Golf club heads

• US 10,207,160 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Matthew David, Bennett, David, Sargent, Nathan T., Harbert, Christopher John, Beach, Todd P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US15/396,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20180185719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

Some disclosed golf club heads include body having at least one raised sole portion and a cantilevered ledge extending down around a perimeter of the club head below the level of the raised sole portion. Some disclosed golf club heads include one or more sole openings in the body and a sole insert that is mounted inside the body over the sole openings. The sole can include weight tracks as well, and a rear weight track can extend between a toe side sole opening and a heel side sole opening. A crown insert can also be included that is mounted over an upper opening in the body.

Claims

1. A wood-type golf club head comprising:

a front side, a rear side, a top side, a bottom side, a toe side, and a heel side, the club head comprising a face positioned at the front side of the club head, a hosel positioned at the heel side of the club head, a sole positioned at the bottom side of the club head, and a crown positioned at the top side of the club head, the club head having an interior cavity and a volume of from about 350 cm³ to about 600 cm³;

a club head body defining an upper crown opening, a toe-side sole opening, and a heel-side sole opening;

a crown insert that is secured to the body over the crown opening;

a sole insert that is positioned inside the body and secured to the body over the toe-side sole opening and over the heel-side sole opening;

a front channel in the sole adjacent to the face and forward of the toe-side sole opening and the heel-side sole opening; and

a rear weight track positioned on the sole below the sole insert and between the toe-side sole opening and the heel-side sole opening in the body.

2. The club head of claim 1, further comprising at least one slidably adjustable weight assembly mounted in the rear weight track and configured to adjust a CGy of the golf club head.

3. The club head of claim 1, wherein the front channel comprises a front weight track extending in a heel-toe direction, and the club head further comprises at least one slidably adjustable weight assembly mounted in the front weight track and configured to adjust a CGx of the golf club head.

4. The club head of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly coupled to the hosel and configured to a user to adjust an orientation of the club head relative to a golf club shaft.

5. The club head of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of external ribs on the sole positioned toeward of the front channel, the plurality of external ribs reinforcing a lower toe portion of the front side of the club head.

6. The club head of claim 1, wherein the sole comprises a rear ground contact surface positioned rearward of the front channel and heelward of the rear weight track.

7. The club head of claim 1, further comprising an internal rib extending from the hosel toeward across an interior side of the front channel.

8. The club head of claim 1, wherein the club head body comprises a front crown portion forward of the upper crown opening, and wherein a rear end of the front crown portion includes a recessed ledge that receives a front end of the crown insert.

9. The club head of claim 8, wherein the front crown portion has a toe-side portion, a heel-side portion, and a center portion between the toe-side and heel-side portions, wherein the center portion has a depth L₁ in a front-rear direction and the toe-side portion has a depth L₂ in the front-rear direction;

and wherein L₁<

L₂ such that the recessed ledge is closer to the front side at the center portion than at the toe-side portion.

10. The club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head defines a forgiveness ratio that is at least 0.915, wherein the forgiveness ratio is defined as (hosel axis to back dimension)*(face area)/(volume).

11. The club head of claim 10, wherein a ratio of the club head'"'"'s moment of inertia about its z-axis to the volume of the club head is greater than 0.99 kg/m.

12. The club head of claim 10, wherein the golf club head has a forgiveness ratio of at least 0.970.

13. The club head of claim 1, wherein the body includes ledges that at least partially surround the toe-side sole opening and the heel-side sole opening, and the ledges are configured to seat the sole insert such that the sole insert is flush with surrounding portions of the body.