Golf club head

• US 10,561,909 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: Ripp, Patrick, Herr, Brian, Becktor, Mika, Dolezel, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Alvin A
• Application Number:
  US16/037,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20180318664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 473324-350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• 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 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like

Abstract

A golf club head includes a striking face having a face center and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face. The golf club head further includes a sole portion, a top portion, a rear portion, and a loft L no less than 40°. A virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane passes through the face center. A club head center of gravity is spaced from the virtual vertical plane in the heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm. The golf club head further includes a hosel including an internal bore configured to receive a golf shaft. The internal bore includes a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf club shaft. The hosel further comprises an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore.

Claims

1. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, and a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face;

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a rear portion;

a loft L no less than 40°

;

a virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center;

a club head center of gravity spaced from the virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm; and

a hosel comprising a virtual hosel axis and an internal bore configured to receive a golf club shaft, the internal bore including a peripheral side wall and a shaft abutment surface configured to abut a tip end of the golf club shaft, the hosel further comprising an auxiliary recess extending sole-ward from the abutment surface of the internal bore,

wherein the club head comprises a blade-type golf club head comprising an upper blade portion having a substantially uniform thickness and a lower muscle portion,

wherein the upper blade portion comprises a maximum thickness D5 no greater than 7 mm, and

wherein the center of gravity is vertically spaced from a point P1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the virtual vertical plane by a distance D3 that is no greater than 17 mm.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a sole width D8 that is between 14 mm and 20 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary recess comprises a depth, measured in a direction of the hosel axis, of no less than 5 mm.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.5 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the center of gravity is spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D2 no greater than 2.0 mm.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the distance D3 is such that:

D3≥

29.5 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein:

D3≥

29.8 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary recess is at least partially filled.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary recess tapers in width in a sole-ward direction.

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

the hosel has a hosel upper end; and

a distance D4, measured from the hosel upper end to a virtual ground plane along the virtual hosel axis, is no greater than 75 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a maximum top line thickness D5 no greater than 5.70 mm.

13. A golf club head that, when oriented in a reference position, comprises:

a sole portion;

a top portion;

a heel portion;

a toe portion;

a striking face having a face center, a leading edge, a virtual striking face plane generally parallel to the striking face, and a plurality of scorelines having a heel-most extent and a toe-most extent;

a hosel portion having an internal bore configured to receive a golf club shaft;

a first virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the heel-most extent of the plurality of scorelines;

a heel-most region defined as the entire portion of the club head located heelward of the first virtual vertical plane;

a recessed region delimiting a volume such that the majority of the volume is located in the heel-most region;

a loft L no less than 40°

;

a second virtual vertical plane perpendicular to the striking face plane and passing through the face center; and

a club head center of gravity spaced from the second virtual vertical plane in a heel-to-toe direction by a distance D1 that is no greater than 6.0 mm,

wherein the club head comprises a blade-type golf club head comprising an upper blade portion having a substantially uniform thickness and a lower muscle portion,

wherein the upper blade portion comprises a maximum thickness D5 no greater than 7 mm, and

wherein the center of gravity is vertically spaced from a point P1 located at an intersection of the leading edge and the second virtual vertical plane by a distance D3 that is no greater than 17 mm.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the recessed region, in its entirety, is located heelward of the first virtual vertical plane.

15. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the recessed region is in communication with the internal bore of the hosel portion.

16. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the recessed region comprises a depth of no less than 5 mm.

17. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the recessed region is at least partially filled.

18. The golf club head of claim 13, further comprising a sole width D8 that is between 14 mm and 20 mm.

19. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.5 mm.

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein the distance D1 is no greater than 5.0 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the center of gravity is spaced from the striking face plane by a minimum distance D2 no greater than 2.0 mm.

22. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the distance D3 is such that:

D3≥

29.5 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

23. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein:

D3≥

29.8 mm−

(0.3 mm/°

)×

L.

24. The golf club head of claim 13, further comprising a maximum top line thickness D5 no greater than 5.70 mm.