Golf club head

• US 10,625,126 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Demkowski, Paul M., Wahl, Bret H., Taylor, Scott, Kuttappa, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): Blau, Stephen L
• Application Number:
  US15/706,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20180185717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• 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 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0475 with one or more enclosed cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/54 with means for damping vibrations

Abstract

Described herein is a golf club head that comprises a body and a strike plate. The body comprises a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, and a top portion. The strike plate comprises an outer peripheral edge and at least a portion of a strike face. Furthermore, the strike plate is welded to the body via a peripheral weld between the outer peripheral edge of the strike plate and the body. The outer peripheral edge of the strike plate comprises at least one welded portion, welded to the body via the peripheral weld, and at least one non-welded portion, not welded to the body.

Claims

1. A hollow body iron-type golf club head, comprising:

a body, comprising a heel portion, a first part of a sole portion, a toe portion, a top portion, a rear wall, and a hosel of the golf club head;

a strike plate welded to the body, wherein;

the strike plate comprises a strike face of the golf club head, a second part of the sole portion of the golf club head, and a majority of a face-to-sole portion transition region between the face and the sole portion;

the strike plate, the heel portion, the sole portion, the toe portion, the top portion, and the rear wall enclose an internal cavity of the golf club head;

the second part of the sole portion has an internal surface that defines a portion of the internal cavity;

the strike plate has a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion, wherein a thickness of the central portion is greater than a thickness of the peripheral portion; and

the first part of the sole portion comprises a recess formed in an internal surface of the first part of the sole portion;

a filler material within the internal cavity;

a tungsten weight located within the recess of the first part of the sole portion;

a first COR drop off value when the internal cavity is unfilled;

a second COR drop off value when the internal cavity is at least partially filled with the filler material; and

a COR change value being a difference between the second COR drop off value and the first COR drop off value;

wherein;

the COR change value is between 0 and −

0.01;

the filler material is only a polyurethane based foam;

the body further comprises a threaded toe port formed in the toe portion of the golf club head, wherein the internal cavity is configured to receive the filler material through the threaded toe port; and

the golf club head further comprises a threaded plug that is threadably engaged with the threaded toe port to plug the threaded toe port.

2. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the polyurethane based foam is a two part polyurethane based foam.

3. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the filler material is flexible after it is cured.

4. The golf club head according to claim 3, wherein the filler material is a thermoset.

5. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a COR of the golf club head is no less than 0.814.

6. The golf club head according to claim 5, wherein the COR change value is between 0 and −

0.006.

7. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a COR of the golf club head is greater than 0.812.

8. The golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the COR change value is between 0 and −

0.004.

9. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a COR of the golf club head is no less than 0.821.

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

the rear wall is coupled to and extends rearwardly from the first part of the sole portion;

the rear wall comprises a sole bar; and

the filler material extends overtop the sole bar.

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

the rear wall comprises a sole bar protruding from the first part of the sole portion into the internal cavity, wherein the sole bar is located in a low and rearward portion of the golf club head and has a relatively large thickness in relation to the strike plate;

the rear wall further comprises a forward sole bar protrusion protruding from the sole bar forward towards the strike plate;

the second part of the sole portion wraps underneath the forward sole bar protrusion protruding from the sole bar;

the filler material contacts an underside surface of the forward sole bar protrusion and contacts an interior surface of the second part of the sole portion;

a thickness of the strike plate varies and a thickness of the second part of the sole portion is less than the thickness of the central portion of strike plate;

at least a portion of the second part of the sole portion is welded along the first part of the sole portion; and

at least one of the strike plate and the body are formed of a stainless steel.

12. The golf club head according to claim 11, wherein the tungsten weight has a density greater than a density of the body.

13. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the polyurethane based foam is a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate based foam.

14. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein part of the strike plate extends further toward than the second part of the sole portion.

15. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the recess comprises at least a rear wall, a bottom wall, and two opposing side walls, and wherein the tungsten weight is at least partially surrounded by the rear wall, bottom wall, and the two opposing side walls of the recess.

16. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the tungsten weight is at least partially surrounded by the filler material.

17. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein a majority of the tungsten weight is below the threaded toe port when the golf club head is in proper address position.

