The Common Golfer

Will golf ball dimples soon be a thing of the past?  If you look at this patent recently awarded to Acushnet (owner of Titleist), it looks like dimples are on their way out!  Once again, thank you to The IP Golf Guy for the heavy lifting on this one.  Can you imagine playing a ball with one of the covers below?  Seems very foreign.  The following excerpt is from the patent application, titled “Golf Ball Surface Textures:”

Over the years, golf ball’s have evolved to include dimpled surfaces. The dimpled surfaces are typically used to reduce drag, thereby increasing the distance a golf ball is capable of flying. Although round dimples are used by most manufacturers, other shapes such as hexagonal, square, oval, and the like have been experimented with. The dimple depth, shape, and even the number of dimples have been modified in an attempt to reduce the drag on the golf ball as much as possible.

Manipulation of dimples, however, may eventually reach a point beyond which drag cannot be reduced further. Accordingly, other methods of reducing drag or increasing lift may be useful. The present invention provides a method for altering the texture of the surface of a golf ball that is capable of reducing drag on a golf ball during flight. The present invention is capable of achieving the reduction in drag by generating a golf ball surface texture based on sweeping shaped profiles across predetermined guide patterns on the ball’s spherical surface. Preferably, the reduction in drag may be achieved without using conventional dimples. However, it may be desirable to include protrusions or entrenchments on the surface of the golf ball after the shaped profiles have been swept across the predetermined guide patterns.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the shaped profiles and the predetermined guide patterns may be generated using a processor based computer program or the like. It may be desirable for the processor to be capable of executing computer program instructions. In one embodiment, the processor may be operatively connected to, for example, a memory, user interface, display, and the like. Preferably, the processor is capable of running an operating system that supports a computer program that is capable of simulating the effect of dragging a plurality of different shaped profiles across different paths. It may be desirable for the processor to be capable of determining the drag that would result from different combinations of shaped profiles and guide patterns such that a golf ball manufacturer could use this calculation to choose combinations that result in optimal golf ball surfaces.

In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a method for forming a golf ball surface texture that reduces drag. Preferably, the method includes determining a guide pattern to be mapped to the spherical surface of the ball. The guide pattern may have any desired shape. This may include, but is not limited to, geometric patterns, fractal patterns, irregular patterns, lines, and the like. In one embodiment, it may be desirable for the pattern to be a combination of at least two of geometric patterns, fractal patterns, irregular patterns, and lines.

This one was too good to pass up.  This was awarded a patent last week, and is found in USPN D599,505 titled “Indented Golf Ball.”  You really have to wonder what goes through someone’s mind, to think that this would be a good idea.  Maybe these balls would be best, if they were hit with the worst driver ever.  I don’t have anything else to say…the picture pretty much speaks for itself.

TaylorMade’s new five-piece golf ball, the Penta TP, was added to the USGA’s list of conforming golf balls on Wednesday.  As a result, both Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen plan to use the ball next week at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine.  The Penta, aptly named for having five pieces, is the first five-piece golf ball to be created and is scheduled to be publicly available on December 1 (which upsets me because I won’t be able to try it out until next season).

Multiple tour players have tested the ball, and so far it has gotten great reviews.  TaylorMade also says the ball should appeal to a large number of amateurs because it has been designed to promote higher ball speed.

The cover of the Penta TP is made of a soft urethane material to promote a high-spin rate, but lower trajectory on wedge shots and pitches for more control.  The outer mantle layer, which can be found directly under the white cover, is the most easily compressed.  Of the three mantle layers in the Penta TP, it’s the fastest, and TaylorMade says it is designed to create optimal spin and flight conditions when ball speeds are below 120 mph (short irons for tour pros).

The middle mantle layer is semi-firm, and TaylorMade designed it to be compressible on shots with a ball speed between 120 and 140 mph (mid-irons).  According to a TaylorMade memo, the inner mantle is designed to create high-launching, low-spinning shots with a ball speed between 140 and 160 mph ( long-irons).

Encased under all those layers is the core, which is made from an extremely fast, low-compression material that only the fastest swingers will be able to activate.  However, TaylorMade says those who do can expect more ball speed and less spin on drives for increased distance.

I don’t know how to feel about this news.  On the one hand, as someone who desperately wants to be a scratch golfer, I can’t wait to try out anything that might help my game out.  On the other hand, was there anyone really clamoring for a better golf ball?  Tour pros can already make a golf ball do just about whatever they wish (stop, back up, curve, go low, go high, etc.).  Is there a point where equipment advancements will be stopped?  Technology will always be progressing, so conceivably golf will continue to get “easier” if the USGA doesn’t put an end to things.  I don’t mean to slam the USGA, because at least they’re starting to do something by regulating the grooves on wedges and irons next year.  But is it hypocritical to scale back one piece of equipment that promotes too much spin, while approving a different piece of equipment with the same goal in mind?

Or maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.  It’s possible that a five-piece golf ball won’t really amount to much difference than the balls currently being used on tour.  Perhaps it’s more of a marketing strategy to sell more balls.  Either way, it will be interesting to see how Sergio and Retief play next week at Hazeltine.