Multi-Layer Golf Ball Hardness Distribution for Flight and Feel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golf balls struggle to achieve a balance between desired flight performance, approach performance, and feel at impact, particularly for drivers and putters, with existing multilayer golf balls often compromising on either flight distance or feel.
Innovation Solution
A golf ball design utilizing TH values calculated from the hardness and thickness of each layer, with specific formulas governing the relationships between the core, inner cover, main cover, and outer cover, to achieve optimal performance characteristics, including a relative hardness and thickness distribution that enhances both flight and feel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a golf ball has high resilience performance for flight distance, then flight performance is improved, but feel at impact becomes hard
Solution Approach 1:
The golf ball is divided into multiple layers (core, inner cover, main cover, outer cover) with different hardness and thickness characteristics. The core has high resilience for flight distance, while the outer layers provide soft feel at impact. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between flight performance and feel.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the golf ball have different properties: the core has high hardness and resilience for flight performance, while the outer cover has lower hardness for soft feel at impact. The TH value calculations (X, S, M, I, O, Q) quantify these local property differences, ensuring optimal performance in each region without compromising the other.
2Ease of operation
If a golf ball has soft feel at impact, then feel at impact is improved, but response felt in hands upon putting becomes small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes specific parameters (TH values X, S, M, I, O, Q) to achieve the right balance. The outer cover hardness (Ho) and thickness (To) are controlled to provide soft feel, while the core hardness (Hc) and radius (Rc) are optimized to maintain sufficient response feedback. This parameter optimization allows soft feel without losing distance judgment capability.
3Productivity
If a golf ball has high spin rate for approach performance, then approach performance is improved, but flight performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-layer structure with controlled TH values creates dynamic behavior: during approach shots with wedges, the softer outer layers and higher Q/X ratio generate high spin rates for excellent approach performance. During driver shots, the hard core and optimized M-S difference minimize unwanted spin and maximize flight distance. The structure dynamically adapts to different shot types.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf ball (2) includes a core (4), an inner cover (6), a main cover (8), and an outer cover (10). X=Hc×Rc×0.05, S=Hs×Rc×0.05, M=Hm×Tm, I=Hi×Ti, O=Ho×To, and Q=(I+O)/2 that are calculated from a radius Rc of the core (4), a Shore C hardness Hc at a central point of the core (4), a Shore C hardness Hs at a surface of the core (4), a thickness Tm of the main cover (8), a Shore C hardness Hm of the main cover (8), a thickness Ti of the inner cover (6), a Shore C hardness Hi of the inner cover (6), a thickness To of the outer cover (10) and a Shore C hardness Ho of the outer cover (10), satisfy 15≤M−S≤100, 0.25<Q/M<0.5, −10≤I−O≤30, and Q/X<0.8.