Golf club

• US 10,610,747 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2018
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: James, Andrew, Beach, Todd P., Johnson, Matthew David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Eugene L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glenn, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US15/926,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20180272201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole 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 60/00 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 60/50 with through-holes A63B60/18 takes precedence; for stringing purposes A63B49/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

A golf club head comprises a face and a golf club head body. The face includes a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end. The face defines a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face. The face defines a leading edge, the leading edge being the forwardmost edge of the face. The golf club head body is defined by a crown, a sole, and a skirt. The crown is coupled to the crown end of the face. The sole is coupled to the sole end of the face. The skirt is coupled to the sole and the crown. The golf club head body defines a trailing edge, the trailing edge being the rearwardmost edge of the golf club head body.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a golf club head body defined by a crown, a sole, a skirt, and a face, the golf club body defining an interior cavity;

the face including a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end, the face defining a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face, wherein the thickness of the face is variable;

the face including a geometric center that defines an origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face at a center face and is parallel to a ground plane when the golf club head is in a normal address position, a y-axis extending perpendicular to the x-axis and parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extending perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the toe end from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

the crown coupled to the crown end of the face, the sole coupled to the sole end of the face, and the skirt coupled to the sole and the crown;

the golf club head body defining a trailing edge being a rearward most edge of the golf club head body and the golf club head body defining a leading edge being a forwardmost edge of the golf club head body;

wherein the crown end of the face having a crown end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the crown end;

wherein the sole end of the face having a sole end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the sole end;

wherein a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is at most 97 mm;

a weight pad located on the sole within the interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole, wherein the weight pad includes an overhang portion that extends forward from the weight pad toward the face such that the overhang portion of the weight pad overhangs an interior sole surface, wherein a lower surface of the overhang portion and the interior sole surface are spaced apart by an offset distance and the offset distance is at least 0.2 mm;

wherein a forwardmost portion of the weight pad is offset from the leading edge no more than 10 mm;

a weight port formed in the sole of the golf club head and a weight configured to be retained at least partially within the weight port;

wherein the golf club head is one of a fairway type golf club head and a hybrid type golf club head;

wherein a loft of the golf club head is at least 14.5 degrees.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the forwardmost portion of the weight pad is offset from the leading edge between 3-7 mm.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the weight port is formed in the weight pad.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the crown end thickness of the face ranges between 1.5 mm and 4 mm.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein an average thickness of the face above the center face is greater than an average thickness of the face below the center face.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature), the VFT feature being of a radially symmetrical pattern.

7. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature), the VFT feature being asymmetrical and being of a major dimension and a minor dimension, the major dimension being in the crown-to-sole direction and the minor dimension being in the heel-to-toe direction.

8. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature) and wherein the face thickness is constant outside of the VFT feature.

9. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the face includes a face insert and wherein the face insert is connected to the golf club head body by at least one of adhesive and welding.

10. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face gradually decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end such that the crown end face thickness is greater in thickness than both the face thickness at the origin and the sole end face thickness.

11. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein in a y-z plane passing through the origin the thickness of the face continuously decreases from thick to thin starting at the crown end and ending at the sole end.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein a distance from the leading edge to a forwardmost portion of the through slot proximate the face is at most 10 mm.

13. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein a minimum distance from a ground plane to an underside surface of the overhang is no more than 10 mm.

14. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein a minimum thickness of the overhang portion is no more than 10 mm.

15. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein a thickness of the overhang ranges between 2-10 mm.

16. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the face including a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature) having a center point (CP), the face including a geometric center face (CF), the VFT feature CP being a distance D of at least 3 mm from the CF.

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein the VFT feature includes an overall dimension of between 30 mm and 70 mm.

18. The golf club head of claim 11, further comprising an adjustable head-shaft connection assembly that is operable to adjust at least one of a loft angle, a lie angle, and a face angle of a golf club formed when the golf club head is attached to a golf club shaft via the head-shaft connection assembly.

19. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the face is connected to the golf club head body by welding.

20. A golf club head comprising:

a golf club head body defined by a crown, a sole, a skirt, and a face, the golf club body defining an interior cavity;

the face including a toe end, a heel end, a crown end, and a sole end, the face defining a thickness from an outer surface to an inner surface of the face, wherein the thickness of the face is variable;

the face including a geometric center that defines an origin of a coordinate system in which an x-axis is tangential to the face at a center face and is parallel to a ground plane when the golf club head is in a normal address position, a y-axis extending perpendicular to the x-axis and parallel to the ground plane, and a z-axis extending perpendicular to the ground plane, wherein a positive x-axis extends toward the toe end from the origin, a positive y-axis extends rearwardly from the origin, and a positive z-axis extends upwardly from the origin;

the crown coupled to the crown end of the face, the sole coupled to the sole end of the face, and the skirt coupled to the sole and the crown;

the golf club head body defining a trailing edge being a rearward most edge of the golf club head body and the golf club head body defining a leading edge being a forwardmost edge of the golf club head body;

wherein the crown end of the face having a crown end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the crown end;

wherein the sole end of the face having a sole end face thickness defined as a thickness of the face from an outer surface of the face to an inner surface of the face proximate the sole end;

wherein a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge is at most 97 mm;

a weight pad located on the sole within an interior cavity and positioned proximate the face in a forward portion of the sole, wherein the weight pad includes an overhang portion that extends forward from the weight pad toward the face such that the overhang portion of the weight pad overhangs an interior sole surface, wherein a lower surface of the overhang portion and the interior sole surface are spaced apart by an offset distance and the offset distance is at least 0.2 mm;

wherein a forwardmost portion of the weight pad is offset from the face no more than 12.5 mm;

a weight port formed in the sole of the golf club head and a weight configured to be retained at least partially within the weight port;

wherein the golf club head is one of a fairway type golf club head and a hybrid type golf club head;

wherein a loft of the golf club head is at least 14.5 degrees;

wherein a minimum thickness of the overhang portion is no more than 10 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein the crown end thickness of the face ranges between 1.5 mm and 4 mm;

wherein an average thickness of the face above the center face is greater than an average thickness of the face below the center face; and

wherein the face thickness includes a variable face thickness feature (VFT feature), the VFT feature being of a radially symmetrical pattern.