GOLF CLUB HEAD HAVING DENT RESISTANT THIN CROWN

• US 20080132356A1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Taylor Made Golf Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Larsen, Peter L., Chao, Bing-Ling
• