Golf club

• US 10,335,649 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Honea, Justin, Reed, Tim, Kendall, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US16/108,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20180369659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 314 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/00 Golf clubs
• 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 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

A golf club having unique mass properties and all the benefits afforded therefrom.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

a grip attached to the shaft proximal end; and

a golf club head attached to the shaft distal end producing a club length of at least 41 inches and no more than 45 inches, the golf club head having;

(i) a face positioned at a front portion of the golf club head where the golf club head impacts a golf ball, wherein the face has a loft of at least 12 degrees and no more than 27 degrees, and wherein the face includes an engineered impact point and a top edge height, and the face has a center face progression of less than 0.525 inches;

(ii) a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

(iii) a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head;

(iv) wherein an outer shell defines a head volume of less than 250 cubic centimeters, and wherein the golf club head has a rear portion opposite the face and a front-to-back dimension from a furthest forward point on the face to the furthest rearward point at the rear portion of the golf club head;

(v) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis which intersects with a horizontal ground plane to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side of the golf club head and receives the shaft distal end for attachment to the golf club head, and wherein a toe side of the golf club head is located opposite of the heel side;

(vi) a blade length measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length includes a heel blade length section measured in the same direction as the blade length from the origin point to the engineered impact point;

(vii) a club head mass of less than 230 grams;

(viii) a center of gravity located;

(a) vertically toward the top portion of the golf club head from the origin point a distance Ycg, wherein the Ycg distance is less than 0.65″

;

(b) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane; and

(c) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg;

(ix) a first moment of inertia (MOIy) about a vertical axis through the CG of at least 2000 g*cm²;

(x) a second moment of inertia (MOIfc) about a vertical axis through the origin of at least 4250 g*cm²;

(xi) a ratio of the first moment of inertia (MOIy) to the club head mass is at least 14; and

(xii) a ratio of the second moment of inertia (MOIfc) to the club length is at least 95.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the first moment of inertia (MOIy) is at least 3000 g*cm².

3. The golf club of claim 2, wherein the second moment of inertia (MOIfc) is at least 4500 g*cm².

4. The golf club of claim 3, wherein the Zcg distance is less than 0.65 inches.

5. The golf club of claim 3, wherein a ratio of the second moment of inertia (MOIfc) to the club head mass is at least 23.

6. The golf club of claim 3, wherein a first portion of the outer shell has a first density and a second portion of the outer shell has a second density that is at least twice the first density.

7. The golf club of claim 3, wherein the head volume is at least 170 cubic centimeters, the top edge height is 1.1-2.1″

, and a portion of the shell has a density of less than 5 g/cc.

8. The golf club of claim 3, wherein a club moment arm is less than 1.1 inches.

9. A golf club comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

a grip attached to the shaft proximal end; and

a golf club head attached to the shaft distal end producing a club length of at least 41 inches and no more than 45 inches, wherein the golf club head includes;

(a) a face positioned at a front portion of the golf club head where the golf club head impacts a golf ball, the face has a loft of at least 12 degrees and no more than 27 degrees, a center face progression of less than 0.525 inches, and the face includes an engineered impact point and a top edge height;

(b) a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

(c) a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head;

(d) a skirt positioned around a portion of a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown, wherein the face, sole, crown, and skirt define an outer shell that further defines a head volume that is less than 250 cubic centimeters, and the golf club head has a rear portion opposite the face;

(e) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis which intersects with a horizontal ground plane to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side of the golf club head and receives the shaft distal end for attachment to the golf club head, and wherein a toe side of the golf club head is located opposite of the heel side;

(f) a blade length measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length includes a heel blade length section measured in the same direction as the blade length from the origin point to the engineered impact point;

(g) a club head mass of less than 230 grams;

(h) a center of gravity located;

(1) vertically toward the top portion of the golf club head from the origin point a distance Ycg;

(2) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane;

(3) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg, wherein the Zcg distance is less than 0.65 inches; and

(4) a CG angle from the origin point to the center of gravity of no more than 30 degrees;

(i) a club moment arm of less than 1.1 inches;

(j) a first moment of inertia (MOIy) about a vertical axis through the CG of at least 2000 g*cm²; and

(k) a second moment of inertia (MOIfc) about a vertical axis through the origin providing a ratio of the second moment of inertia (MOIfc) to the club length of at least 95.

10. The golf club of claim 9, wherein the Ycg distance is less than 0.65″

.

11. The golf club of claim 10, wherein a ratio of the club moment arm to the heel blade length section is less than 0.9.

12. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the club moment arm is less than 1.0 inches.

13. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the CG angle is no more than 25 degrees.

14. The golf club of claim 10, further having a transfer distance that is 10-40 percent greater than the club moment arm.

15. The golf club of claim 10, wherein the club moment arm is less than 1.0 inches, the CG angle is no more than 25 degrees, and a transfer distance that is 10-40 percent greater than the club moment arm.

16. The golf club of claim 15, wherein a portion of the shell has a density of less than 5 g/cc.

17. The golf club of claim 16, wherein the Ycg distance is less than 0.60″

.

18. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the blade length is at least 3.1 inches and the heel blade length section is at least 1.1 inches.

19. The golf club of claim 18, wherein a second moment of inertia (MOIfc) about a vertical axis through the origin of at least 4250 g*cm², and the head volume is at least 170 cubic centimeters.

20. A golf club comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

a grip attached to the shaft proximal end; and

a golf club head attached to the shaft distal end producing a club length of at least 41 inches and no more than 45 inches, wherein the golf club head includes;

(a) a face positioned at a front portion of the golf club head where the golf club head impacts a golf ball, the face has a loft of at least 12 degrees and no more than 27 degrees, a center face progression of less than 0.525 inches, and the face includes an engineered impact point and a top edge height of 1.1-2.1 inches;

(b) a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head;

(c) a crown positioned at a top portion of the golf club head, wherein a portion of the crown has a density of less than 5 g/cc;

(d) a skirt positioned around a portion of a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown, wherein the face, sole, crown, and skirt define an outer shell that further defines a head volume that is less than 250 cubic centimeters, and the golf club head has a rear portion opposite the face;

(e) a bore having a center that defines a shaft axis which intersects with a horizontal ground plane to define an origin point, wherein the bore is located at a heel side of the golf club head and receives the shaft distal end for attachment to the golf club head, and wherein a toe side of the golf club head is located opposite of the heel side;

(f) a blade length measured horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane to the most distant point on the golf club head in this direction, wherein the blade length is at least 3.1 inches and includes a heel blade length section measured in the same direction as the blade length from the origin point to the engineered impact point;

(g) a club head mass of less than 230 grams;

(h) a center of gravity located;

(1) vertically toward the top portion of the golf club head from the origin point a distance Ycg of less than 0.65″

;

(2) horizontally from the origin point toward the toe side of the golf club head a distance Xcg that is generally parallel to the face and the ground plane;

(3) a distance Zcg from the origin toward the rear portion in a direction generally orthogonal to the vertical direction used to measure Ycg and generally orthogonal to the horizontal direction used to measure Xcg, wherein the Zcg distance is less than 0.65 inches; and

(4) a CG angle from the origin point to the center of gravity of no more than 25 degrees;

(i) a club moment arm of less than 1.0 inches and a transfer distance that is 10-40 percent greater than the club moment arm;

(j) a first moment of inertia (MOIy) about a vertical axis through the CG of at least 2000 g*cm²; and

(k) a second moment of inertia (MOIfc) about a vertical axis through the origin providing a ratio of the second moment of inertia (MOIfc) to the club length of at least 95.