Golf club head

• US 10,035,049 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Nielson, Joseph R., Sargent, Nathan T., Harbert, Christopher J., Wester, Christian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US15/255,638
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/04 Movable ballast means A63B15/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

Described herein is a golf club head that includes a body that includes a sole portion, a crown portion, a skirt portion, a forward region, and a rearward region. The golf club head also includes a face portion including a striking face with a maximum height from the ground plane of at least about 50 mm. The golf club head has a peak crown height, from the ground plane, of at least about 60 mm. A volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³. A location of a center-of-gravity of the golf club head is at a minimum distance (Zup) away from the ground plane. The difference between Zup and half of the peak crown height is less than about −5.75 mm. A z-axis moment of inertia of the golf club head about a CG z-axis is greater than about 300 kg-mm².

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, defining an interior cavity and comprising;

a sole portion, positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

a crown portion, positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, wherein an entirety of an exterior surface of the crown portion is convex;

a skirt portion, positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole portion and the crown portion;

a forward region; and

a rearward region; and

a face portion, coupled to the body at the forward region of the body and comprising a striking face with an area of at least 3500 mm^2 and a maximum height from a ground plane of at least about 50 mm;

wherein there is a face-to-crown transition where the face portion connects to the crown portion proximate the forward region of the body and a skirt-to-crown transition where the skirt portion connects to the crown portion proximate the rearward region;

wherein in a y-z plane passing through a club head origin the crown height continuously increases starting from the face-to-crown transition up to a local maximum; and

wherein;

the golf club head has a peak crown height, from the ground plane, of at least about 60 mm;

a volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³;

a location of a center-of-gravity of the golf club head is at a minimum distance (Zup) away from the ground plane;

the difference between the Zup and half of the peak crown height is less than about −

5.75 mm;

a z-axis moment of inertia of the golf club head about a z-axis, passing through the center-of-gravity of the golf club head and perpendicular to the ground plane, is greater than about 300 kg-mm²; and

when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane;

a crown height of the golf club head, at a head origin y-axis coordinate of zero, is less than 65 mm;

a crown height of the golf club head, at a head origin y-axis coordinate of 20 mm, is more than about 62 mm; and

a crown height of the golf club head, at a head origin y-axis coordinate of 90 mm, is less than about 32 mm.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the difference between the Zup and half of the peak crown height is less than about −

6.0 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

the crown portion of the body is made from a first non-metal material; and

at least one of the sole portion or the skirt portion of the body are made from a second material, the second material being different from the first non-metal material.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein an overall forward-to-rearward depth of the golf club head is greater than about 85 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a coefficient of restitution (COR) feature located on the sole portion of the body of the golf club head.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the COR feature is a through-slot.

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the COR feature is a channel.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, further comprising:

at least one ledge extending within the channel; and

at least one weight member movably positioned within the channel and configured to clamp the at least one ledge at two or more positions along the channel.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

a ratio of the peak crown height to a height of a forwardmost point of the crown portion from the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is greater than about 1.12; and

a ratio of the peak crown height to a height of a rearwardmost point of the crown portion from the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is greater than about 3.3.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a crown height, in millimeters, of at least 90% of the crown portion of the golf club head along a plane passing through a center of the striking face of the face portion and perpendicular to the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is approximately between, −

130.73x⁴+270.76x³−

269.99x²+91.737x+59 and −

107.96x⁴+223.87x³−

250.86x²+92.751x+50, where x is a normalized forward-to-rearward depth of the golf club head.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the crown height, in millimeters, of at least 95% of the crown portion of the golf club head along the plane passing through the center of the striking face of the face portion and perpendicular to the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is approximately between, −

130.73x⁴+270.76x³−

269.99x²+91.737x+59 and −

107.96x⁴+223.87x³−

250.86x²+92.751x+50, where x is the normalized forward-to-rearward depth of the crown portion of the golf club head.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head has a crown height no less than 11 mm measured from the ground plane at a midplane of the golf club head.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the golf club head has a minimum crown height less than 20 mm measured from the ground plane at the midplane of the golf club head.

14. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a flight control technology component coupled to the body, wherein the flight control technology component is configured to receive a shaft and to selectively adjust an orientation of the shaft relative to the head.

15. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, defining an interior cavity and comprising;

a sole portion, positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

a crown portion, positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, wherein an entirety of an exterior surface of the crown portion is convex;

a skirt portion, positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole portion and the crown portion;

a forward region; and

a rearward region; and

a face portion, coupled to the body at the forward region of the body and comprising a striking face with an area of at least 3500 mm^2 and a maximum height from a ground plane of at least about 50 mm;

wherein there is a face-to-crown transition where the face portion connects to the crown portion proximate the forward region of the body and a skirt-to-crown transition where the skirt portion connects to the crown portion proximate the rearward region;

wherein in a y-z plane passing through a club head origin the crown height continuously increases starting from the face-to-crown transition up to a local maximum;

wherein;

the golf club head has a peak crown height, from the ground plane, of at least about 60 mm;

a volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³;

a location of a center-of-gravity of the golf club head is at a minimum distance (Zup) away from the ground plane;

the difference between the Zup and half of the peak crown height is less than about −

5.75 mm;

a z-axis moment of inertia of the golf club head about a z-axis, passing through the center-of-gravity of the golf club head and perpendicular to the ground plane, is greater than about 300 kg-mm²;

a ratio of the peak crown height to a height of a forwardmost point of the crown portion from the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is greater than about 1.12; and

a ratio of the peak crown height to a height of a rearwardmost point of the crown portion from the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is greater than about 3.3.

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein:

the crown portion of the body is made from a first non-metal material; and

at least one of the sole portion or the skirt portion of the body are made from a second material, the second material being different from the first non-metal material.

17. The golf club head of claim 15, further comprising a coefficient of restitution (COR) feature located on the sole portion of the body of the golf club head.

18. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, defining an interior cavity and comprising;

a sole portion, positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

a crown portion, positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, wherein an entirety of an exterior surface of the crown portion is convex;

a skirt portion, positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole portion and the crown portion;

a forward region; and

a rearward region; and

a face portion, coupled to the body at the forward region of the body and comprising a striking face with an area of at least 3500 mm^2 and a maximum height from a ground plane of at least about 50 mm;

wherein there is a face-to-crown transition where the face portion connects to the crown portion proximate the forward region of the body and a skirt-to-crown transition where the skirt portion connects to the crown portion proximate the rearward region;

wherein in a y-z plane passing through a club head origin the crown height continuously increases starting from the face-to-crown transition up to a local maximum;

wherein;

the golf club head has a peak crown height, from the ground plane, of at least about 60 mm;

a volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³;

a location of a center-of-gravity of the golf club head is at a minimum distance (Zup) away from the ground plane;

the difference between the Zup and half of the peak crown height is less than about −

5.75 mm;

a z-axis moment of inertia of the golf club head about a z-axis, passing through the center-of-gravity of the golf club head and perpendicular to the ground plane, is greater than about 300 kg-mm²; and

a crown height, in millimeters, of at least 90% of the crown portion of the golf club head along a plane passing through a center of the striking face of the face portion and perpendicular to the ground plane, when the golf club head is in the address position on the ground plane, is approximately between, −

130.73x⁴+270.76x³−

269.99x²+91.737x+59 and −

107.96x⁴+223.87x³−

250.86x²+92.751x+50, where x is a normalized forward-to-rearward depth of the golf club head.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein:

the crown portion of the body is made from a first non-metal material; and

at least one of the sole portion or the skirt portion of the body are made from a second material, the second material being different from the first non-metal material.

20. The golf club head of claim 18, further comprising a coefficient of restitution (COR) feature located on the sole portion of the body of the golf club head.

21. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein the COR feature is a channel.

22. The golf club head of claim 21, further comprising:

at least one ledge extending within the channel; and

at least one weight member movably positioned within the channel and configured to clamp the at least one ledge at two or more positions along the channel.

23. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, defining an interior cavity and comprising;

a sole portion, positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

a crown portion, positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, wherein an entirety of an exterior surface of the crown portion is convex;

a skirt portion, positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole portion and the crown portion;

a forward region; and

a rearward region; and

a face portion, coupled to the body at the forward region of the body and comprising a striking face with an area of at least 3500 mm^2 and a maximum height from a ground plane of at least about 50 mm;

wherein there is a face-to-crown transition where the face portion connects to the crown portion proximate the forward region of the body and a skirt-to-crown transition where the skirt portion connects to the crown portion proximate the rearward region;

wherein in a y-z plane passing through a club head origin the crown height continuously increases starting from the face-to-crown transition up to a local maximum; and

wherein;

the golf club head has a peak crown height, from the ground plane, of at least about 60 mm;

a volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³;

a location of a center-of-gravity of the golf club head is at a minimum distance (Zup) away from the ground plane;

the difference between the Zup and half of the peak crown height is less than about −

5.75 mm; and

a z-axis moment of inertia of the golf club head about a z-axis, passing through the center-of-gravity of the golf club head and perpendicular to the ground plane, is greater than about 300 kg-mm².