IP Library Granted Patent US 12685903
Granted Patent B2
US 12685903 · App. 18/439,293 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Golf ball

Inventors: Hikaru Nagakura (Kobe, JP); Takumi Kaneko (Kobe, JP); Takehiko Hyodo (Kobe, JP); Kazuyoshi Shiga (Kobe, JP)
Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
A63B37/0063A63B37/00621A63B37/0073A63B37/008A63B37/0087C08L9/00A63B37/0074A63B37/0075C08L2205/025C08L2205/03
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12685903
App. No.
18/439,293
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a golf ball having excellent durability and an increased spin rate on driver shots to travel a suppressed flight distance. The present disclosure provides a golf ball comprising a spherical constituent member, wherein the spherical constituent member is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a rubber component containing a natural rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) an organic sulfur compound, a center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is 65 or more in Shore C hardness, a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and the center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is less than 16 in Shore C hardness, and an absolute value of a hardness difference (Hs−H50) between the surface hardness (Hs) of the spherical constituent member and a hardness (H50) at a 50% point of a radius of the spherical constituent member from a center of the spherical constituent member is 10 or less in Shore C hardness.

Claims (38)

1 . A golf ball comprising a spherical constituent member, wherein

the spherical constituent member is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a rubber component containing a natural rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) an organic sulfur compound,

a center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is 65 or more in Shore C hardness,

a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and the center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is 12 or less in Shore C hardness,

an absolute value of a hardness difference (Hs−H50) between the surface hardness (Hs) of the spherical constituent member and a hardness (H50) at a 50% point of a radius of the spherical constituent member from a center of the spherical constituent member is 10 or less in Shore C hardness, and

a hardness difference (H50−Ho) between the hardness (H50) and the hardness (Ho) ranges from 3 to 10 in Shore C hardness.

2 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness difference (Hs−Ho) is 10 or less in Shore C hardness.

3 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the absolute value of the hardness difference (Hs−H50) is 5 or less in Shore C hardness.

4 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness (H50) at the 50% point of the radius of the spherical constituent member from the center of the spherical constituent member is 73 or more in Shore C hardness.

5 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the golf ball has a diameter ranging from 40 mm to 45 mm, and a compression deformation amount of 2.5 mm or more and 4.0 mm or less when applying a load from an initial load of 98 N to a final load of 1275 N to the golf ball.

6 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein (a) the rubber component contains the natural rubber in an amount ranging from 10 mass % to 50 mass %.

7 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the rubber composition contains (d1) an organic sulfur compound of thiophenols and/or polysulfides.

8 . The golf ball according to claim 7 , wherein the rubber composition further contains (d2) an organic sulfur compound of thiazoles.

9 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the golf ball is a one-piece golf ball composed of the spherical constituent member.

10 . The golf ball according to claim 8 , wherein a mass ratio ((d1)/(d2)) of (d1) the organic sulfur compound of thiophenols and/or polysulfides to (d2) the organic sulfur compound of thiazoles ranges from 0.2 to 2.0.

11 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness difference (Hs−Ho) ranges from 3 to 12 in Shore C hardness.

12 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness (Ho) ranges from 65 to 80 in Shore C hardness.

13 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness (Hs) ranges from 70 to 90 in Shore C hardness.

14 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness (H50) ranges from 73 to 80 in Shore C hardness.

15 . The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein (a) the rubber component further contains a synthetic rubber.

16 . The golf ball according to claim 15 , wherein the synthetic rubber has a Mooney viscosity (ML 1+4 (100° C.)) ranging from 40 to 70.

17 . A golf ball comprising a spherical constituent member, wherein

the spherical constituent member is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a rubber component containing a natural rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) an organic sulfur compound,

a center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is 65 or more in Shore C hardness,

a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and the center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is 3 or more and less than 16 in Shore C hardness,

an absolute value of a hardness difference (Hs−H50) between the surface hardness (Hs) of the spherical constituent member and a hardness (H50) at a 50% point of a radius of the spherical constituent member from a center of the spherical constituent member is 10 or less in Shore C hardness,

a hardness difference (H50−Ho) between the hardness (H50) and the hardness (Ho) ranges from 3 to 10 in Shore C hardness, and

the hardness (H50) ranges from 76.2 to 85 in Shore C hardness.

18 . A one-piece golf ball formed from a rubber composition,

wherein the rubber composition contains (a) a rubber component containing a natural rubber and a synthetic rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, (d1) an organic sulfur compound of thiophenols and/or polysulfides and (d2) an organic sulfur compound of thiazoles,

a center hardness (Ho) of the one-piece golf ball is 65 or more in Shore C hardness,

a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and the center hardness (Ho) of the one-piece golf ball is 12 or less in Shore C hardness,

an absolute value of a hardness difference (Hs−H50) between the surface hardness (Hs) of the one-piece golf ball and a hardness (H50) at a 50% point of a radius of the one-piece golf ball from a center of the one-piece golf ball is 10 or less in Shore C hardness, and

a hardness difference (H50−Ho) between the hardness (H50) and the hardness (Ho) ranges from 3 to 10 in Shore C hardness.

19 . The one-piece golf ball according to claim 18 , wherein (a) the rubber component contains the natural rubber in an amount ranging from 10 mass % to 50 mass %, and a mass ratio ((d1)/(d2)) of (d1) the organic sulfur compound of thiophenols and/or polysulfides to (d2) the organic sulfur compound of thiazoles ranges from 0.2 to 2.0.

20 . A golf ball comprising a spherical constituent member, wherein

the spherical constituent member is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a rubber component containing a natural rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) an organic sulfur compound,

a center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member is 65 or more in Shore C hardness, a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and the center hardness (Ho) of the spherical constituent member ranges from 5 to 12 in Shore C hardness, and an absolute value of a hardness difference (Hs−H50) between the surface hardness (Hs) of the spherical constituent member and a hardness (H50) at a 50% point of a radius of the spherical constituent member from a center of the spherical constituent member is 10 or less in Shore C hardness.