What Is Inside a Nike Golf Ball?

Nike uses a two-part construction for most of its golf balls. This includes the Juice series. Inside the outer layer or shell is the core material; this is a composite rubber material. If you were to cut the golf ball in half, you would see the white shell, and then the core material inside.The composition of this material can be soft or hard, and allow for more or less energy transfer to improve the feel and distance of the ball.

The core inside the shell of the golf ball can affect the amount of compression that occurs when the ball is struck, and how fast energy is transferred through the ball. Inside the Power Distance golf ball is a material called polybutadiene. This material is a polymer synthetic that is similar to rubber, but it has characteristics that provide a better transfer of power for longer distance shots. Generally speaking, a hard core is faster off the tee because the ball will not compress as quickly; therefore it provides less feel. A soft ball may offer more control, but will not fly as far. Nike tries to bridge this gap by creating a different combination of rubbers and synthetics for their golf ball cores.

A Nike One golf ball has within it not only another synthetic composite similar to polybutadiene, but another rubber layer called a power transfer layer. This layer wraps around the soft inner core. Due to its energy transfer qualities, the power of the stroke is transferred faster to the inner core, which is optimized for driving distance, spin or feel. The type of rubber used inside the ball varies and is engineered to match swing speed. The amateur balls (Vapor series) are designed to accommodate swing speeds of 80 mph, while the Tour D balls are for 90 mph swing speeds. The core has a progressive density, meaning the hardness or density of the core changes as you get further inside.