Golf club head

• US 10,610,748 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2018
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Hoffman, Joseph H., Johnson, Matthew D., Beach, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Dennis, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US16/116,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20190201753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 473345, 473346, 473329
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0454 Strengthening ribs on the rear surface of the impact face plate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/06 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/08 with special arrangements for obtaining a variable impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/52 with slits

Abstract

Described herein is a golf club head that comprises a body and a face portion. The golf club head further comprises at least one stiffener, at least partially within the interior cavity and directly coupled to the face portion at a location with an x-axis coordinate, of a club head origin coordinate system of the golf club head, greater than 20 mm and less than 50 mm or greater than −50 mm and less than −20 mm.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a body, defining an interior cavity and comprising;

a sole portion, positioned at a bottom region of the golf club head;

a crown portion, positioned at a top region of the golf club head;

a skirt portion, positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole portion and the crown portion;

a forward region;

a rearward region, opposite the forward region;

a heel region; and

a toe region, opposite the heel region;

a face portion, coupled to the body at the forward region of the body;

at least one stiffener comprising a discrete mass of polymeric material within the interior cavity and directly coupled to an interior surface of the face portion, wherein the polymeric material of the at least one discrete mass has a hardness equal to or greater than about Shore 10D;

a first wall, coupled to the sole portion, protruding uprightly from the sole portion, and extending lengthwise in a heel-to-toe direction;

at least one aperture formed in the face portion and configured for selectively adding the discrete mass of polymeric material into the interior cavity; and

a plug removably inserted into the at least one aperture, wherein the plug is made of a material different than the polymeric material;

wherein the discrete mass of polymeric material is coupled to the first wall and interposed between the first wall and the interior surface of the face portion.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first wall extends lengthwise in a heel-to-toe direction less than a length of the face portion.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first wall extending lengthwise in a heel-to-toe direction extends no more than 30 mm.

4. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first wall is formed of a non-metal material.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the first wall is formed of a metal material.

6. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head further comprises a second wall and a third wall, protruding uprightly from the sole portion, and extending lengthwise in a front-to-back direction;

and wherein the discrete mass of polymeric material is interposed between the second wall and the third wall.

7. The golf club head according to claim 6, wherein the second wall and the third wall are formed of a non-metal material.

8. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein:

the face portion is made of metal; and

the face portion is welded to the body.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein:

the face portion is made of metal; and

the face portion and the body form a one-piece, continuous, monolithic construction.

10. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein:

a volume of the golf club head is between 100 cm{circumflex over ( 

)}3 and 500 cm{circumflex over ( 

)}3, inclusive; and

a total mass of the golf club head is between 145 grams and 260 grams, inclusive.

11. The golf club head according to claim 1,

wherein the discrete mass of polymeric material lowers a characteristic time (CT) of the golf club head at a location on the face portion by between 3 microseconds and 16 microseconds.

12. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein the CT of the golf club head at the location on the face portion is greater than 235 microseconds with the discrete mass of polymeric material directly coupled to the interior surface of the face portion.

13. The golf club head according to claim 12, wherein the location on the face portion is at an origin of a club head origin coordinate system of the golf club head.

14. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein the discrete mass of polymeric material lowers the CT of the golf club head at the origin of the club head origin coordinate system by at least 7 microseconds.

15. The golf club head according to claim 13, wherein:

a z-axis moment of inertia of the head about a z-axis, passing through a center-of-gravity of the head and perpendicular to a ground plane, is greater than 350 kg-mm{circumflex over ( 

)}2, inclusive; and

an x-axis moment of inertia of the head about an x-axis, passing through a center-of-gravity of the head and perpendicular to a ground plane, is greater than 200 kg-mm{circumflex over ( 

)}2, inclusive.

16. The golf club head according to claim 15, wherein a ratio of the x-axis moment of inertia and the z-axis moment of inertia is greater than 0.55, inclusive.

17. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein the first wall extends lengthwise in a heel-to-toe direction less than a length of the face portion.

18. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein:

the face portion is made of metal; and

the face portion is welded to the body.

19. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein:

the face portion is made of metal; and

the face portion and the body form a one-piece, continuous, monolithic construction.

20. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein:

a volume of the golf club head is between 100 cm{circumflex over ( 

)}3 and 500 cm{circumflex over ( 

)}3, inclusive; and

a total mass of the golf club head is between 145 grams and 260 grams, inclusive.