An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having excellent resilience. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a spherical core and at least one cover covering the spherical core, wherein the spherical core is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, and (b) a co-crosslinking agent containing (b1) a carboxylic acid represented by a structural formula (1) and/or a metal salt thereof. ##STR00001##
[In the formula (1), A.sup.1 to A.sup.4 each independently represents a nitrogen atom or a carbon atom. X.sup.1 represents a single bond or a divalent organic group. R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group. It is noted that at least one of A.sup.1 to A.sup.4 is the carbon atom, and X.sup.1 and R.sup.1 bond to the carbon atom. n represents an integer of 0 to 3. When n is 2 or more, a plurality of R.sup.1 may be identical to or different from each other, and a plurality of R.sup.1 may bond to each other to form a ring structure.]

The invention provides a golf ball resin composition that includes (A) an aromatic vinyl elastomer and (B) a polyurethane or a polyurea, the amount of component (A) being 50 parts by weight or less per 100 parts by weight of component (B), and also provides a golf ball in which at least one cover layer is formed of this resin composition. The resin composition is particularly useful as a golf ball cover material because golf balls in which it is used do not fly too far and have a good controllability on approach shots, and moreover maintain a good scuff resistance and moldability without a loss of distance on shots with a driver.

Golf balls having a multi-layered core made of a foamed composition are provided. The core preferably has a foam inner core (center) and surrounding thermoset or thermoplastic outer core layer. Preferably, a polyurethane foam composition is used to form the foam center. The foam inner core preferably includes a fully-foamed center region and a partially or completely-collapsed foam outer region. The hardness of the fully-foamed region is different than the hardness of the collapsed foam region. Non-foamed thermoset or thermoplastic materials such as polybutadiene rubbers or ethylene acid copolymer ionomer may be used to form the outer core layer. The ball further includes a cover that may be multi-layered. The foam cores have good resiliency.

Multi-layered golf balls having a core made of a foamed composition, preferably polyurethane foam, are provided. The ball includes a dual-layered core having a foam inner core (center) and surrounding outer core layer. The outer core layer may be made from a non-foamed thermoset material such as polybutadiene rubber. The ball further includes an inner cover, preferably made from an ionomer composition comprising an O/X-type acid copolymer, wherein O is -olefin, and X is a C.sub.3-C.sub.8 ,-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid. The outer cover may be made from a non-foamed thermoset or thermoplastic material such as polyurethane. Preferably, the specific gravity of the inner cover is greater than the specific gravity of the outer core, which is greater than the specific gravity of the inner core. The finished ball has good distance and low-spin properties.

In a golf ball having a two-layer core consisting of an inner core layer and an outer core layer and a cover of one or more layer, the inner core layer and outer core layer are each formed of a rubber composition made up primarily of a base rubber, the inner core layer has a diameter of not more than 30 mm; and the core has specific hardness ratios (JIS-C hardness/Shore D hardness) at specific points on the cross-section thereof. This golf ball has a reduced spin rate on full shots with a driver and middle irons, thus imparting to an excellent flight performance, and moreover has a good controllability in the short game on approach shots, making it ideal as a golf ball for professional golfers and mid- and high-level amateur golfers.

Multi-layered golf balls having a core, intermediate layer, and cover are provided. The ball includes a non-foamed inner core (center) made of a thermoplastic or thermoset composition such as polybutadiene rubber. An intermediate layer comprising a foamed composition, such as polyurethane foam, is disposed about the inner core. The foamed intermediate layer may have a specific gravity gradient within the layer, wherein the outer surface specific gravity is greater than the midpoint specific gravity. Ball constructions having two intermediate layers, wherein at least one layer is a foamed layer can be made. A cover having at least one layer is disposed about the intermediate layer.

A resin composition for golf balls is made of (A) polyurethane or polyurea and (B) an acrylic resin or a methacrylic resin, component (B) being included in an amount of from 0.5 to 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of component (A). In a golf ball having a core and a cover of one or more layer encasing the core, at least one cover layer is formed of this resin composition. The resin composition is especially useful as a golf ball cover material because it makes it possible to achieve a higher ball initial velocity on shots with a driver and a lower ball initial velocity on approach shots.

A foam composition that includes a polymer material such as polyurethane or polyurea and a leachable water-soluble fine powder is provided. This composition can he used in a relatively simple process to obtain a foam body (porous body) that is uniform only at the surface or uniform throughout. The foam body can be suitably used as a golf ball member in golf balls required to have good controllability on approach shots. Also provided is a method for producing a foam member, which method includes the steps of to molding the foam composition to obtain a solid molded body, and then leaching out and removing the water-soluble fine powder so as to obtain a foam-molded body.

Multi-piece golf balls having a multi-layered solid core and multi-layered cover are provided.

An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having excellent resilience performance. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a constituent member, wherein at least a part of the constituent member is formed from a rubber composition containing (a) a base rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent, (c) a crosslinking initiator, and (d) an organic sulfur compound, wherein (d) the organic sulfur compound contains at least one member selected from the group consisting of a thiophenol having a halogenated sulfanyl group, a metal salt of a thiophenol having a halogenated sulfanyl group, and a diphenyl disulfide having a halogenated sulfanyl group.