The present invention provides a method for arranging dimples on a golf ball surface in which the dimples are arranged in a pattern derived from at least one irregular domain generated from a regular or non-regular polyhedron. The method includes choosing control points of a polyhedron, generating an irregular domain based on those control points, packing the irregular domain with dimples, and tessellating the irregular domain to cover the surface of the golf ball. The control points include the center of a polyhedral face, a vertex of the polyhedron, a midpoint or other point on an edge of the polyhedron and others. The method ensures that the symmetry of the underlying polyhedron is preserved while minimizing or eliminating great circles due to parting lines.

The present invention is directed to golf balls having surface textures with unique appearances and improved aerodynamic characteristics due, at least in part, to the use of curvilinear dimple plan shapes. In particular, the present invention is directed to a golf ball that includes at least a portion of its dimples having a plan shape defined by a number of convex or concave arcs that are derived from the vertices of a regular n-sided polygon.

The present invention is directed to a golf ball having a non-planar parting line about non-circular dimples on its spherical surface. The parting line comprises non-concentric arcs having straight connecting line segments between the arcs. Each arc maintains a tangency with its connecting lines and a relief distance greater than or equal to 0.003 inches when measured from an average non-circular dimple diameter to one of the non-concentric arcs and an absolute relief distance of at least 0.001 inches when measured from all points on the non-circular dimple perimeter to one of the non-concentric arcs. The sum of the lengths of the non-concentric arcs relates to the sum of the straight connecting line segments according to the equation:

(0.15)L.sub.ARCSL.sub.LINES(0.50)L.sub.ARCS.

A golf ball has a large number of dimples on a surface thereof. The golf ball meets the following mathematical formula (I):
Su9.0*So6.04(I),
Where: So represents a ratio of a sum of spherical surface areas of all the dimples to a surface area of a phantom sphere of the golf ball; and Su represents a standard deviation (mm.sup.2) of the spherical surface areas of all the dimples. Preferably, the ratio So is equal to or greater than 0.780. Preferably, the standard deviation Su is equal to or less than 2.150 mm.sup.2. Preferably, a number of the dimples is equal to or greater than 300 but equal to or less than 390. Preferably, an average Sa of the spherical surface areas s of all the dimples is equal to or greater than 14.00 mm.sup.2.

Golf balls according to the present invention achieve flight symmetry and overall satisfactory flight performance due to a dimple volume ratio that is equivalent between opposing hemispheres despite the use of different dimple geometries on the opposing hemispheres.

Golf balls according to the present invention achieve flight symmetry and overall satisfactory flight performance due to a dimple volume ratio that is equivalent between opposing hemispheres despite the use of different dimple geometries on the opposing hemispheres.

The present invention is directed to golf balls having improved aesthetics and desirable aerodynamic properties due, at least in part, to the novel shape of the dimples on the surface thereof. In particular, the present invention is directed to a golf ball that includes at least a portion of its dimples having a shape obtained from the intersection of a toroid and a sphere. The resulting curve of intersection represents the dimple perimeter and the intersecting portion of the surface of the toroid represents the dimple surface shape.

A golf ball 2 has a large number of dimples 8 on a surface thereof. A trajectory of the golf ball 2 is divided into first to fourth segments. An average CD1 of drag coefficients CD and an average CL1 of lift coefficients CL in the first segment are equal to or less than 0.225 and 0.180, respectively. An average CD2 of drag coefficients CD and an average CL2 of lift coefficients CL in the second segment are equal to or less than 0.250 and 0.220, respectively. An average CD3 of drag coefficients CD and an average CL3 of lift coefficients CL in the third segment are equal to or greater than 0.260 and 0.220, respectively. An average CD4 of drag coefficients CD and an average CL4 of lift coefficients CL in the fourth segment are equal to or greater than 0.250 and 0.200, respectively.

The present invention provides resin compositions for golf balls which have excellent flexibility, fluidity, and resilience, and golf balls formed from the resin compositions. The present invention relates to a resin composition for golf balls including a polymer that contains a diene polymer moiety and a carboxylic acid-based moiety wherein carboxyl groups derived from the carboxylic acid-based moiety are neutralized.

The present invention is directed to golf balls having improved aerodynamic performance due, at least in part, to the selection of the plan shapes of the dimples thereon. In particular, the present invention is directed to a golf ball that includes at least a portion of its dimples having a plan shape defined by low frequency periodic functions along a closed simple path. In addition, the present invention provides methods for designing dimples having a plan shape defined by a low frequency periodic function along a closed simple path.