Golf ball

Abstract

A golf ball with a center and a cover layer formed over the center is disclosed. The center exhibits a high velocity and is soft with a compression of less than about 75. The cover layer is soft with a Shore D hardness on the ball of less than about 58. The cover layer includes an ionomer component and a metallocene polymer component. The ionomer component can be a single ionomer or a blend of ionomers. The metallocene polymer component can be a single metallocene polymer or a blend of metallocene polymers.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A golf ball comprising: 
 a center having a compression of less than about 75; and    at least one cover layer surrounding the center, the cover layer formed of an ionomer component and a metallocene polymer component, and the cover layer having a Shore D hardness on the ball of less than about 58.    
     
     
         2 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the center has a compression of between about 63 and about 73.  
     
     
         3 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the cover layer has a Shore D hardness on the ball of less than about 55.  
     
     
         4 . The golf ball of  claim 2 , wherein the cover layer has a Shore D hardness on the ball of between about 50 and about 52.  
     
     
         5 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the cover layer includes about 50% to about 70% of the ionomer component and about 50% to about 30% of the metallocene polymer component.  
     
     
         6 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the cover layer includes about 60% of the ionomer component and about 40% of the metallocene polymer component.  
     
     
         7 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the ionomer component is a single ionomer.  
     
     
         8 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the ionomer component includes the ionomer selected from the group including: a sodium ionomer, a magnesium ionomer, a zinc ionomer, and a lithium ionomer.  
     
     
         9 . The golf ball of  claim 8 , wherein the ionomer component includes at least two different ionomers.  
     
     
         10 . The golf ball of  claim 8 , wherein the ionomer component includes at least three different ionomers.  
     
     
         11 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the center has a diameter of greater than about 1.50 inches.  
     
     
         12 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the center has a diameter between about 1.55 inches and 1.60 inches.  
     
     
         13 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the center includes less than about 30 pph zinc diacrylate and omits organic sulfur.  
     
     
         14 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the center includes greater than about 30 pph zinc diacrylate and includes organic sulfur and the salts thereof.  
     
     
         15 . A golf ball comprising: 
 a center having a compression of about 63; and    at least one cover layer surrounding the center, the cover layer formed of at least one ionomer and at least one metallocene polymer, and the cover layer having a Shore D hardness on the ball less than about 58.    
     
     
         16 . The golf ball of  claim 15 , wherein the compression of the golf ball is greater than about 70.  
     
     
         17 . The golf ball of  claim 15 , wherein the compression of the golf ball is between about 74 and about 80.  
     
     
         18 . The golf ball of  claim 15 , wherein the center includes polybutadiene, zinc diacrylate, a free radical initiator, zinc oxide, and a filler.  
     
     
         19 . The golf ball of  claim 18 , wherein the polybutadiene has a Mooney viscosity between about 40 and about 60.  
     
     
         20 . The golf ball of  claim 18 , wherein the polybutadiene is a blend of a first and second polybutadiene, the first polybutadiene having a Mooney viscosity between about 30 and about 50 and the second polybutadiene having a Mooney viscosity between 50 and about 70.  
     
     
         21 . The golf ball of  claim 18 , wherein the filler is selected from the group consisting of: metal powder, metal alloy powder, metal oxide, metal stearates, particulate carbonaceous materials, tungsten, barium sulfate, iron, manganese, magnesium, copper, and tungsten trioxide.  
     
     
         22 . A two-piece golf ball comprising: 
 a center having a compression of less than about 75; and    a single cover layer surrounding the center, the cover layer formed of a lithium ionomer and a metallocene polymer, and the cover layer having a Shore D hardness on the ball of less than about 58.