Compositions for golf equipment

#The present disclosure relates to golf equipment such as golf balls, golf clubs (drivers, putters, woods, irons, and wedges, including heads and shafts thereof), golf shoes, golf gloves, golf bags, or the like that comprise novel polyurethane, polyurea, and/or poly(urethane-co-urea) compositions. The components of the compositions can be saturated, i.e., substantially free of double or triple carbon-carbon bonds or aromatic groups, to produce light stable compositions. Components that are unsaturated or partially saturated can also be used.

#The golf ball may comprise a core, a cover, and at least one thermoplastic, thermoset, castable, or millable material being disposed in the core, the cover, and/or between the core and the cover, wherein the material can have a rebound height percentage of greater than 60% and be formed from a composition comprising at least one resilient polyamine polydiene and/or polyol polydiene having a number average molecular weight of 1,000-20,000, such as 3,000-6,000. The polyamine/polyol polydiene may comprise at least one diene monomer chosen from 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, and mixtures thereof, have a 1,4-addition of 30-70% and/or a 1,2-addition of at least 40%, be at least 90% hydrogenated, and/or be liquid at ambient temperature. The polyamine polydiene may have an amine functionality of 1.6-10, such as a diamino polybutadiene that is at least 99% hydrogenated, having a number average molecular weight of 3,300, an amine functionality of 1.92, and a 1,2-addition content of 54%, or a diamino polyisoprene having a 1,4-addition of at least 80%. The polyol polydiene may have a hydroxyl functionality of 1.6-10, such as a polybutadiene diol that is at least 99% hydrogenated, having a number average molecular weight of 3,300, a hydroxyl functionality of 1.92, and a 1,2-addition of 54%, or a polyisoprene diol having a 1,4-addition of at least 80%. The polyamine/polyol polydiene can also be chosen from polyamine/polyol poly(alkylene-diene)s, such as those having oxyethylene moieties at each terminal. The terminal oxyethylene moieties can be present in an amount of 5-30% by weight.

#The composition may further comprise at least one polyisocyanate that reacts with the polyamine/polyol polydiene to form a prepolymer. Alternatively, the composition may further comprise at least one prepolymer, which is at least in part cured by the polyamine/polyol polydiene. The material can at least in part form at least one portion of the golf ball chosen from inner center, core, inner core layer, intermediate core layer, outer core layer, intermediate layer, cover, inner cover layer, intermediate cover layer, outer cover layer, coating layer, discontinuous layer, wound layer, foamed layer, lattice network layer, web or net, adhesion or coupling layer, barrier layer, layer of uniformed or non-uniformed thickness, layer having a plurality of discrete elements, and layer filled with liquid, gel, powder, and/or gas. In one example, the material is used at least in part to form a cover layer having a thickness of 0.125 inch or less and a Shore D hardness of 20-80.

#The following non-limiting examples are included herein merely for illustration, and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

#Golf balls comprising a saturated polyurethane cover were made following the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,428. Cover composition and properties of cover and ball are listed below.

#TABLE 1 GOLF BALLS WITH SATURATED POLYURETHANE COVER Cover Composition H12MDI Prepolymer* 458.73 g 1,4-Butanediol 42.75 g HCC-19584 Color Dispersion** 17.55 g Physical Properties Cover Shore D Hardness 54 Ball Weight (g) 45.58 Ball Compression 89 Cover Shear Resistance Good Cover Color Stability Comparable to Surlyn ® *Reaction product of 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate and PTMEG with Mw of 2,000. **A white-blue color dispersion manufactured by the PolyOne Corporation