepolymer and a curing agent. The polyurethane prepolymer is a product formed by a reaction between a polyol and a diisocyanate. The curing agent is typically either a diamine or glycol. Often a catalyst is employed to promote the reaction between the curing agent and the polyurethane prepolymer.
Conventionally, thermoset polyurethanes are prepared using a diisocyanate, such as 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI) or methylenebis-(4-cyclohexyl isocyanate) (HMDI) and a polyol which is cured with a polyamine, such as methylenedianiline (MDA), or a trifunctional glycol, such as trimethylol propane, or tetrafunctional glycol, such as N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-hydroxpropyl)ethylenediamine. However, the present invention is not limited to just these specific types of thermoset polyurethanes. Quite to the contrary, any suitable thermoset polyurethane may be employed to form the outer cover layer of the present invention.
By way of example, ball 30 is a progressive performance, low initial spin rate ball in accordance to the present invention comprising core 32 and thin dense layer 34 and cover 36. Preferably, thin dense non-continuous layer 34 is located proximate to outer cover 36, and preferably layer 34 is made as thin as possible. Layer 34 may have a thickness from about 0.001 inch to about 0.05 inch (0.025 mm to 1.27 mm), more preferably from about 0.005 inch to about 0.030 inch (0.127 mm to 0.762 mm), and most preferably from about 0.010 inch to about 0.020 inch (0.254 mm to 0.508 mm). Thin dense non-continuous layer 34 preferably has a specific gravity of greater than 1.2, more preferably more than 1.5, even more preferably more than 1.8 and most preferably more than 2.0. Preferably, thin dense layer non-continuous 34 is located as close as possible to the outer surface of ball 30, i.e, the land surface or the un-dimpled surface of cover 36. For golf ball having a cover thickness of about 0.030 inch (0.76 mm), the thin dense layer would be located from 0.031 inch to about 0.070 inch (0.79 mm to 1.78 mm) from the land surface including the thickness of the thin dense layer, well outside the centroid radius discussed above. For a golf ball having a cover thickness (one or more layers of the same or different material) of about 0.110 inch (2.8 mm), the thin dense layer would be located from about 0.111 inch to about 0.151 inch (2.82 mm to 3.84 mm) from the land surface, also outside the centroid radius. The advantages of locating the thin dense layer as radially outward as possible have been discussed in detail in the parent application Ser. No. 09/815,753. It is, however, necessary to locate the thin dense layer outside of the centroid radius. Except for the moment of inertia, the presence of the thin dense layer preferably does not appreciably affect the overall ball properties, such as the feel, compression, coefficient of restitution, and cover hardness.
Cover 36 of ball 30, as discussed above, is made from a thermoset polyurethane, with a Shore D Hardness of less than 65, more preferably from about 30 to about 60, more preferably from about 35 to about 50 and most preferably from about 40 to about 45. The thickness of cover 36 is preferably less than 0.05 inch (1.27 mm), more preferably between about 0.02 inch to 0.04 inch (0.51 mm to 1.02 mm), and most preferably about 0.03 inch (0.76 mm). Core 32 is preferably made from a foamed polymer, such as polybutadiene. Preferably, the core 32 has a diameter from 39 mm to 42 mm (about 1.54 inch to 1.64 inch) and more preferably from 40 mm to 42 mm (1.56 inch to 1.64 inch). The core has a PGA compression of preferably less than 90, more preferably less than 80 and most preferably less than 70.
Compression is measured by applying a spring-loaded force to the golf ball center, golf ball core or the golf ball to be examined, with a manual instrument (an “Atti gauge”) manufactured by the Atti Engineering company of Union City, N.J. This machine, equipped with a Federal Dial Gauge, Model D81-C, employs a calibrated spring under a known load. The sphere to be tested is forced a distance of 0.2 inch (5 mm) against this spring. If the spring, in turn, compresses 0.2 inch, the compression is rated at 100; if the spring compresses 0.1 inch, the compression value is rated as 0. Thus more compressible, softer materials will have lower Atti gauge values than harder, less compressible materials. Compression measured with this instrument is also referred to as PGA compression.
As stated above, the moment of inertia for a 1.62 oz and 1.68 inch golf ball with evenly distributed weight through any diameter is 0.4572 oz·inch2. Hence, moments of inertia higher than about 0.46 oz·inch2 would be considered as a high moment of inertia ball. As shown above, ball 30 having a thin dense layer 34, which is positioned at about 0.040 inch from the outer surface of ball 30 (or 0.800 inch from the center), has the following moments of inertia.
More preferably, for a high moment of inertia ball the moment of inertia is greater than 0.50 oz·in2 and even more preferably greater than 0.575 oz·in2.
While various descriptions of the present invention are described above, it is understood that the various features of the present invention can be used singly or in combination thereof. Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to the specifically preferred embodiments depicted therein.
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/082,577 entitled “GOLF BALL HAVING A HIGH MOMENT OF INERTIA AND LOW DRIVER SPIN RATE”, file on Feb. 25, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,123 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,753 entitled “GOLF BALL AND A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SPIN RATE OF SAME”, filed on Mar. 23, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,795. The parent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 10082577 | Feb 2002 | US |
| Child | 10789289 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09815753 | Mar 2001 | US |
| Child | 10082577 | US |
