Golf club head

• US 10,039,963 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd. (Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Ripp, Patrick, Herr, Brian, Becktor, Mika, Dolezel, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNTER, ALVIN A
• Application Number:
  US15/342,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20180093144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• 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 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A golf club head includes a striking face having a face center and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face. The golf club head further includes a sole portion, a top portion, a rear portion, and a loft L no less than 40°. A virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane passes through the face center. A club head center of gravity is spaced from the virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm. The golf club head further includes a hosel including an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft. The internal bore includes a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf club shaft. The hosel further comprises an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore.

Claims

1. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°

;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a club head center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm and spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D2 no greater than 2.0 mm; and

a hosel comprising a virtual hosel axis and an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft, the internal bore including a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf club shaft, the hosel further comprising an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the abutment surface comprises an annular ledge having a width measured radially of the hosel axis of no less than 1 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary recess comprises a depth, measured in a direction of the hosel axis, of no less than 5 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.5 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the distance D2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising:

a point P1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane,

wherein the center of gravity is vertically spaced from the point P1 by a distance D3 such that;

D3≥

29.5 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein:

D3≥

29.8 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary recess is at least partially filled.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary recess tapers in width in a sole-ward direction.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D4, measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a maximum top line thickness D5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

14. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a heel portion;

a toe portion;

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face, and a plurality of scorelines having a heel-most extent and a toe-most extent;

a hosel portion having an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft;

a first virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the heel-most extent of the plurality of scorelines;

a heel-most region defined as an entire portion of the club head located heelward of the first virtual vertical plane;

a recessed region delimiting a volume such that the majority of the volume is located in the heel-most region;

a loft L no less than 40°

;

a second virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center; and

a club head center of gravity spaced from the second virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm and spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D2 no greater than 2.0 mm.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the recessed region, in its entirety, is located heelward of the first virtual vertical plane.

16. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the recessed region is in communication with the internal bore of the hosel portion.

17. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the recessed region comprises a depth of no less than 5 mm.

18. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.5 mm.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the distance D2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 14, further comprising:

a point P1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane,

wherein the center of gravity is vertically spaced from the point P1 by a distance D3 such that;

D3≥

29.5 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

22. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the recessed region is at least partially filled.

23. The golf club head of claim 14, further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D4, measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

24. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

25. The golf club head of claim 14, further comprising a maximum top line thickness D5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

26. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position relative to a virtual ground plane, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°

;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a point P1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane; and

a center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 5.5 mm, spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D2 such that;

D2≤

3.58 mm−

(0.053 mm/°

)×

L, and vertically spaced from the point P1 by a distance D3 such that;

D3≥

29.5 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

27. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

28. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the distance D2 is no greater than 2.0 mm.

29. The golf club head of claim 28, wherein the distance D2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

30. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein:

D3≥

29.8 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

31. The golf club head of claim 26, further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D4, measured from the hosel upper end to the ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

32. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

33. The golf club head of claim 26, further comprising a maximum top line thickness D5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

34. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°

;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a point P1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane; and

a center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 5.0 mm, spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D2 no greater than 0.50 mm, and vertically spaced from the point P1 by a distance D3 such that;

D3≥

29.5 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

35. The golf club head of claim 34, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

36. The golf club head of claim 34, wherein the distance D2 is no greater than 2.0 mm.

37. The golf club head of claim 36, wherein the distance D2 is no greater than 1.0 mm.

38. The golf club head of claim 34, wherein:

D3≥

29.8 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

39. The golf club head of claim 34, further comprising:

a hosel having a hosel upper end and a virtual hosel axis; and

a distance D4, measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, no greater than 75 mm.

40. The golf club head of claim 34, wherein the striking face further comprises a surface milled texture pattern.

41. The golf club head of claim 34, further comprising a maximum top line thickness D5 no greater than 5.70 mm.