If you are talking about a three piece golf ball then the manufacturing process is one that is incredibly complex.
Did you know that these balls can take up to a month to make and involve as many as 80 processes?
However, the two piece golf ball is a little simpler, yet still involves a few production steps that are typically completed over the course of a day.
The first step of the process is to form the centre of the ball.
The ingredients are a careful blend of materials that react chemically in order to produce a compound that is very similar to rubber. This compound undergoes a pressure and heat treatment which allows the core to form.
At this stage, it measures around one and a half inches.
Next, the cover of the ball is created and those all important dimples.
This is achieved using compression moulding or injection moulding. With the latter, molten plastic is injected into the core which has been placed inside a dimpled cavity.
As this happens, the pressure and heat applied causes the plastic to attach to the centre which then forms into the finished shape of the ball.
When the plastic cools, it hardens and the pins that held the core in place within the cavity can be removed.
If compression moulding is used the process is slightly different. In this case, the cover of the ball undergoes injection moulding to create two hollow halves which are then placed around the core. Heat is then applied which causes the two halves to press together.
The next step is to get the ball looking its best and this is typically done by first removing any rough spots.
In the industry, these are known as flash spots. After this, the ball is placed onto two posts that spin around while two coats of paint are applied.
Doing it this way allows for an even coverage with the spray guns. Finally, a clear paint is applied that gives the ball its shine.
This also helps to ensure that it doesn’t scuff easily.
The paint is dried by using a large drying machine.
The balls are placed in containers and are run through the drier before being packaged into their final boxes.