Golf club head

• US 10,543,405 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2018
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Greaney, Mark Vincent, Willett, Kraig Alan, Hoffman, Joe, Beach, Todd P., Story, Robert, Feuerstein, Jake, Penney, Michelle, Poston, Bradley, Rollins, Christopher, Yu, Joseph, Chao, Bing-Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US16/160,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20190076705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292, 473244-248
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0694 Visual indication, e.g. Indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/023 adjustable angular orientation
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

Golf club heads are described having a club head portion, a shaft portion connected to the club head portion, and a grip portion connected to the shaft portion. The club head portion has a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, a hosel portion, and a striking face. The striking face can have a center face roll contour, a toe side roll contour, a heel side roll contour, a center face bulge contour, a crown side bulge contour, and a sole side bulge contour. The toe side roll contour can be more lofted than the center face roll contour. The heel side roll contour can be less lofted than the center face roll contour. The crown side bulge contour can be more open than the center face bulge contour, and the sole side bulge contour can be more closed than the center face bulge contour.

Claims

1. A golf club comprising:

a club head portion having a hosel portion, a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, and a striking face having a striking face surface, wherein the striking face has a bulge curvature and a roll curvature;

a shaft portion connected to the club head portion;

a grip portion connected to the shaft portion;

the striking face having a center face location;

a center face vertical plane passing through the center face location, the center face vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a center face roll contour;

a toe side vertical plane being spaced away from the center face vertical plane by 14 mm toward the toe portion, the toe side vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a toe side roll contour;

a heel side vertical plane being spaced away from the center face vertical plane by 14 mm toward the heel portion, the heel side vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a heel side roll contour;

a center face horizontal plane passing through the center face location, the center face horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a center face bulge contour;

a crown side horizontal plane being spaced away from the center face horizontal plane by 7.5 mm toward the crown portion, the crown side horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a crown side bulge contour;

a sole side horizontal plane being spaced away from the center face horizontal plane by 7.5 mm toward the sole portion, the sole side horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a sole side bulge contour;

wherein the club head portion has a volume less than 300 cc;

wherein the club head portion has a head height (H_CH) of less than 48 mm;

wherein the striking face has a center face loft angle greater than 14 degrees;

wherein the club head portion has a Zup less than 24 mm; and

wherein the toe side roll contour is more lofted than the center face roll contour, the heel side roll contour is less lofted than the center face roll contour, the crown side bulge contour is more open than the center face bulge contour, and the sole side bulge contour is more closed than the center face bulge contour.

2. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a point located at 7.5 mm above the center face location has a LA°

Δ

that is substantially unchanged compared to a 0°

twist golf club head.

3. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a point located at 7.5 mm above the center face location has a FA°

Δ

of between 0.1° and

1.5°

relative to the center face location.

4. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a point located at 7.5 mm below the center face location has a FA°

Δ

of between −

0.1° and

−

1.5°

relative to the center face location.

5. The golf club of claim 1, wherein an average FA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.08°

to 1°

.

6. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a heel side point located at a x-y coordinate of (14 mm, 0 mm) has a LA°

Δ

relative to the center face location that is between 0° and

−

2.8°

, and wherein a toe side point located at a x-y coordinate of (−

14 mm, 0 mm) has a LA°

Δ

relative to the center face location that is between 0° and

2.8°

.

7. The golf club of claim 1, wherein an average LA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.25°

to 3.1°

.

8. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the volume of the club head portion is at least partially hollow, and has a volume of from 85 cc to 299 cc.

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein:

the striking face has a bulge radius between 203 mm and 407 mm;

and the striking face has a roll radius between 203 mm and 407 mm.

10. The golf club of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve portion connected to the shaft portion, the sleeve portion being capable of adjusting a loft, lie, or face angle of the club head when the sleeve portion is removed from the hosel portion in a first configuration and reinserted into the hosel portion in a second configuration.

11. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a length of the shaft portion is between 37 inches and 44 inches.

12. The golf club of claim 1, wherein the striking face comprises a titanium alloy including 6.75% to 9.75% aluminum by weight and 0.75% to 3.25% molybdenum by weight.

