Golf ball with softer feel and higher iron spin

Abstract

A golf ball comprising:(a) a core;(b) at least one mantle layer adjacent to the core;(c) an inner cover layer adjacent to the mantle layer; and(d) an outer cover layer adjacent to the inner cover layer,wherein the inner cover layer has a material Shore D hardness that is at least 3 less than the material Shore D hardness of the outer cover layer, and the inner cover layer has a thickness of less than 0.050 in.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A golf ball comprising:
 (a) a core having a PGA compression of less than 100 and a diameter of from 1.00 to 1.75 inches;   (b) a mantle layer adjacent to the core comprising a polyalkenamer;   (c) an inner cover layer adjacent to the mantle layer having a material Shore D hardness of 10 to 75; and   (d) an outer cover layer adjacent to the inner cover layer having a thickness of at least 0.020 inches and comprising a thermoset or thermoplastic polyurethane or a thermoset or thermoplastic polyurea.   
     
     
         3 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the core further comprises a peptizer. 
     
     
         4 . The golf ball of  claim 2 , wherein the peptizer comprises a pyridine peptizer. 
     
     
         5 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the core further comprises at least one synthetic rubber comprising cis-1,4-polybutadiene. 
     
     
         6 . The golf ball of  claim 4 , wherein the at least one synthetic rubber further comprises ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM). 
     
     
         7 . The golf ball of  claim 4 , wherein the core further comprises a peroxide selected from the group consisting of dicumylperoxide, 1,4-bis-(t-butylperoxyisopropyl)-benzene, 1,1-bis-(t-butylperoxy)-3,3,5 tri-methylcyclohexane, and any and all combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the polyalkenamer contains from 50 to 99 percent of its double bonds in the trans configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the polyalkenamer has a molecular weight of from 10,000 to 300,000. 
     
     
         10 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the polyalkenamer has a degree of crystallization of from 5 to 70 percent. 
     
     
         11 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the thermoset or thermoplastic polyurethane or thermoset or thermoplastic polyurea comprise an isocyanate and a fast reacting curing agent. 
     
     
         12 . The golf ball of  claim 10 , wherein the isocyanate comprises toluene diisocyanate (TDI). 
     
     
         13 . The golf ball of  claim 10 , wherein the isocyanate comprises polymeric 4,4′diphenyl-methane diisocyanate (MDI). 
     
     
         14 . The golf ball of  claim 10 , wherein the isocyanate comprises 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). 
     
     
         15 . The golf ball of  claim 10 , wherein the isocyanate comprises 2,4′-bis(isocyanatomethyl)dicyclohexaneisophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). 
     
     
         16 . The golf ball of  claim 10 , wherein the fast reacting curing agent comprises a diamine. 
     
     
         17 . The golf ball of  claim 15 , wherein the diamine comprises an ethylene diamine. 
     
     
         18 . The golf ball of  claim 10 , wherein the cover layer further comprises a catalyst comprising a diol. 
     
     
         19 . The golf ball of  claim 17 , wherein the diol comprises a 1,4-butane diol. 
     
     
         20 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the outer cover layer has a thickness of 0.025 to 0.065 inches. 
     
     
         21 . The golf ball of claim  1 , wherein the core comprises a PGA compression of from 20 to 80.