Golf club head

• US 10,245,481 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Cleghorn, Richard L., Frame, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US15/850,836
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 1/00 Horizontal bars
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/006 Surfaces specially adapted for reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/42 Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

A golf club head where at least a first portion of an exterior surface of the golf club head includes depressions is disclosed herein. More specifically, the golf club head has a body with a striking face, a crown portion, a sole portion, and a skirt portion joining the striking face, crown portion and the sole portion and in accordance with the present invention at least a portion of the exterior surface of the body of the golf club head is further comprised of depressions to reduce the aerodynamic drag force on the golf club head. The depressions may be provided on a first portion of the golf club head on one or more of a crown portion, sole portion, skirt portion or striking face.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a face, a sole portion, a crown portion and a skirt portion joining the face, sole portion and crown portion;

a hollow golf club interior within the body;

an exterior surface provided opposite the hollow golf club interior;

a plurality of depressions provided on a first portion of the exterior surface of the body;

wherein the plurality of depressions have a depth of about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm, have a width of about 6 mm to about 20 mm and have a minimum landing surface spacing of about 0.5 mm to about 7 mm between depressions on the exterior surface, and

wherein the first portion is provided on at least one of a sole portion or crown portion of the body and further comprises a setback from the face portion of the body, the setback being free of depressions, and wherein the setback has a width of about 6 mm to about 14 mm.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first portion is provided on at least half of the crown portion.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first portion is provided on at least half the sole portion.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first portion has a depression coverage of about 25% to about 75%.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body has a toe portion on one side of the body adjacent the face and a heel portion on the opposite side of the body adjacent the face and hosel, and the first portion extends from the toe of the body to the heel of the body.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the depressions have a polygonal shape.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body has a front adjacent the face of the body and a rear opposite the face of the body and the depressions decrease in size from the front toward the rear of the body.

8. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a face, a sole portion, a crown portion and a skirt portion joining the face portion, sole portion and crown portion;

a hollow golf club interior within the body; and

an exterior surface provided opposite the hollow golf club interior,

wherein a first aerodynamic drag force reduction of the club head is achieved by shaping the body of the club head, and a second aerodynamic drag force reduction of the club head is achieved by providing a plurality of depressions on a first portion of the exterior surface of the body, and wherein the additional reduction in aerodynamic drag force achieved by the second aerodynamic drag force reduction is about 5 to about 25 percent,

and further comprising a setback from the face portion of the body, the setback being free of depressions and wherein the setback has a width of about 6 mm to about 14 mm.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the second reduction in aerodynamic drag force is about 10 to about 18 percent.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, where the first portion is provided on at least one of a sole portion or crown portion of the body.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the first portion is provided on at least half of the crown portion.

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the first portion is provided on at least half the sole portion.

13. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the first portion has a depression coverage of about 25% to about 75% of the club head portion.

14. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the body has a toe portion on one side of the body adjacent the face and a heel portion on the opposite side of the body adjacent the face and hosel and the first portion extends from the toe of the body to the heel of the body.

15. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the each of the plurality of depressions has a depth of about 0.5 mm to about 2 mm and have a width of about 6 mm to about 20 mm.

16. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the depressions have a landing surface spacing of about 1 mm to about 4 mm between depressions on the exterior surface.

17. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the depressions have a polygonal shape.

18. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the body has a front adjacent the face of the body and a rear opposite the face of the body and the depressions decrease in size from the front toward the rear of the body.