Cover
The Cover is the outer-most layer of a golf ball. In premium golf balls including the Titleist Pro V1®, Pro V1x®, and Pro V1x Left Dash, the cover is Urethane Elastomer - a soft yet tough, synthetic polymeric material. There’s also Thermoplastic urethane or TPU which utilizes pelletized urethane that is injection-molded to form the outer cover. This is the cover you’ll find on the Titleist AVX® golf ball.
Other golf ball models typically feature blends of ionomers (Titleist models include Velocity™, Tour Soft and TruFeel™). Ionomers are harder, more durable plastics like Surlyn®. Ionomer covers are more durable, however, the advantages of a urethane cover compared to ionomer include soft feel, increased spin in the short game, and an improved ability to control shot shape and distance.
Related Topics
Thermoset
Once formed, materials that are thermoset can not be melted and reshaped/reused. In golf ball manufacturing,...
Thermoplastic
Once formed, materials that are thermoplastic can be melted and reshaped/reused. In golf ball manufacturing,...
Urethane Elastomer
Urethane Elastomer is a soft yet tough, synthetic polymeric material that is used to form the covers on...
Core
The Core is the center-most component in a golf ball's construction. Broadly speaking, the aim in designing a...