Adjustable sole weight of a golf club head

• US 10,391,367 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Xiaojian, Morales, Eric J., Jertson, Martin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen L
• Application Number:
  US16/001,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20180280771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/005 Club sets
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• 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 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence

Abstract

A golf club head includes a body having a heel portion, a toe portion, a sole portion, and an outer surface, a strikeface having a geometric center, a head center of gravity, and a weight member including a weight pad. The weight member is configured to be repositionable by the user to a first position or a second position. The club head having the weight member in the first position shifts the head center of gravity toward the strikeface, and the club head having the weight member in the second position shifts the head center of gravity away from the strikeface.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a body having a heel portion, a toe portion, a sole portion, and an outer surface;

a strikeface having a geometric center;

a head center of gravity; and

a weight member having opposing first and second ends;

wherein

the weight member is configured to be positioned adjacent to the sole portion of the club head, substantially flush with the outer surface of the body;

the weight member is repositionable by the user to a first position or a second position;

a weight member axis extends through a geometric center of the weight member, longitudinally and symmetrically dividing a width of the weight member along the entire length,

the weight member comprises a weight member axis that forms a weight member angle relative to a z-axis extending through the head center of gravity from the strikeface to the rear portion parallel to a ground plane when the club head is at an address position and the z-axis is perpendicular to the strikeface, the weight member angle ranges from 3 to 20 degrees, the weight member comprises a weight pad, and the weight pad is asymmetric with respect to the weight member axis;

wherein

the club head having the weight member in the first position shifts the head center of gravity toward the strikeface, and

the club head having the weight member in the second position shifts the head center of gravity away from the strikeface, such that on impact with a golf ball at the geometric center of the strikeface, the club head having the weight member in the first position applies a first vertical spin on the golf ball and the club head having the weight member in the second position applies a second vertical spin on the golf ball such that the second vertical spin is different than the first vertical spin.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight member angle is between 3 and 15 degrees.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight member angle is between 5 and 10 degrees.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight member angle is between 10 and 20 degrees.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the difference between the first vertical spin rate and the second vertical spin rate ranges from approximately 200 rpm to 600 rpm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein when the weight member is in the first position on impact with a golf ball at the geometric center of the strikeface the club head applies a first horizontal spin on the golf ball and when the weight member is in the second position on impact with a golf ball at the geometric center of the strikeface the club head applies a second horizontal spin on the golf ball, such that the second horizontal spin and the first horizontal spin are each less than 10 rpm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight member is removably coupled to the sole portion using at least one threaded fastener.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight member includes an indicator to indicate the position of the weight pad with respect to the body.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club head and the weight member together have a combined total mass, and wherein the weight member has a first mass ranging from 4.2% to 20.0% of the total mass.