Patent ID: 8764581

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a golf ball comprising: forming a substrate of the golf ball, the substrate having an outer surface; disposing removable substrate particles at the outer surface of the substrate such that at least a portion of each of the removable substrate particles is exposed at the outer surface of the substrate; wherein forming the substrate and disposing the removable substrate particles at the outer surface of the substrate comprises: mixing particles with a substrate material to form a mixture; injecting the mixture into a mold with the particles suspended throughout the mixture, wherein a first plurality of the particles is disposed against the mold and comprises the removable substrate particles, and wherein a second plurality of the particles is encased within the substrate and comprises non-exposed removable substrate particles; and solidifying the mixture to form the substrate, with the removable substrate particles exposed at the outer surface of the substrate; removing the removable substrate particles from the outer surface of the substrate to form voids in the outer surface of the substrate; leaving the non-exposed removable substrate particles encased within the substrate to provide the substrate with structural support that is at least equal to the structural support provided by the substrate material, wherein the non-exposed removable substrate particles are made of material capable of withstanding impact by a golf club; applying dimple-shaped removable particles to a cover mold, wherein each dimple-shaped removable particle has a substantially flat side and a spherical side, wherein the dimple-shaped removable particles are applied with their flat sides against the cover mold in a uniform distribution corresponding to a desired dimple pattern; injecting a cover material in liquid form into the cover mold, over the dimple-shaped removable particles, and into the voids of the substrate; solidifying the liquid cover material to form a cover of the golf ball, with the dimple-shaped removable particles embedded in the cover with the flat sides of the dimple-shaped removable particles exposed at the outer surface of the cover; removing the golf ball from the cover mold with the dimple-shaped removable particles embedded in the cover of the golf ball; and removing the dimple-shaped removable particles from the outer surface of the cover to form the desired dimple pattern in the cover of the golf ball.