Differences in urethane cover

[triumph17]

I know this may have discussed before however I am trying to distinguish the differences in urethane covers of tour caliber balls. My go to ball for many years have been the Pro V1 and noticed that the ball will yellow easily with usage. I would even say that they yellow over time. I noticed that the Pro V1 cover is softer than most of the other tour balls and checks better than anything else as well (you can certainly dispute this). The only other balls that share the similar characteristics are the Callaway tour balls.. I/IX and the Taylor Made LDP. I recently switched to the Bridgestone balls (B330-S) and noticed that their cover is pure white in color and does not yellow as easily. Upon closer inspection, they appear to be made of an entirely different material. As I recall they seem closer to the original Stratas I played with almost 10 years ago. I noticed that the Nike Ones share similar characteristics as the Bridgestones.

 

My questions is this: Are the Titleist/Callaway/Taylor Made covers made of some organic compound while Bridgestone/Nike/Srixon etc.. made with some synthetic compound to prevent the yellowing? OK there goes the first few minutes of my lunch time..

[2overpar]

There are two different types of urethane used to make the cover of the golf ball. Thermoset is used for a compression molded cover, which is cast in two halves and then fused with heat and pressure over the core of the ball. This creates a halo of excess material on the seam where the two halves are joined called flash, that is then ground off to the surface level of the cover. This process can lead to varying cover thickness on the "seam line" - think back to the original ProV1 - when players were orienting the ball in different positions to encourage more spin or distance from the tee. Several players switched back to the Profession ball due to inconsistency when the ball was in play through the hole and couldn't be "oriented" , occasionally hitting a "flyer" over the green or further than expected. Thermoset is an ecru color and must be painted white. This process runs the risk of excess paint settling into dimples and giving inconsistent depth. It also affects the shoulder of the dimple, rounding it off slightly.

 

Thermoplastic is the second type and is used in injection molding, where the core is suspended in the mold by pins and the urethane is injected around the core. The pins are retracted while the material is still hot, filling the voids where the pins held the core. This results in a cover without a seam. Thermoplastic is pure white and as such eliminates the need for the paint step. This is why a thermoplastic urethane cover does not show the discoloration when scuffed that a thermoset cover does.

 

Depending on the pigments used in the white paint, thermoset covers will discolor due to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. The ProV series tends to turn slightly yellow, while the old Maxfli urethane tended to turn slightly blue.

[307golf]

2overpar;

 

That is quite possibly the most helpful post I've ever read in 3 years of viewing this site.

 

Thank you.

 

So it looks like some balls, the thermoplastic version, truly have no seam. Another misconception dashed by factual information. Excellent.

[502 to Right]

307 - Take a read through this. Good stuff about the cast v. injected process of making golf balls.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/BagChatter/2007/12/...alls-interview/

[Bobcat43]

2overpar;

 

That is quite possibly the most helpful post I've ever read in 3 years of viewing this site.

 

Thank you.

 

So it looks like some balls, the thermoplastic version, truly have no seam. Another misconception dashed by factual information. Excellent.

 

I agree and it was only his 6th post! Very nice.

[307golf]

His profile reveals why he has so much info. Been in the golf ball business a long time and the nice part is that he can break down the engineering 'technospeak' into a bit more user friendly form. VERY helpful.