Golf ball having reduced surface hardness

A golf ball comprising:

• a core comprising at least one layer;
• a cover disposed about the core, the cover comprising a single layer formed from one of a thermoset material and a thermoplastic material throughout, said cover having a cover inner surface, a cover outer surface, a treated cover region and an untreated cover region, said treated cover region extending inward from the cover outer surface a depth DCTr, the untreated cover region disposed between the cover inner surface and the treated cover region and having a depth DCUTr, said treated cover region having been exposed to and comprising a fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition wherein the treated cover region comprises a hardness α and the untreated cover region does not comprise the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition and has n regions of hardness within depth DCUTr wherein n≧1 and wherein at least one of the n regions of hardness has a hardness H2 different than the hardness α, each of said n regions further having a depth DCUTn such that DCTr≦(n)(DCUT1+DCUT2+ . . . +DCUTn).

A golf ball comprising:

• a core comprising at least one layer;
• a cover disposed about the core, the cover comprising a single layer formed from one of a thermoset material and a thermoplastic material throughout, said cover having an inner cover surface, an outer cover surface, a treated cover region and an untreated cover region, said treated cover region extending inward from the cover outer surface a depth DCTr, the untreated cover region disposed between the cover inner surface and the treated cover region and having a depth DCUTr, said treated cover region comprising a fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition wherein the treated cover region comprises a hardness α and the untreated cover region does not comprise the fatty acid and/or fatty acid salt composition and has n regions of hardness within depth DCUTr wherein n≧1 and wherein at least one of said n regions of hardness has a hardness H3 that is different than the hardness α, each of said n regions of hardness further having a depth DCUTn such that DCTr≦(1/n2)(DCUT1+DCUT2+ . . . +DCUTn).