Golf ball having dimples with concentric or non-concentric grooves
The present invention is directed to golf balls having improved aerodynamic performance due, at least in part, to the alteration of the dimple surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a golf ball that includes at least a portion of its dimples having circular perimeters and dimple profiles having a concentric groove or a non-concentric groove on the surface of the dimple. The golf ball dimples of the present invention provide golf ball surfaces having unique appearances, while maintaining ideal aerodynamic characteristics.
1. A golf ball having a substantially spherical surface, comprising:
a plurality of dimples arranged in a dimple pattern on the spherical surface, wherein:
the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having a circular plan shape,
at least a portion of the plurality of dimples comprise a circular non-concentric groove on each dimple surface,
the golf ball has a ratio of surface area of the grooves on the golf ball to total surface area of the golf ball that is replaced by the plurality of dimples of about 0.010 or less,
each circular non-concentric groove has a groove diameter and each dimple has a dimple diameter, and a ratio of groove diameter to dimple diameter is about 0.05 to about 0.95.
2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein at least two dimples in the portion of dimples have one circular non-concentric groove in each dimple with a planar preferential direction.
3. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein at least two dimples in the portion of dimples have one circular non-concentric groove in each dimple with an axial preferential direction.
4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein each non-concentric groove has a groove diameter and a first centroid and each dimple has a dimple diameter and a second centroid, and wherein a distance between the first centroid and the second centroid is at least 5 percent of the dimple diameter.
5. A golf ball having a substantially spherical surface, comprising:
a plurality of dimples arranged in a dimple pattern on the spherical surface, wherein:
the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having a circular plan shape,
at least a portion of the plurality of dimples comprises (i) at least two dimples, each dimple having on the surface thereof one circular non-concentric groove with a planar preferential direction, or (ii) at least two dimples, each dimple having on the surface thereof one circular non-concentric groove with an axial preferential direction, or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii), and
a ratio of
S
·
N
4
π
R
2
P
is about 0.01 or less, wherein S is the average surface area for all grooves on the ball, N is the number of grooved dimples on the ball, R is the radius of the ball, and P is the surface coverage of the dimple pattern; and
each circular non-concentric groove has a groove diameter and a first centroid, each dimple has a dimple diameter and a second centroid, and a distance between the first centroid and the second centroid is at least 5 percent of the dimple diameter.
6. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein each non-concentric groove has a groove diameter and each dimple has a dimple diameter, and wherein a ratio of groove diameter to dimple diameter is about 0.05 to about 0.95.
7. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises at least two dimples, each dimple having on the surface thereof one circular non-concentric groove with an axial preferential direction, wherein the non-concentric grooves with an axial preferential direction are shifted relative to a symmetrical axis of the dimple pattern.
8. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises at least two dimples, each dimple having on the surface thereof one circular non-concentric groove with a planar preferential direction, wherein the non-concentric grooves with a planar preferential direction are shifted relative to a symmetrical plane of the dimple pattern.
9. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises at least two dimples, each dimple having on the surface thereof one circular non-concentric groove with an axial preferential direction, wherein the dimples having non-concentric grooves with an axial preferential direction are symmetrically arranged about a reference axis.
10. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of dimples comprises at least two dimples, each dimple having on the surface thereof one circular non-concentric groove with a planar preferential direction, wherein the dimples having non-concentric grooves with a planar preferential direction are symmetrically arranged about a reference plane.
11. The golf ball of claim 5 , wherein the portion of the plurality of dimples comprises multiple groups of at least two dimples having on the surface thereof one non-concentric groove with an axial preferential direction.
12. The golf ball of claim 11 , wherein each group is shifted relative to a different symmetrical axis of the dimple pattern.
13. A golf ball having a substantially spherical surface, comprising:
a plurality of dimples arranged in a dimple pattern on the spherical surface, wherein:
the plurality of dimples comprises dimples having a circular plan shape,
at least a portion of the plurality of dimples include one or more dimples having a circular concentric groove and two or more dimples having a circular non-concentric groove, and
a ratio of
S
·
N
4
π
R
2
P
is about 0.01 or less, wherein S is the average surface area for all grooves on the ball, N is the number of grooved dimples on the ball, R is the radius of the ball, and P is the surface coverage of the dimple pattern; and
each circular concentric groove and each circular non-concentric groove has a groove diameter and each dimple has a dimple diameter, and a ratio of each groove diameter to dimple diameter is about 0.05 to about 0.95.
14. The golf ball of claim 13 , wherein each non-concentric groove has a groove diameter and a first centroid and each dimple has a dimple diameter and a second centroid, and wherein a distance between the first centroid and the second centroid is at least 10 percent of the dimple diameter.