Method of making a golf ball with a multi-layer core
View Patent ↗A multilayer golf ball including a solid center having a center hardness, a plurality of laminates cut into a plurality of shapes formed around the center to create an inner ball, and a cover formed around the inner ball, wherein the plurality of layers can include at least a first layer having a hardness greater than the center hardness and a second layer having a hardness greater than the first layer hardness, and optionally a third layer disposed between the first and the second layers having a hardness greater than the first layer hardness.
1. A golf ball comprising:
a center;
a cover; and
a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises:
a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer, a second layer comprising a first thermoset material, and a third layer disposed between the first and second layers formed from a material selected from the group consisting of an ethylene methacrylic acid/acrylic acid copolymer, a second thermoset material, or a mixture thereof;
wherein the first thermoset material comprises polybutadiene.
2. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the center has a center hardness, the first layer has a first hardness greater than the center hardness, the second layer has a second hardness, and the third layer has a third hardness greater than the first hardness.
3. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the first layer has a first hardness of 70 Shore C to 75 Shore C, the second layer has a second hardness of 75 Shore C to 80 Shore C, and the third layer has a third hardness of 72 Shore C to 77 Shore C.
4. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the center has a center hardness, the first layer has a first hardness, and the second layer has a second hardness, and wherein the first hardness is less than the center hardness.
5. The golf ball of claim 4 , wherein the third layer has a third hardness less than the first hardness.
6. The golf ball of claim 1 , wherein the cover is formed of a composition comprising at least one castable reactive liquid material.
7. The golf ball of claim 6 , wherein the at least one castable reactive liquid material comprises cast polyurethane.
8. A golf ball comprising:
a center having a center hardness;
a cover; and
a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises:
a plurality of layers comprising a first layer having a first hardness, a second layer having a second hardness and comprising at least one thermoset material, and a third layer having a third hardness and disposed between the first and second layers, wherein the third layer consists essentially of a third material having the following structure:
wherein x is from 50 to 99 percent, y is from 1 to 50 percent, z is from 0 to 49 percent, R 1 comprises H or CH 3 , R 2 comprises CH 3 or isobornyl, and n is from 0 to 12; and wherein the thermoset material comprises polybutadiene.
9. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the first hardness is greater than the center hardness and the third hardness is greater than the first hardness.
10. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the first hardness is less than the center hardness and the third hardness is less than the first hardness.
11. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the third material is selected from the group consisting of ethylene/acrylic acid; ethylene/methacrylic acid; ethylene/acrylic acid/n- or isobutyl acrylate; ethylene/methacrylic acid/n- or iso-butyl acrylate; ethylene/acrylic acid/methyl acrylate; ethylene/methacrylic acid/methyl acrylate; ethylene/acrylic acid/iso-bornyl acrylate or methacrylate and ethylene/methacrylic acid/isobornyl acrylate or methacrylate.
12. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the cover comprises ionomer, polyurethane, balata, or a mixture thereof.
13. The golf ball of claim 8 , wherein the cover comprises a castable reactive liquid material.
14. A golf ball comprising:
a center;
a cover comprising a castable reactive liquid material; and
a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises:
a plurality of layers comprising at least a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer disposed between the first and second layers formed from a blend of an ethylene methacrylic acid/acrylic acid copolymer and a thermoplastic material;
wherein the blend comprises 10 to 50 percent by weight ethylene methacrylic/acrylic acid copolymer, 25 to 75 percent by weight of the thermoplastic material and 5 to 40 percent by weight zinc oxide.
15. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the thermoplastic material comprises polyesterester block copolymers, polyetherester block copolymers, polyetheramide block copolymers, ionomer resins, dynamically vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers, styrene-butadiene elastomers with functional groups, thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic polyesters, metallocene polymers, or mixtures thereof.
16. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the blend comprises 15 to 25 percent by weight ethylene methacrylic/acrylic acid copolymer, 50 to 60 percent by weight of the thermoplastic material and 20 to 30 percent by weight zinc oxide.
17. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the blend has a flexural modulus of less than 10,000 psi.
18. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the second layer comprises polyether thermoplastic urethane, polyester thermoplastic urethane, thermoset urethane, or ionomer.
19. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the second layer comprises a high acid ionomer.
20. The golf ball of claim 14 , wherein the second layer comprises polybutadiene.