Callaway has filed suit againt Acushnet, alleging that the Titleist Pro V1 ball violates four or more of Callaway’s patents.

The lawsuit, says Callaway spokesman Larry Dorman, was filed “only after repeated attempts to negotiate a settlement failed.” He would not specify how long the companies were negotiating, other than to say “quite a while.” According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, the two companies had been involved in discussions over golf-ball intellectual property since at least last summer.

Callaway says that it acquired the patents in 2003, when it bought Top Flite. The patents apparently have to do with the construction of multilayerballs with solid cores and polyurethane covers.

Interestingly, this is the second suit filed over golf balls against Acushnet in less than a year. In March of 2005, Bridgestone filed suit alleging that ten of its patents were violated.

The suits have the potential to be ground shaking. The Pro V1 has generated a billion dollars in sales, and is the number one ball on tour.

The Maxfli Revolution EXT Distance is a good distance ball with a nice, soft, feel. I played it quite a bit this last fall, and grew to like it. Golfsmith currently has it on sale for $11.99 a dozen, and at that price, I don’t think that you can go wrong.

MAXFLI Maxfli Revolution EXT Distance

The new Dimplet Golf ball sports an amazing 1070 dimples: 656 small ones, and 414 large. (for comparison’s sake, a normal ball has anywhere between 300 and 500 dimples, with 336 being a common number).

The company (Dimplet) says that the dimples allow the ball to fly longer and straighter than any on the market. The large dimples provide lift, while the small ones keep it straight. The combination also is supposed to minimize sideslip while increasing overspin on wedges and other short shots.

And its USGA approved.

This is one I’d like to try.

You can get them at The Golf Warehouse: Dimplit Golf Ball

TaylorMade and Maxfli are both part of the Adidas group, so it was a surprise when I saw this bit about Kenny Perry playing with a new TaylorMade ball at the Target World Challenge.

The ball apparently had a Maxfli logo, but Perry said it was supposed to be a TaylorMade mark.

I wonder what’s up.

Ridiculous golf item of the week.

Dale Earnhardt #3 NASCAR Driver Logo Golf Balls by Callaway Golf - 1 Dozen

I don't know where you get these in the States or in Europe, but a Japanese company has developed golf balls that change color when exposed to sunlight. It apparently works on the same principle as those sunglasses which get darker as the light gets brighter.

via Oddjapan.

If you’re looking for a gift for your favorite golfer this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with a dozen balls with the logo of his or her alma mater.

They don’t have West Virginia, but they do have Michigan—Mrs. GolfBlogger’s Alma Mater. They’ve also got: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Clemson, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, San Diego State, South Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, UConn, Virginia, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

NCAA Logo Dozens at Golfsmith.