A golf ball comprising a core; a cover layer; and a barrier layer disposed between the core and the cover layer, the barrier layer being formed from a composition comprising an organically-modified ceramic material (also referred to as ormocers, ceramers, ormosils, and hybrids) which is a composite comprising organic and inorganic nano-building blocks linked most often via stable covalent bonds based on organically modified silicon oxides and/or functionalized organic oligomers/polymers.