The present invention is directed to golf balls having improved aerodynamic performance due, at least in part, to the alteration of the dimple surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a golf ball that includes at least a portion of its dimples having circular perimeters and dimple profiles having a concentric groove on the surface of the dimple. The golf ball dimples of the present invention provide golf ball surfaces having unique appearances, while maintaining ideal aerodynamic characteristics.

The present invention is directed to golf balls having improved aerodynamic performance due, at least in part, to the alteration of the dimple surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to a golf ball that includes at least a portion of its dimples having circular perimeters and dimple profiles having a concentric groove on the surface of the dimple. The golf ball dimples of the present invention provide golf ball surfaces having unique appearances, while maintaining ideal aerodynamic characteristics.

A golf ball having a plurality of dimples on a surface thereof is disclosed herein. At least a first group of the plurality of dimples has a cross-sectional dimple profile defined by a superposed function resulting from a sum of at least a first function and a second function. The first function can be defined by at least one of: a circular arc or a catenary curve, and the second function can be defined by a decaying sinusoidal function.

A golf ball has a generally spherical surface and a plurality of dimples separated by a land area. At least one of the dimples has a perimeter edge connected to the land area and a dimple surface surrounded by the perimeter edge. The dimple surface has a plurality of channels and a plurality of channel edges that extend continuously from the perimeter edge to an intersection at a dimple center. The plurality of channels have at least a first type channel and a second type channel. The plurality of channel edges have a plurality of shared edges, wherein each shared edge is shared between a first type channel that is directly adjacent to a second type channel. Each shared edge extends radially from the dimple center to a terminal end and includes an intersection point therebetween. The portion of the shared edge that extends from the intersection point to the terminal end is an extension edge, and the extension edge is a portion of the perimeter edge.

A golf ball having a plurality of dimples on a surface thereof is disclosed herein. At least a first group of the plurality of dimples has a cross-sectional dimple profile defined by a superposed function resulting from a sum of at least a first function and a second function. The first function can be defined by at least one of: a circular arc or a catenary curve, and the second function can be defined by a decaying bell curve sinusoidal function.

A golf ball having a North pole and a South pole, an equator and a primary meridian, the equator and primary meridian divide the ball into North, South, East and West hemispheres, and Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest quadrants. A grid pattern projected on the ball surface divides the ball laterally and longitudinally into a number of overlapping zones. The dimples within the zones have average depths hex, hsx, hpx, hei, hsi and hpi and selected values of e, s and p which are the difference between the minimum and maximum values of the relative ratios of the dimple depths, hex.sub.r/hei.sub.r, hsx.sub.r/hsi.sub.r and hpx.sub.r/hpi.sub.r determined when the ball is rotated by a value of from 0 to 360 about its polar axis.

A golf ball having a plurality of dimples on a surface thereof is disclosed herein. At least a first group of the plurality of dimples has a cross-sectional dimple profile defined by a superposed function resulting from a sum of at least a first function and a second function. The first function can be defined by at least one of: a circular arc or a catenary curve, and the second function can be defined by a decaying dual bell curve sinusoidal function.