Golf club head having an adjustable weighting system

• US 10,463,928 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Original Assignee: Karsten Manufacturing Corporation
• Inventors: Stokke, Ryan M., Higdon, David A., Jertson, Martin R., Pope, Jeremy, Chen, Xiaojian
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US15/877,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20180147461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 473305, 473334-339, 473341, 473344
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0495 moving on impact, slidable, spring or otherwise elastically biased
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/025 lie angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about an axis parallel to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/026 loft angle only, i.e. relative angular adjustment between the shaft and the club head about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the intended line of play when the club is in its normal address position
• 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 53/0433 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable

Abstract

A golf club head includes a club body having a crown opposite a sole, a toe end opposite a heel end, a back end, and a hosel. The golf club head also includes an adjustable weighting system positioned on the club body, the adjustable weighting system includes a single channel and a member that is received by the single channel and fastened to the club body, where a plurality of weights are coupled to the member. The golf club head can additionally or alternatively include a face angle adjustment system positioned on the sole, the face angle adjustment system includes a member that is removably received by the single channel and fastened to the sole, the member includes a first end member and a second end member, wherein the member is configured to be repositioned within the channel to adjust a resting face angle of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a club body having a crown opposite a sole, a toe end opposite a heel end, a back end, and a hosel, and wherein a channel is formed in the club body; and

an adjustable weighting system including

a member configured to be received by the channel and removably coupled to the club body, the member including a member body having a first end and a second end, the member further including a first attachment location positioned at the first end, a second attachment location positioned between the first and second ends, and a third attachment location positioned at the second end;

a first weight configured to be removably coupled to the first attachment location of the member body, the first weight having a first mass;

a second weight configured to be removably coupled to the second attachment location of the member body, the second weight having a second mass less than the first mass;

a third weight configured to be removably coupled to the third attachment location of the member body, the third weight having a third mass less than the first mass;

wherein the first weight, the second weight, and the third weight can be removed from the member and repositioned to change a center of gravity of the club head;

wherein the channel includes a height between 0.1 inch and 0.5 inch; and

wherein the height of the channel varies from near the heel end to near the toe end of the club head such that the cross-sectional area of the channel varies.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first weight comprises a mass between 6 grams and 20 grams, and the second and third weights comprise a mass between 0.25 grams and 4 grams.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the club head further includes a club head center of gravity depth greater than 1.6 inches.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the club head further includes a depth to mass ratio of the club head center of gravity depth to the mass of the first weight greater than 0.060 inch/gram.

5. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein a combined moment of inertia of the club head about the club head center of gravity, defined as the sum of a crown-to-sole moment of inertia and a heel-to-toe moment of inertia, is greater than 8,000 g·

cm².

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein a ratio of the combined moment of inertia of the club head about the club head center of gravity to the mass of the first weight is greater than 400 cm².

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein each weight includes a weight center of gravity positioned within 0.50 inch of the perimeter of the club head.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein:

the first weight includes a first aperture, the first attachment location of the member body includes a second aperture aligned with the first aperture, and the aligned first and second apertures are configured to receive a first fastener,

the second weight includes a third aperture, the second attachment location of the member body includes a fourth aperture aligned with the third aperture, and the aligned third and fourth apertures are configured to receive a second fastener, and

the third weight includes a fifth aperture, the third attachment location of the member body includes a sixth aperture aligned with the fifth aperture, and the aligned fifth and sixth apertures are configured to receive a third fastener.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein the channel includes a first bore, a second bore, and a third bore, and wherein the first bore is configured to receive the first fastener, the second bore is configured to receive the second fastener, and the third bore is configured to receive the third fastener to fasten the member to the club body, and wherein the first, second, and third fasteners comprise a density similar to or less than the density of the club head body.

10. A golf club head comprising:

a club body having a crown opposite a sole, a toe end opposite a heel end, a back end, and a hosel, and wherein a channel is formed in the club body; and

an adjustable weighting system including

a member configured to be received by the channel and removably coupled to the club body, the member including a member body having a first end and a second end,

a first weight configured to be removably coupled to the first end of the member body the first weight having a first mass, and

a second weight configured to be removably coupled to the second end of the member body the second weight having a second mass less than the first mass, wherein the first weight and the second weight can be removed from the member and repositioned to change a center of gravity of the club head;

wherein the first weight includes a first aperture, the first end of the body includes a second aperture aligned with the first aperture, and the aligned first and second apertures are configured to receive a fastener.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the channel includes a bore configured to receive the fastener to fasten the member within the channel of the club body.

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the fastener is a first fastener, and the second weight includes a third aperture, the second end of the body includes a fourth aperture aligned with the third aperture, and the aligned third and fourth apertures are configured to receive a second fastener.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein the channel includes a first bore and a second bore, the first bore is configured to receive the first fastener and the second bore is configured to receive the second fastener to fasten the member to the club body.

14. A golf club head comprising:

a club body having a crown opposite a sole, a toe end opposite a heel end, a back end, and a hosel; and

a face angle adjustment system positioned on the sole, the face angle adjustment system including a single channel, and a member that is removably received by the channel, the member including a member body having a first end member and a second end member, wherein the member is configured to be repositioned within the channel to adjust a resting face angle of the golf club head;

wherein the member includes a body, wherein the first end member is coupled to the body and configured to rotate with respect to the body, and wherein the second end member is coupled to the body and configured to rotate with respect to the body;

wherein the first and second end members are configured to rotate with respect to the body between a first configuration, a second configuration, and a third configuration, wherein;

in the first configuration the first end member extends out of the channel and the second end member does not extend out of the channel,

in the second configuration the second end member extends out of the channel and the first end member does not extend out of the channel, and

in the third configuration the first end member and the second end member do not extend out of the channel.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein each of the first and second end members includes a first side and a second side, the first side being longer than the second side.