Club head having balanced impact and swing performance characteristics

• US 10,434,381 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Stokke, Ryan M., Ghods, Sina
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/815,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20180078832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 473334, 473335, 473338, 473341, 473344, 473345, 473349
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0462 characterised by tapering thickness of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Described herein are embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of the following parameters: a low and back club head center of gravity position, a high moment of inertia, and low aerodynamic drag. Methods of manufacturing the embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of club head center of gravity position, moment of inertia, and aerodynamic drag are also described herein.

Claims

1. A hollow body golf club head comprising:

a body having a front end, a back end opposite the front end, a crown, a sole opposite the crown, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a skirt adjoining the crown and the sole, and a hosel structure having a hosel axis extending centrally through a bore in the hosel stucture;

a strikeface positioned at the front end and defining a geometric center, a loft plane tangent to the geometric center, and a head depth plane extending through the geometric center from the heel to the toe, perpendicular to the loft plane;

an embedded weight comprising a weight center positioned at one or more of the following locations;

(a) within 0.5 inch of a perimeter of the club head;

(b) greater than 2.2 inches from the head center of gravity;

or

(c) greater than 4.0 inches from the geometric center of the strikeface;

a front radius of curvature between 0.18 to 0.30 inch, wherein the front radius of curvature extends from a top edge of the strikeface to a crown transition point, the crown transition point indicating a change in curvature from radius of curvature to a different curvature of the crown; and

a rear radius of curvature that extends between the crown and the skirt of the club head along a rear transition boundary from a first rear transition point located at the junction between the crown and the rear transition boundary and a second rear transition point located at the junction between the rear transition boundary and the skirt of the club head;

wherein;

a loft angle of the club head is less than 16 degrees;

a head center of gravity of the club head is located at a head CG depth from the loft plane, measured in a direction perpendicular to the loft plane, and at a head CG height from a head depth plane, measured in a direction perpendicular to the head depth plane;

the head CG depth is greater than 1.7 inches; and

the head CG height is less than 0.20 inches;

a crown-to-sole moment of inertia is greater than 3000 g·

cm²;

a heel-to-toe moment of inertia is greater than 5250 g·

cm²; and

the club head experiences a drag force less than 1.4 lbf when subjected to an air speed of 102 mph in a direction perpendicular to a plane extending through the geometric center of the strikeface, parallel to the hosel axis, and positioned at the loft angle from the loft plane.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the club head experiences a drag force less than 1.15 lbf when subjected to an air speed of 102 mph in a direction perpendicular to a plane extending through the geometric center of the strikeface, parallel to the hosel axis, and positioned at the loft angle from the loft plane.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising one or more thin regions on the body having a thickness less than 0.02 inch.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising:

a crown angle less than 79 degrees, wherein the crown angle is measured as the acute angle between a front plane and a crown axis that extends through the crown transition point and the rear transition point of the club head; and

a maximum crown height greater than 0.50 inch, wherein the maximum crown height is measured as the greatest distance between the surface of the crown and the crown axis.

5. A hollow body golf club head comprising:

a body having a front end, a back end opposite the front end, a crown, a sole opposite the crown, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a skirt adjoining the crown and the sole, and a hosel structure having a hosel axis extending centrally through a bore in the hosel stucture;

a strikeface positioned at the front end and defining a geometric center, a loft plane tangent to the geometric center, and a head depth plane extending through the geometric center from the heel to the toe, perpendicular to the loft plane;

an embedded weight comprising a weight center positioned at one or more of the following locations;

(a) within 0.5 inch of a perimeter of the club head;

