A Self-Healing Golf Ball… What?

Remember the good old days when one bad shot would put a big smile across the cover of your golf ball? A true penalty for a bad swing.

Did you know that Acushnet has two patents directed to “healing agents” built into the cover of the ball? The patents are USPN 6808461 titled “Golf Ball Compositions with Microencapsulated Healing Agent” and USPN 7125915 titled “Lipid-Based Nanotubules for Controlled Release of Healing Agents in Golf Ball Layers.”

The inventions relate to golf ball materials including at least one polymer and at least one microencapsulated healing agent to improve impact durability.

The patent provides a nice explanation of the problem solved by the inventions:

Polymers are macromolecules built up by the linking together of large number of smaller molecules called monomers. Upon repetitive impact, the golf balls formed of many types of polymers tend to develop micro-cracks. One aspect of this invention is a way to make a polymeric golf ball component that contains very small spheres or capsules filled (microencapsulated) with a healing liquid containing monomer molecules. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that as these micro-cracks get bigger, they come into contact with a microcapsule, bursting the microcapsule(s) and releasing the monomer liquid into the crack. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization occurs when in contact with a catalyst present in the polymer matrix. The catalyst in the polymer is able to react with the liquid monomer. The chemical reaction between the liquid monomer and the catalyst creates polymer molecules that “repair” the crack. The repaired plastic is believed to regain much of the strength of undamaged polymeric material.

Fascinating inventions. Congratulations Acushnet!

Dave Dawsey – Monitoring Golf Ball Patents

PS – I could not determine if this technology has made it into any of Acushnet’s products.