Golf club head with progressive face stiffness

• US 20060019770A1
• Filed: 07/29/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Harvell, Christopher D., Murphy, Stephen S., Jorgensen, Douglas C., Meyer, Jeffrey W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,651,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/349
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• 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 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• 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 53/0458 with non-uniform thickness of the impact face plate
• 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

Abstract

A metal wood golf club head adapted for attachment to a shaft, with a body comprising of a first body portion and a second body portion, each portion constructed of a different density material. Combining a high density material in the first body portion with a low density material in the second body portion, creates an ultra-low center of gravity relative to the geometric face center, resulting in higher launch angles and spin rate ratios. Thickening the lower area of the front face lowers the center of gravity and upwardly shifts the coefficient of restitution to the geometric center of the face.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a face, a crown, a sole, and a skirt coupled together to form a club head body having an interior volume;

said face having a strike surface and an inner surface opposite said strike surface, said face having a point of maximum coefficient of restitution and a geometric center; and

a coefficient of restitution lowering insert coupled to said inner surface of said face within said interior volume;

wherein said point of maximum coefficient of restitution is between said crown and said geometric center.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said insert is coupled to said face such that said face has a coefficient of restitution between said sole and said geometric center that is substantially less than a coefficient of restitution between said crown and said geometric center.

3. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said insert includes a material selected from the group consisting of composites, resin systems, thermoset materials, thermoplastic materials, pitch based carbon fibers, PAN based carbon fibers, Kevlar fibers, fiberglass fibers, spectra fibers, or combinations thereof.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said insert includes a plurality of ribs coupled to said inner surface at predetermined locations.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said ribs are oriented vertically in a sole-to-crown direction.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein each of said ribs is wider at a sole end than at a crown end.

7. The golf club head of claim 6, wherein each of said ribs is from approximately 0.1 inch to approximately 0.15 inch wide at said sole end and gradually reduce in thickness to said crown end.

8. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein each of said ribs is thicker at a sole end than at a crown end.

9. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein each of said ribs is from approximately 0.1 inch to approximately 0.15 inch thick at said sole end and gradually reduce in thickness to said crown end.

10. The golf club head of claim 8, wherein each of said ribs is wider at a sole end than at a crown end.

11. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said ribs are oriented horizontally in a toe-to-heel direction.

14. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said plurality of ribs includes from three to seven ribs.

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

said insert is coupled to said inner surface adjacent said sole and extends upward toward said crown; and

said insert has a tapered thickness that is thickest at a lower portion adjacent said sole and thinnest at an upper portion away from said sole.

16. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said insert includes means for stiffening a portion of said face.

17. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said face is of substantially uniform thickness.

12. The golf club head of claim 111, wherein said ribs having decreasing thickness from said rib nearest said sole having the greatest thickness to said rib nearest said crown having the least thickness.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said rib nearest said sole has a thickness from approximately 0.22 inch to approximately 0.18 inch thick and said rib nearest said crown has a thickness from approximately 0.022 inch to approximately 0.018 inch thick.

18. A wood-type golf club head, comprising:

a face with a strike surface and an inner surface opposite said strike surface, said face having a non-uniform coefficient of restitution; and

an insert coupled to a portion of said inner surface;

wherein said insert stiffens said face in and around said portion, lowering the coefficient of restitution thereof below a predetermined value.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said insert creates a preferred striking zone on said face, said zone having a greater coefficient of restitution range than the rest of said face, said zone being located on an upper half of said strike surface.

20. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein:

said insert includes a plurality of ribs arranged vertically in a sole-to-crown direction, horizontally in a toe-to-heel direction, or both; and

said ribs are of greater mass toward a sole of the club head and of incrementally less mass toward a crown of the club head.

21. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said insert has a tapered thickness that is thickest at a lower insert edge adjacent a sole of the club head and thinnest at an upper edge extending toward but not reaching a crown of the club head.