(b) greater than 2.2 inches from the head center of gravity;

or

(c) greater than 4.0 inches from the geometric center of the strikeface;

a front radius of curvature between 0.18 to 0.30 inch, wherein the front radius of curvature extends from a top edge of the strikeface to a crown transition point, the crown transition point indicating a change in curvature from radius of curvature to a different curvature of the crown; and

a rear radius of curvature that extends between the crown and the skirt of the club head along a rear transition boundary from a first rear transition point located at the junction between the crown and the rear transition boundary and a second rear transition point located at the junction between the rear transition boundary and the skirt of the club head;

wherein;

a loft angle of the club head is less than 16 degrees;

a head center of gravity of the club head is located at a head CG depth from the loft plane, measured in a direction perpendicular to the loft plane, and at a head CG height from a head depth plane, measured in a direction perpendicular to the head depth plane;

the head CG depth is greater than 1.7 inches;

the club head experiences a drag force FD when subjected to an air speed of 102 mph in a direction perpendicular to a plane extending through the geometric center of the strikeface, parallel to the hosel axis, and positioned at the loft angle from the loft plane;

the club head has a crown-to-sole moment of inertia I_xx, a heel to toe moment of inertia I_yy, and a combined moment of inertia measured as the sum of the crown-to-sole moment of inertia and the heel to toe moment of inertia I_xx+I_yy;

the heel-to-toe moment of inertia is greater than 5250 g·

cm²; and

the club head satisfies relation A and one or more of relations B and C;

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the club head further satisfies relation D:

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the head CG depth is greater than 1.8 inches.

8. The golf club head of claim 5, further comprising one or more thin regions on the body having a thickness less than 0.02 inch.

9. The golf club head of claim 5, further comprising:

a crown angle less than 79 degrees, wherein the crown angle is measured as the acute angle between a front plane and a crown axis that extends through the crown transition point and the rear transition point of the club head; and

a maximum crown height greater than 0.50 inch, wherein the maximum crown height is measured as the greatest distance between the surface of the crown and the crown axis.

10. A hollow body golf club head comprising:

a body having a front end, a back end opposite the front end, a crown, a sole opposite the crown, a heel, a toe opposite the heel, a skirt adjoining the crown and the sole, and a hosel structure having a hosel axis extending centrally through a bore in the hosel stucture;

a strikeface positioned at the front end and defining a geometric center, a loft plane tangent to the geometric center, and a head depth plane extending through the geometric center from the heel to the toe, perpendicular to the loft plane;

an embedded weight comprising a weight center positioned at one or more of the following locations;

(a) within 0.5 inch of a perimeter of the club head;

(b) greater than 2.2 inches from the head center of gravity;

or

(c) greater than 4.0 inches from the geometric center of the strikeface;

a front radius of curvature between 0.18 to 0.30 inch, wherein the front radius of curvature extends from a top edge of the strikeface to a crown transition point, the crown transition point indicating a change in curvature from radius of curvature to a different curvature of the crown; and

a rear radius of curvature that extends between the crown and the skirt of the club head along a rear transition boundary from a first rear transition point located at the junction between the crown and the rear transition boundary and a second rear transition point located at the junction between the rear transition boundary and the skirt of the club head;

wherein;

a loft angle of the club head is less than 16 degrees;

a head center of gravity of the club head is located at a head CG depth from the loft plane, measured in a direction perpendicular to the loft plane, and at a head CG height from a head depth plane, measured in a direction perpendicular to the head depth plane;

the head CG depth is greater than 1.7 inches;

the club head experiences a drag force FD when subjected to an air speed of 102 mph in a direction perpendicular to a plane extending through the geometric center of the strikeface, parallel to the hosel axis, and positioned at the loft angle from the loft plane

the club head has a crown-to-sole moment of inertia I_xx, a heel to toe moment of inertia I_yy, and a combined moment of inertia measured as the sum of the crown-to-sole moment of inertia and the heel to toe moment of inertia I_xx+I_yy;

the heel-to-toe moment of inertia is greater than 5250 g·

cm²; and

the club head satisfies relation A;

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the club head further satisfies relation D:

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the combined moment of inertia is greater than 9000 g·

cm².

13. The golf club head of claim 10, further comprising one or more thin regions on the body having a thickness less than 0.02 inch.

14. The golf club head of claim 10, further comprising:

a crown angle less than 79 degrees, wherein the crown angle is measured as the acute angle between a front plane and a crown axis that extends through the crown transition point and the rear transition point of the club head; and

a maximum crown height greater than 0.50 inch, wherein the maximum crown height is measured as the greatest distance between the surface of the crown and the crown axis.