13. A golf club head comprising:

a hosel portion, a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, and a striking face having a striking face surface, and the striking face has a bulge curvature and a roll curvature;

the striking face having a center face location;

a center face vertical plane passing through the center face location, the center face vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a center face roll contour;

a toe side vertical plane being spaced away from the center face vertical plane by 14 mm toward the toe portion, the toe side vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a toe side roll contour;

a heel side vertical plane being spaced away from the center face vertical plane by 14 mm toward the heel portion, the heel side vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a heel side roll contour;

a center face horizontal plane passing through the center face location, the center face horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a center face bulge contour;

a crown side horizontal plane being spaced away from the center face horizontal plane by 7.5 mm toward the crown portion, the crown side horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a crown side bulge contour;

a sole side horizontal plane being spaced away from the center face horizontal plane by 7.5 mm toward the sole portion, the sole side horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a sole side bulge contour;

wherein a volume of the golf club head is less than 300 cc;

wherein the club head has a head height (H_CH) of less than 48 mm;

wherein the striking face has a center face loft angle greater than 14 degrees;

wherein the club head has a Zup less than 24 mm; and

wherein the toe side roll contour is more lofted than the center face roll contour, the heel side roll contour is less lofted than the center face roll contour, the crown side bulge contour is more open than the center face bulge contour, and the sole side bulge contour is more closed than the center face bulge contour, wherein an average LA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.25°

to 2.1°

.

14. A golf club head comprising:

a hosel portion, a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a crown portion, and a striking face having a striking face surface, and the striking face has a bulge curvature and a roll curvature;

the striking face having a center face location

a center face vertical plane passing through the center face location, the center face vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a center face roll contour;

a toe side vertical plane being spaced away from the center face vertical plane by 14 mm toward the toe portion, the toe side vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a toe side roll contour;

a heel side vertical plane being spaced away from the center face vertical plane by 14 mm toward the heel portion, the heel side vertical plane extending from adjacent the crown portion to adjacent the sole portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a heel side roll contour;

a center face horizontal plane passing through the center face location, the center face horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a center face bulge contour;

a crown side horizontal plane being spaced away from the center face horizontal plane by 7.5 mm toward the crown portion, the crown side horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a crown side bulge contour;

a sole side horizontal plane being spaced away from the center face horizontal plane by 7.5 mm toward the sole portion, the sole side horizontal plane extending from adjacent the toe portion to adjacent the heel portion and intersecting with the striking face surface to define a sole side bulge contour;

wherein a volume of the golf club head is less than 300 cc;

wherein the club head has a head height (H_CH) of less than 48 mm;

wherein the striking face has a center face loft angle greater than 14 degrees;

wherein the club head has a Zup less than 24 mm; and

wherein the toe side roll contour is more lofted than the center face roll contour, the heel side roll contour is less lofted than the center face roll contour, the crown side bulge contour is more open than the center face bulge contour, and the sole side bulge contour is more closed than the center face bulge contour, wherein an average FA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.08°

to 0.7°

.

15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein a point located at 7.5 mm above the center face location has a LA°

Δ

that is substantially unchanged compared to a 0°

twist golf club head.

16. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein a point located at 7.5 mm above the center face location has a FA°

Δ

of between 0.1° and

1°

relative to the center face location.

17. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein a point located at 7.5 mm below the center face location has a FA°

Δ

of between −

0.1° and

−

1°

relative to the center face location.

18. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the striking face has a degree of twist that is between 0.1°

and 4°

when measured between two critical locations, a first critical location being located at 15 mm above the center face location, and a second critical location being located at between 15 mm below the center face location.

19. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein a heel side point located at a x-y coordinate of (14mm, 0 mm) has a LA°

Δ

relative to the center face location that is between −

0.2° and

−

1.9°

.

20. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein a toe side point located at a x-y coordinate of (−

14 mm, 0 mm) has a LA°

Δ

relative to the center face location that is between 0.2° and

1.9°

.

21. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein the striking face has a bulge radius between 203 mm and 407 mm.