US 5,885,172 · Granted 1999-03-23
The Thin-Shell Golf Ball That Changed How the Game Is Played
Imagine a golf ball with three layers—a hard core, a springy middle, and a super-thin thermoset plastic skin. That thin outer shell is key: it's less than the width of a playing card, but it changes how the ball flies off every club in your bag, from your driver to your wedge.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a multilayer golf ball design where the outer cover is made from a thermoset material (a type of plastic that hardens when heated) and measures less than 0.05 inches thick. The inner cover layer must be a high-flexural-modulus material, meaning it resists bending. What's protected here is the specific combination of these three layers and their material properties—the geometry and composition that work together to create what the patent calls 'progressive performance' across different clubs.
Why it matters
Golf equipment is a highly competitive market where manufacturers constantly chase performance gains. This patent gave Acushnet (the maker of Titleist and FootJoy brands) a way to control ball behavior across a golfer's entire set—meaning the same ball could respond differently to a powerful driver swing versus a delicate wedge shot. That kind of tuned performance is a major selling point in premium golf balls, and the patent protected Acushnet's approach to achieving it through clever materials engineering.
Real-world use
Every golfer who buys a premium multilayer golf ball and notices it behaves differently depending on which club hits it is experiencing the engineering this patent locks down.
Original USPTO abstract
The present invention is directed towards a multilayer golf ball which comprises a core, an inner cover layer and an outer cover layer, wherein the outer cover layer comprises a thermoset material formed from a castable, reactive liquid, said outer layer having a thickness of less than 0.05 inches and said inner cover layer comprises a high flexural modulus material. The golf balls of the present invention are believed to provide a "progressive performance" from driver to wedge.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,885,172
- Filing date
- 1997-05-27
- Grant date
- 1999-03-23
- Assignee
- Acushnet Company
- Inventor(s)
- HEBERT; EDMUND A., MORGAN; WILLIAM E, SNELL; DEAN
- CPC class
- B29D99/0042
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