An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball showing a low spin rate on driver shots and an excellent shot feeing. The present invention provides a golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing: (a) a base rubber, (b) an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and at least one compound of (d) mercaptobenzoic acids and/or salts thereof, provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound in the case of containing only (b) the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent, and the spherical core has a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and a center hardness (Ho) thereof of 20 or more in JIS-C hardness.
1. A golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover covering the spherical core,
wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing:
(a) a base rubber,
(b) an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent,
(c) a crosslinking initiator, and
at least one compound of (d) mercaptobenzoic acids and/or salts thereof,
provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound if the composition contains only (b) the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent,
the rubber composition contains at least one compound of (d) the mercaptobenzoic acids and/or the salts thereof in an amount ranging from 6.3 parts by mass to 40 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of (a) the base rubber, and
the spherical core has a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and a center hardness (Ho) thereof of 20 or more in JIS-C hardness.
2. The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the rubber composition further contains (f) an organic sulfur compound different from the at least one compound of (d) the mercaptobenzoic acids and/or the salts thereof.
3. The golf ball according to claim 2 , wherein (f) the organic sulfur compound includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of thiophenols and/or metal salts thereof, thionaphthols and/or metal salts thereof, diphenylpolysulfides and thiuramdisulfides.
4. The golf ball according to claim 2 , wherein the rubber composition contains (f) the organic sulfur compound in an amount ranging from 0.05 part by mass to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of (a) the base rubber.
5. The golf ball according to claim 2 , wherein the rubber composition contains mercaptobenzoic acid as at least one compound of (d) the mercaptobenzoic acids and/or the salts thereof, and 2-thionaphthol and/or 1-thionaphthol as (f) the organic sulfur compound.
6. The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the hardness difference (Hs−Ho) is 80 or less in JIS-C hardness.
7. The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the center hardness (Ho) is 30 or more and 70 or less in JIS-C hardness.
8. The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the surface hardness (Hs) is 76 or more and 100 or less in JIS-C hardness.
9. The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the spherical core has a ratio ((Hs−H75)/(H75−Ho)) of a hardness difference (Hs−H75) between the surface hardness (Hs) and a 75% point hardness (H75) thereof to a hardness difference (H75−Ho) between the 75% point hardness (H75) and the center hardness (Ho) thereof of 0.35 or less.
10. The golf ball according to claim 1 , wherein the spherical core has a hardness distribution such that if JIS-C hardness values are measured at nine points obtained by dividing the spherical core radius into equal parts having 12.5% intervals therebetween, including the core center and surface, and the hardness values are plotted against distance (%) from the core center, then R 2 of a linear approximation curve obtained from the least square method is 0.85 or higher.
11. A golf ball having a spherical core and at least one cover covering the spherical core,
wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing:
(a) a base rubber,
(b) an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms and/or a metal salt thereof as a co-crosslinking agent,
(c) a crosslinking initiator,
at least one compound of (d) mercaptobenzoic acids and/or salts thereof, and
(f) an organic sulfur compound different from the at least one compound of (d) the mercaptobenzoic acids and/or the salts thereof,
provided that the rubber composition further contains (e) a metal compound if the composition contains only (b) the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid having 3 to 8 carbon atoms as the co-crosslinking agent,
the rubber composition contains at least one compound of (d) the mercaptobenzoic acids and/or the salts thereof in an amount ranging from 6.3 parts by mass to 40 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of (a) the base rubber,
(f) the organic sulfur compound comprises 2-thionaphthol and/or 1-thionaphthol,
the spherical core has a hardness difference (Hs−Ho) between a surface hardness (Hs) and a center hardness (Ho) thereof of 34.9 or more in JIS-C hardness, and
the spherical core has a ratio (Hs−H 75 )/(H 75 −Ho) of a hardness difference (Hs−H 75 ) between the surface hardness (Hs) and a 75% point hardness (H 75 ) thereof to a hardness difference (H 75 −Ho) between the 75% point hardness (H 75 ) and the center hardness (Ho) thereof of 0.35 or less.
12. The golf ball according to claim 11 , wherein the rubber composition contains (f) the organic sulfur compound in an amount ranging from 0.05 part by mass to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of (a) the base rubber.
13. The golf ball according to claim 11 , wherein the hardness difference (Hs−Ho) is 80 or less in JIS-C hardness.
14. The golf ball according to claim 11 , wherein the center hardness (Ho) is 30 or more and 70 or less in JIS-C hardness.
15. The golf ball according to claim 11 , wherein the surface hardness (Hs) is 76 or more and 100 or less in JIS-C hardness.
16. The golf ball according to claim 11 , wherein the spherical core has a hardness distribution such that if JIS-C hardness values are measured at nine points obtained by dividing the spherical core radius into equal parts having 12.5% intervals therebetween, including the core center and surface, and the hardness values are plotted against distance (%) from the core center, then R 2 of a linear approximation curve obtained from the least square method is 0.85 or higher.