Patent ID: 8764584

Claim:
A multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a core, an envelope layer encasing the core, an intermediate layer encasing the envelope layer, and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has formed on a surface thereof a plurality of dimples, wherein the core is made primarily of a rubber material and has a diameter of at least 31 mm, the envelope layer and intermediate layer are each made primarily of the same or different resin materials and the cover is made primarily of polyurethane, the material hardness of the cover is softer than the material hardness of the intermediate layer by the hardness difference of at least 1 but less than 40 in Durometer D hardness units; the envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have thicknesses which satisfy the relationship cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness; and the core, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have hardness relationships which satisfy the following three conditions: core surface hardness≦envelope layer surface hardness, (1) cover material hardness<intermediate layer material hardness, and (2) core surface hardness−core center hardness (JIS-C)≧11. (3)