Patent ID: 8827839

Claim:
A multi-piece solid golf ball comprising a core, an envelope layer encasing the core, an intermediate layer encasing the envelope layer, and an outer layer which encases the envelope layer and has formed on a surface thereof a plurality of dimples, wherein the core is made of an elastomer, the envelope layer is formed of an inner envelope layer and an outer envelope layer, the intermediate layer is formed of an inner intermediate layer and an outer intermediate layer, and, letting the average hardness of the core be expressed by the following formula: average core hardness (Shore D )=[core surface hardness (Shore D )+core center hardness (Shore D )]/2, the outer layer has a hardness (Shore D) which is higher than the average core hardness and each of the envelope layers and the intermediate layers is softer than the outer layer, wherein the envelope layers, the intermediate layers and the outer layer have Shore D hardnesses which satisfy the following relationship: outer layer hardness>outer intermediate layer hardness>inner intermediate layer hardness>outer envelope layer hardness>inner envelope layer hardness, and wherein the outer intermediate layer and the outer layer have Shore D hardnesses which satisfy the following relationship: 3≦(outer layer hardness−outer intermediate layer hardness)≦20.