Golf clubs and golf club heads having a configured shape

• US 10,335,654 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Stites, John T., Tavares, Gary G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen L
• Application Number:
  US15/948,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20180221728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• 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 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities

Abstract

Aspects of this disclosure relate to a golf club head which includes a wood type golf club head body including a ball striking face portion at a front side thereof, a rear side opposite the front side, a crown portion, and a sole portion. Further, the sole or crown or rear portion of the golf club head body may be configured so that the golf club head body includes a bump portion which protrudes from the sole or crown or rear portion and an indented portion which recedes into the sole or crown or rear portion and creates a recess in the sole or crown or rear portion of the golf club head body. Further, the bump portion and the indented portion may be configured so that a center of gravity of the club head body is nearer to one of the heel edge of the club head body and the toe edge of the club head body.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a wood type golf club head body including a ball striking face portion at a front side thereof, a rear side opposite the front side, a crown portion, and a sole portion;

the golf club head body comprising an imaginary XY coordinate axis,

wherein a Y-axis is defined in a front-to-rear direction perpendicular to a front tangent and a rear tangent through a geometric center of the golf club head, and

wherein an X-axis is defined in a heel-to-toe direction perpendicular to the Y-axis through the geometric center of the golf club head,

the golf club head body including;

a maximum breadth that extends from a forwardmost point of the ball striking face portion to a rearwardmost point of the rear side;

a maximum depth that extends from a topmost point of the crown portion to a bottommost point of the sole portion;

a first portion of the golf club head body that extends from the crown portion to the sole portion and includes a first depth of the golf club head body;

a second portion of the golf club head body that extends from the crown portion to the sole portion and includes a second depth that is less than the first depth;

wherein the sole portion of the golf club head body is configured so that it includes;

a sloped boundary portion that separates a sole region of the first portion from a sole region of the second portion, wherein the sloped boundary portion has a height of at least 2 mm and extends from the sole region of the first portion to the sole region of the second portion, thereby defining a transition in depth between the first portion and the second portion of the golf club head body;

further wherein the sloped boundary portion extends so as to define a rear heel quadrant of the golf club head body,

wherein the rear heel quadrant of the body is heelward of the Y-axis and rearward of the X-axis; and

wherein the first portion of the golf club head body is the rear quadrant of the golf club head body,

further wherein the first portion and second portion are configured so that a center of gravity of the golf club head body is positioned nearer to the rear heel quadrant than the toe edge or the front side,

wherein at least 26% of the mass of the golf club head body is in the first portion of the golf club head body.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least 26% of a volume of the golf club head body within the first portion of the golf club head body.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the sloped boundary portion has a slope that is steeper than a gradient of curvature or slope of the sole regions of either the first or second portions.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the sloped boundary portion exhibits an approximately right angle shaped curve as it extends along the sole portion.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the height of the sloped boundary portion is within a range of 2-50 mm.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a cross sectional thickness of the sole region of the first portion is greater than a cross sectional thickness of the sole region of the second portion.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least 36% of the mass is in the first portion of the golf club head body.