CORE

Golf Ball Core

The core of every solid golf ball is made from polybutadiene (synthetic rubber) - a highly responsive material that returns most of the energy put into it.

Size and stiffness are the primary factors that determine the core’s influence on performance.

Polybutadiene can be manufactured to a desired stiffness and the core itself can be designed to different dimensions depending on performance goals.

Core Performance

The core will affect performance for every club in the bag, but it’s especially important for higher swing-speed clubs such as woods and long irons.

The polybutadiene rubber core used in golf balls is extremely responsive and is very good at returning the energy put into it. The stiffness of the core can play a role in all launch conditions including golf ball speed, launch angle, backspin and sidespin.

Core size also has a large influence on launch conditions, especially golf ball speed.

Core Stiffness

The core is the largest component of the golf ball. The stiffness of the core plays a large role in how the golf ball performs and defines a large portion of how firm or soft the golf ball feels when struck.

Golf balls with a stiffer core will generally produce more golf ball speed than golf balls with a softer core, regardless of swing speed.

Golf balls with softer cores will compress more against the clubface producing less spin than golf balls with firmer cores.

Technologies such as Srixon’s Energy Gradient Growth® are able to vary core stiffness to maximise golf ball speed while keeping driver spin low.

Core Size

Though the core is always the largest component of the golf ball, different golf balls in the market can vary widely in core size.

The core can be thought of as the engine of the golf ball. Larger cores are equivalent to bigger engines. Bigger engines mean more power and more power means more golf ball speed.

With golf rules restrictions on golf ball size, making a larger core requires producing a thinner cover. Leading manufacturers are able to produce these thinner covers required to achieve maximum golf ball speed.