The present invention provides a golf ball having excellent rebound characteristics and excellent flight performance, while maintaining good durability and good appearance. The present invention relates to a golf ball comprising a core composed of a center and at least one intermediate layer formed on the center, and a cover covering the core, and having many dimples on the surface thereof, wherein the outermost layer of the intermediate layer is formed from thermoplastic resin, has a thickness of 0.5 to 3.0 mm, and has depressions on the surface thereof at the position and shape corresponding to the dimples through the cover, and the cover is formed from thermoplastic resin and has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm in land portion having no dimple.
1. A method of making a golf ball comprising a core having a center and at least one intermediate layer formed on the center, and a cover covering the core, and having many dimples on the surface thereof, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) forming a spherical center,
(b) forming an intermediate layer on the center by using two core half molds having a semi-spherical cavity to form a spherical core,
(c)
(i) molding a cover composition, formed from polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomer, into a semi-spherical half-shell for the cover,
(ii) covering the core with two of the half-shells and placing the covered core in a golf ball half mold having a semi-spherical cavity and many projections corresponding to the shape of the dimples in the cavity,
(iii) press molding the covered core under heating to mold a golf ball with a cover having (1) a thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm in land portion having no dimple and (2) a thickness at the bottom of each dimple that differs from the thickness in land portions by no more than 0.2 mm and simultaneously form depressions in the surface of the intermediate layer at positions corresponding to the dimples through the cover, and
(d) after cooling, opening the mold to take out a molded golf ball.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
the dimples are formed in the surface of the cover prior to the application of a finish coating to the surface of the cover,
an outermost layer of the intermediate layer is formed from thermoplastic resin, has a thickness of 0.5 to 3.0 mm, and has depressions in the surface thereof at positions and having shapes corresponding to the dimples through the cover, and
the cover has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm in land portion having no dimple.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the depressions in the surface of the outermost layer of the intermediate layer have a depth of 5 to 95%, based on the depth of the dimples.
4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the cover has a thickness of 0.2 to 0.6 mm in land portion having no dimple, and the outermost layer of the intermediate layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 mm.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer is formed from ionomer resin, and the polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomer is a polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomer formed by using cycloaliphatic diisocyanate.