Golf club head

• US 10,086,240 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Hoffman, Joseph Henry, Nielson, Joseph R., Sargent, Nathan T., Harbert, Christopher J., Wester, Christian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US15/259,026
• Time in Patent Office: 755 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 53/0433 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

Abstract

Described herein is a golf club head that includes a body with 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. A volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³. The golf club head has a total club head mass between 190 grams and 210 grams, and the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 77 grams, and the percentage of the mass above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 39% of the total mass of the golf club head.

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 mm² 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 a volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³; and

wherein the golf club head has a total club head mass between 190 grams and 210 grams, and a mass of the club head located above half of a peak crown height is less than or equal to 77 grams, and a percentage of the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 39% of the total club head mass of the golf club head.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 75 grams.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 74 grams.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the percentage of the mass above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 38% of the total club head mass of the golf club head.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height relative to a projected area above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 0.0070 grams/mm².

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height relative to a projected area above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 0.0068 grams/mm².

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

at least a first portion of the body is made from a first material having a density between 1 g/cc and 2 g/cc; and

at least a second portion of the body is made from a second material having a density between 4 g/cc and 8 g/cc.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the first material is a fiber-reinforced polymer and the second material is titanium.

9. 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.

10. A golf club head, comprising:

a body having a sole, a front, a top portion defining an upper opening, and a side portion, the side portion extending rearward of the front and having toe, rear, and heel regions, wherein the body is comprised of a metallic material having a density of at least about 4 g/cc, the upper opening located solely in the top portion of the body and comprising at least 25% of a total area of the top portion;

a support member located solely in the top portion of the body and surrounding the upper opening; and

a crown having a peak crown height and supported by and secured to the support member, thereby enclosing the upper opening, a first portion of the crown being sized to sit on the support member such that the first portion overlaps at least a portion of the support member, thereby forming a junction between the first portion of the crown and the body, the crown incorporating composite material and having a density between 1 g/cc and 2 g/cc, the crown having a maximum thickness no greater than about 2 mm and formed of plies of composite material having a fiber areal weight that ranges from about 20 g/m² to 200 g/m²;

wherein the golf club head has a maximum coefficient of restitution of at least 0.80 and a volume of at least 370 cm³; and

wherein the golf club head has a total club head mass between 190 grams and 210 grams, and a mass of the club head located above half of a peak crown height is less than or equal to 77 grams, and a percentage of the mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 39% of the total club head mass of the golf club head.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the body is integrally formed.

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the support member is located on an annular lip.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein a shoulder is arranged adjacent to at least a front portion of the annular lip.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the first portion of the crown is sized to abut and cover the annular lip of the body such that a side edge of the first portion is proximate to the shoulder, thereby forming the junction between the first portion of the crown and the body portion.

15. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the shoulder is a distance of at least 7 mm rearward from the front of the golf club head.

16. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the upper opening comprises at least 60% of the total area of the top portion of the body.

17. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the upper opening comprises at least 75% of the total area of the top portion of the body.

18. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the crown is comprised of at least four plies of uni-tape standard modulus graphite.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the at least four plies being oriented at any combination of 0°

, +45°

, −

45° and

90°

.

20. 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 having a peak crown height and positioned at a top portion of the golf club head;

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 mm² 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 a volume of the golf club head is at least about 370 cm³;

wherein the crown height, in millimeters, of at least 95% 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 an 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 crown portion of the golf club head; and

wherein the golf club head has a total club head mass between 190 grams and 210 grams, and a mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 77 grams, and a percentage of a mass of the club head located above half of the peak crown height is less than or equal to 39% of the total club head mass of the golf club head.