Golf ball having reduced surface hardness

1. A method of making a golf ball comprising the steps of:

providing a core comprising at least one layer;

forming a cover about the core comprising at least one cover layer comprising a cover inner surface and a cover outer surface and having a thickness D;

treating the cover outer surface with a fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition and forming a treated cover region which extends inward from the cover outer surface a penetration depth D CTr , an untreated cover region being disposed between the cover inner surface and the treated cover region and having a depth (D CUTr )=(D)−(D CTr );

wherein the treated cover region has a hardness α and the untreated cover region has a hardness β different than the hardness α.

2. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a thermoplastic composition.

3. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a thermoset composition.

4. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the hardness α is less than the hardness β to define a negative hardness gradient within the cover layer.

5. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the hardness α is greater than the hardness β to define a positive hardness gradient within the cover layer.

6. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition comprises oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, pelargonic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, erucic acid, myristic acid, benzoic acid, phenylacetic acid, or naphthalenoic acid.

7. The method of making a golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition comprises a cation selected from the group comprising barium, lithium, sodium, zinc, bismuth, chromium, cobolt, copper, potassium, strontium, titanium, tungsten, magnesium, cesium, iron, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin and calcium.

8. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition further comprises at least one of an antioxidant, a sulfur-bearing compound, zinc methacrylate, zinc dimethacrylate, a softening acrylate monomer or oligomer, a thermoplastic resin, or an hydroquinone.

9. The method of making a golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the thermoplastic resin comprises at least one of polyethylene vinyl acetate, polyethylene butyl acrylate, polyethylene methyl acrylate, polyethylene acrylic acid, polyethylene methacrylic acid or an ionomer.

10. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate core layer disposed about the core and adjacent the cover.

11. The method of making a golf ball of claim 2 , wherein the thermoplastic material comprises ethylene/acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene/methacrylic acid copolymers, ethylene/methyl acrylate/acrylic acid terpolymers, ethylene/n-butyl acrylate/methacrylic acid terpolymers, ethylene/isobutyl-acrylate/methacrylic acid terpolymers, or blends thereof.

12. The method of making a golf ball of claim 2 , further comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane, a thermoplastic polyurea, a styrene block copolymer, a polyester amide, polyester-ester, polyamides, single-site catalyzed polymers, metallocene-catalyzed polymers, polyesters, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene terephthalate), poly(propylene terephthalate), poly(trimethylene terephthalate), poly(ethylene naphthenate), polystyrene polymers, poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, poly(styrene sulfonate), polyethylene styrene, grafted polypropylenes, grafted polyethylenes, polyvinyl chlorides; grafted polyvinyl chlorides; polyvinyl acetates having less than about 9% of vinyl acetate by weight, polycarbonates, blends of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, blends of polycarbonate and polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, polyethers, polyarylene ethers, polyphenylene oxides; block copolymers of alkenyl aromatics with vinyl aromatics and poly(amic ester)s, polyimides, polyetherketones, polyamideimides, or blends thereof.

13. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein hardness α is different than hardness β by about 2 Shore D or greater.

14. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cover outer surface has been treated with the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition for a duration of from about 0.5 minutes to about 24 hours at a temperature of from about 60° F. to about 350° F.

15. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cover outer surface has further been exposed to a neutralizing solution for a duration of from about 0.5 minutes to about 24 hours at a temperature of from about 60° F. to about 350° F.

16. The method of making a golf ball of claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate cover layer disposed between the core and the cover layer comprising a thickness of from about 0.010 inches to about 0.150 inches.

17. A method of making a golf ball comprising the steps of:

providing a core comprising at least one layer;

forming a cover about the core comprising at least one cover layer comprising a cover inner surface and a cover outer surface;

treating the cover inner surface with a fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition and forming a treated inner cover region extending from the cover inner surface toward the cover outer surface a penetration depth D CTr , an untreated cover region being disposed between the cover outer surface and the treated inner cover region and having a depth (D CUTr )=(D)−(D CTr );

wherein the treated inner cover region has a hardness α and the untreated outer cover region has a hardness β different than the hardness α.

18. The method of making a golf ball of claim 17 , wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a thermoplastic composition.

19. The method of making a golf ball of claim 17 , wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a thermoset composition.

20. The method of making a golf ball of claim 17 , wherein the hardness α is less than the hardness β to define a negative hardness gradient within the cover layer.

21. The method of making a golf ball of claim 17 , wherein the hardness α is greater than the hardness β to define a positive hardness gradient within the cover layer.

22. A method of making a golf ball comprising the steps of:

providing a core comprising at least one layer;

forming a cover about the core comprising at least one cover layer comprising a cover inner surface having a hardness β and a cover outer surface having a hardness α;

treating the cover outer surface with a fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition and forming a treated cover outer surface comprising the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition wherein the treated cover outer surface has a hardness α′ different from hardness α; and

wherein hardness β is different than at least one of hardness α and hardness α′.

23. The method of making a golf ball of claim 22 , wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a thermoplastic composition.

24. The method of making a golf ball of claim 22 , wherein the at least one cover layer comprises a thermoset composition.

25. The method of making a golf ball of claim 22 , wherein the hardness α is less than the hardness β to define a negative hardness gradient within the cover layer.

26. The method of making a golf ball of claim 22 , wherein the hardness α is greater than the hardness β to define a positive hardness gradient within the cover layer.

27. The method of making a golf ball of claim 22 , wherein the step of treating the cover outer surface with a fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition and forming a treated cover region precedes the step of forming the cover about the core.