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Patent Law

: Golf Patents

If I Gave You a High Surface Friction Golf Ball Would You Expect More Spin or Less Spin When You Hit it With a Wedge? How About When Struck With Your Driver?

By David Dawsey PE Esq

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High surface friction golf balls? more spin or less spin? Would it make any difference whether you hit the ball with a wedge or a driver? Interesting questions, right?

Well a recently published Acushnet patent application provides us with the answer. The published patent application is US Pub. No. 20080015055 titled ?Golf Ball Having High Surface Friction.?

Before I give you the answer, here is an interesting little bit of trivia disclosed in the patent application:

The United States Golf Association ("USGA") provides five (5) regulations to keep golf balls consistent. Specifically, the golf ball must weigh no more than 1.62 ounces and measure no less than 1.68 inches in diameter. The initial velocity of the ball as tested on a USGA machine at a set club head speed must not exceed 255 ft/sec. The overall distance of the ball as tested with a USGA specified driver at 160 ft/sec and a 10-degree launch angle must not exceed 296.8 yards. Furthermore, the ball must pass a USGA-administered symmetry test. Within the confines of these regulations, other performance characteristics of the ball, including distance, durability, feel, spin, sound, and the like may be modified through alterations in material compositions, constructions, diameters and/or thickness, and surface configurations of various portions of the ball, such as the core, the cover, intermediate layer(s) disposed between the core and the cover, and coating layer disposed about the cover. Other physical, mechanical, chemical, and/or optical properties of the portions, including color stability, compression, density, flexural modulus, gas or vapor permeability, hardness, stiffness, tear resistance, weight, gloss, and the like may also be affected by these alterations.

Now, for the real analytical type of golfer that may want to know more about what is meant by coefficient of friction (COF), the application explains:

Traditionally, it is recognized that the back spin imparted to a golf ball when hit with a golf club provides in part the aerodynamic lift that makes the ball airborne and prolongs its flight time, as well as enables the ball to stop on a green. There are two force components acting on the golf ball during impact: a normal force at a right angle to the club face and a tangential force parallel to the club face. The ratio of the tangential force to the normal force represents the coefficient of friction ("COF") of the ball on the club face which, as known to a skilled artisan, has a direct effect on the amount of spin imparted to the ball. This effect is more prominent in irons of higher lofts. It is feasible, therefore, to impart specific properties to the outermost surface of the golf ball and achieve desirable performance characteristics.

The golf ball of the present invention, as disclosed herein below, has a COF of greater than 0.6. This may be brought about by using a high COF material composition for the outer cover layer, if the outer surface of the outer cover layer is the outermost surface of the golf ball. In a conventional golf ball employing materials such as balata, Surlyn.RTM., or polyurethane as cover materials, a protective coating layer having a relatively high gloss (60.degree. gloss being greater than about 80) is typically applied to encapsulate the golf ball cover and constitutes the only ball portion that makes direct contact with the club face. As such, it is desirable to dispose a high COF coating layer of superior mar and abrasion resistance and weatherability about the golf ball, to elevate the ball COF, enhance its durability and aesthetic appeal, and selectively optimize performance parameters such as spin, drag, and feel.

And now, the answer to the questions asked above?

The high COF outermost surface as disclosed herein provides the golf ball with certain unique performance characteristics. Such golf balls display small changes in driver spin rate, but large changes in full wedge spin rate and half wedge spin rate. Specifically, the high COF golf balls have a spin rate change of less than about 15% when struck with a standard driver at a speed of about 160 ft/sec, and their launch angle is not changed much either. When struck with a full wedge at a speed of about 95 ft/sec, the high COF golf balls demonstrate an elevated launch angle and a spin rate reduction of at least about 5%. When struck with a half wedge at a speed of about 53 ft/sec, the high COF golf balls demonstrate an elevated launch angle and a spin rate reduction of at least about 10%. The reductions in full wedge and half wedge spin rates can be as high as about 60% or more.

Significanly reduced spin with the wedge and mildly increased spin with the driver! Probably not the answer that you were expecting, is it? Ahh, the fascinating information that can be found in patent applications!

Dave Dawsey - Watching Golf Ball Technology

Full post as published by Golf Patents on February 03, 2008 (boomark / email).