Hydrophilic coating makes for unflappable golf balls

Thomas J. Kennedy III, owner of Chemical Innovative Solutions Inc., will present his results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"I was thinking about a way to help golfers and the game of golf overall by improving the putting process so that having a good round was not a matter of chance but a matter of skill," says Kennedy, who has been in the golf ball business for decades and has loved the game since he was a child.

Previously, Kennedy, a polymer chemist and inventor, developed state-of-the-art golf balls that optimized long-distance performance in the air. But with his new project, he focuses on the interaction between the ball and the grass. "Golf in many ways is a surface interaction game," he says, "with the putter imparting spin rates on the ball, as well as the grass affecting how fast or slow the ball rolls toward the hole."

A dry putting green -- like the ones Oakmont Country Club, home of this year's U.S. Open, is known for -- can be lightning-fast, but wet grass creates an almost sticky runway. So, Kennedy created a hydrophilic (water-loving) coating that modifies the surface-to-surface interaction between the ball and the green. The coating increases the surface energy of the ball -- the opposite of what hot wax does to a car hood. So, instead of beading up, the water absorbs or sheets off the surface. On dry grass, the coating draws up water to slow down the ball. On wet grass, the coating helps release the green's grip on the ball.

Kennedy says the new coating wouldn't be considered cheating, rather it boosts a player's already-honed skills.

"The United States Golf Association (USGA) has set standards for golf balls: There's a size limit, a weight limit, a symmetry constraint and there's even a standard for overall distance traveled," he shares. "But within that box, there's a lot of latitude to do different things that change the playability of golf balls while staying within the confines of the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews rules."

The new coating contains absorbent materials, such as amorphous silica, molecular sieves, clay and fast-exfoliating polyacrylic acid polymer. Kennedy tuned the molecular sieves to only absorb water-sized molecules. He also varied the ratios of absorbent compounds to create a coating that provides the right amount of traction but doesn't impact the ball's flight once it's popped into the air.

To test the coating's effect on fast and slow greens, Kennedy used a Stimpmeter -- a V-shaped metal rod that applies a known velocity to the ball. Kennedy uses the rod as a ramp for rolling a coated or uncoated ball so that the distance it travels on a dry or wet green can be measured and compared. His experiments revealed that the coated golf balls had a more consistent speed on both dry and wet simulated greens compared to the uncoated ones.

For the average golfer, these results could mean finishing 18 holes on par. For the professional golfer, they could mean fewer strokes and a much bigger paycheck.

In addition to a better golf game, Kennedy says the coating could be applied to solar panels to improve their performance. "It may sound counterintuitive," he explains, "but the hydrophilic nature of the coating keeps solar panels cleaner by allowing water to soak the surface and wash away sun-blocking dust and debris."

Kennedy has provisional patents for the use of the hydrophilic coating on golf balls and solar panels. In a few months, he says these innovative golf balls may make an appearance on a golf course near you.

"The game of golf has been around since the 15^th century. However, there's always a new way to look at something as technology evolves," says Kennedy. "Innovation and invention know no bounds!"

The research was funded by Chemical Innovative Solutions Inc.