Golf club head

• US 10,556,157 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): Passaniti, Sebastiano
• Application Number:
  US16/037,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20180318662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350, 473287-292
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• 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 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• 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

Abstract

A golf club head is 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 has 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 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.

Claims

1. 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;

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 30 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 30 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 15 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 15 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 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 the club head has a degree of twist that is between 0.1° and

5.0°

;

wherein an actual nominal loft angle for any point on the striking face can be determined using the following equation;

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

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.3°

to 0.5°

.

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

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.4°

to 0.8°

.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the striking face has a bulge radius between 228.6 mm and 355.6 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve portion connected to the hosel portion, the sleeve portion being capable of adjusting the 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.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole portion includes at least one weight port and an adjustable weight located in the at least one weight port.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the striking face has a variable face thickness having an inverted recess in a center portion of a back surface of the striking face.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the crown portion comprises a composite crown.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the sole portion comprises a recessed channel at a front portion of the sole portion.

10. A golf club 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;

a fastener opening configured to allow the insertion of a fastening member in order to attach and detach the golf club head relative to a shaft;

a sleeve portion connected to the shaft portion, the sleeve portion being capable of adjusting the 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;

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 30 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 30 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 15 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 15 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 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 actual nominal loft angle for any point on the striking face can be determined using the following equation;

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein an average FA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.3°

to 0.5°

.

12. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein an average LA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.4°

to 0.8°

.

13. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the striking face has a bulge radius between 228.6 mm and 355.6 mm.

14. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the sole portion includes at least one weight port and an adjustable weight located in the at least one weight port.

15. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the striking face has a variable face thickness having an inverted recess in a center portion of a back surface of the striking face.

16. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the crown portion comprises a composite crown.

17. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the sole portion comprises a recessed channel at a front portion of the sole portion.

18. The golf club head of claim 17, wherein the fastener opening is located in the recessed channel.

19. The golf club head of claim 17, further comprising internal ribs extending across sole portion and coupled to inner surfaces of the recessed channel.

20. A golf club 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;

a golf club shaft;

wherein the sole portion comprises a recessed channel at a front portion of the sole portion;

a fastener opening located in the recessed channel and configured to allow the insertion of a fastening member in order to attach and detach the golf club head relative to the shaft;

a sleeve portion connected to the shaft portion, the sleeve portion being capable of adjusting the loft, lie, or face angle of the golf club when the sleeve portion is removed from the hosel portion in a first configuration and reinserted into the hosel portion in a second configuration;

wherein the sole portion includes at least one weight port located rearward of the recessed channel, and an adjustable weight located in the at least one weight port;

wherein the crown portion comprises a composite crown;

wherein the striking face has a bulge radius between 228.6 mm and 355.6 mm;

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 30 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 30 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 15 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 15 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 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 0.3°

to 0.5°

;

wherein an average LA°

Δ

of an upper toe quadrant is between 0.4°

to 0.8°

;

wherein an actual nominal loft angle for any point on the striking face can be determined using the following equation;