18. The golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the body is cast and the strike plate is forged.

19. A hollow body iron-type golf club head, comprising:

a body, comprising a heel portion, a first part of a sole portion, a toe portion, a top portion, a rear wall, and a hosel of the golf club head;

a strike plate welded to the body, wherein;

the strike plate comprises a strike face of the golf club head, a second part of the sole portion of the golf club head, and a majority of a face-to-sole portion transition region between the face and the sole portion;

the strike plate, the heel portion, the sole portion, the toe portion, the top portion, and the rear wall enclose an internal cavity of the golf club head;

the second part of the sole portion has an internal surface that defines a portion of the internal cavity;

the strike plate has a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion, wherein a thickness of the central portion is greater than a thickness of the peripheral portion; and

the first part of the sole portion comprises a recess formed in an internal surface of the first part of the sole portion;

a filler material within the internal cavity;

a tungsten weight located within the recess of the first part of the sole portion;

a first COR drop off value when the internal cavity is unfilled;

a second COR drop off value when the internal cavity is at least partially filled with the filler material; and

a COR change value being a difference between the second COR drop off value and the first COR drop off value;

wherein;

the filler material is only a polyurethane based foam;

the COR change value is greater than −

0.002;

a COR of the golf club head is no less than 0.826;

the body further comprises a threaded toe port formed in the toe portion of the golf club head, wherein the internal cavity is configured to receive the filler material through the threaded toe port; and

the golf club head further comprises a threaded plug that is threadably engaged with the threaded toe port to plug the threaded toe port.

20. The golf club head according to claim 19, wherein the strike plate is made of a first material and the body is made of a second material that is different than the first material.

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

the rear wall comprises a sole bar;

the filler material extends overtop the sole bar; and

the threaded toe port is located in the toe portion of the club between the top portion, at a location where the top portion is coupled with the toe portion, and the second part of the sole portion, at a location where the second part of the sole portion is coupled with the toe portion.

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

the rear wall comprises a sole bar protruding from the first part of the sole portion into the internal cavity, wherein the sole bar is located in a low and rearward portion of the golf club head and has a relatively large thickness in relation to the strike plate;

the rear wall further comprises a forward sole bar protrusion protruding from the sole bar forward towards the strike plate;

the second part of the sole portion wraps underneath the forward sole bar protrusion protruding from the sole bar;

the filler material contacts an underside surface of the forward sole bar protrusion and contacts an interior surface of the second part of the sole portion;

a thickness of the strike plate varies and a thickness of the second part of the sole portion is less than the thickness of the central portion of strike plate;

at least a portion of the second part of the sole portion is welded along the first part of the sole portion; and

at least one of the strike plate and the body are formed of a stainless steel.

23. The golf club head according to claim 22, wherein the tungsten weight has a density greater than a density of the body.

24. The golf club head according to claim 19, wherein the polyurethane based foam is a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate based foam.

25. A hollow body iron-type golf club head, comprising:

a body, comprising a heel portion, a first part of a sole portion, a toe portion, a top portion, a rear wall, and a hosel of the golf club head;

a strike plate welded to the body, wherein;

the strike plate comprises a strike face of the golf club head, a second part of the sole portion of the golf club head, and a majority of a face-to-sole portion transition region between the face and the sole portion;

the strike plate, the heel portion, the sole portion, the toe portion, the top portion, and the rear wall enclose an internal cavity of the golf club head;

the second part of the sole portion has an internal surface that defines a portion of the internal cavity;

the strike plate has a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion, wherein a thickness of the central portion is greater than a thickness of the peripheral portion; and

the first part of the sole portion comprises a recess formed in an internal surface of the first part of the sole portion;

a filler material within the internal cavity;

a tungsten weight located within the recess of the first part of the sole portion;

a first COR drop off value when the internal cavity is unfilled;

a second COR drop off value when the internal cavity is at least partially filled with the filler material; and

a COR change value being a difference between the second COR drop off value and the first COR drop off value;

wherein;

the COR change value is between 0 and −

0.01;

the filler material is only a polyurethane based foam;

wherein the polyurethane based foam is a two part polyurethane based foam;

the body further comprises a threaded toe port formed in the toe portion of the golf club head, wherein the internal cavity is configured to receive the filler material through the threaded toe port; and

the golf club head further comprises a threaded plug that is threadably engaged with the threaded toe port to plug the threaded toe port;

the rear wall comprises a sole bar protruding from the first part of the sole portion into the internal cavity, wherein the sole bar is located in a low and rearward portion of the golf club head and has a relatively large thickness in relation to the strike plate;

a thickness of the second part of the sole portion is less than the thickness of the central portion of strike plate;

at least a portion of the second part of the sole portion is welded along the first part of the sole portion; and

the filler material extends overtop the sole bar.