Golf ball

Abstract

A matte colored golf ball which is free of luster and gloss has a good appearance in which injection marks that form during injection molding of a cover layer—be it an intermediate layer or an outermost layer—are difficult to see and scuffing on the cover surface is inconspicuous. The golf ball includes a core, an outermost layer, an intermediate layer therebetween, and a coat formed on the surface of the outermost layer. The intermediate layer is formed of a resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin and a colorant consisting of a fluorescent dye or a fluorescent pigment and has a specific visible light transmittance, the outermost layer is molded of a transparent or translucent resin composition that is free of fluorescent dye, and the coat is formed of a urethane-based coating composition containing delustering particles.

1 . A golf ball comprising a core, an outermost layer, an intermediate layer between the core and the outermost layer and a coat formed on a surface of the outermost layer, wherein the intermediate layer is formed of a resin composition containing
 (A) a thermoplastic resin, and   (B) a colorant consisting of a fluorescent dye or a fluorescent pigment,   
       a 2 mm thick sheet molded from the resin composition has a visible light transmittance with an average value at wavelengths in the 380 to 780 nm spectrum of from 2.0 to 70.0%, the outermost layer is molded of a transparent or translucent resin composition that is free of fluorescent dye, and the coat is formed of a urethane-based coating composition containing delustering particles. 
     
     
         2 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin of component (A) includes either of the following components (a) and (b):
 (a) an ethylene-α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer or a metal salt thereof or both,   (b) an ethylene-α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid-α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester copolymer or a metal salt thereof or both.   
     
     
         3 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the content of component (B) is from 0.001 to 0.2 part by weight per 100 parts by weight of component (A). 
     
     
         4 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the resin composition of the intermediate layer further comprises:
 (C) an inorganic filler or organic filler in an amount of from 0.01 to 1.0 part by weight per 100 parts by weight of component (A).   
     
     
         5 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein a 2 mm thick sheet molded from the resin composition used in the intermediate layer has a visible light transmittance of from 3.0 to 60.0%. 
     
     
         6 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the resin composition used to form the outermost layer contains a polyurethane resin as the base resin. 
     
     
         7 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein a 2 mm thick sheet molded from the resin composition used in the outermost layer has a visible light transmittance of from 4.0 to 50.0%. 
     
     
         8 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the coat has on a surface thereof an average roughness Ra of from 0.5 to 1.0. 
     
     
         9 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the delustering particles in the urethane-based coating composition used to form the coat are silica. 
     
     
         10 . The golf ball of  claim 1 , wherein the silica serving as the delustering particles has an average primary particle size of from 1.0 to 3.0 μm and a BET specific surface area of from 200 to 400 m 2 /g.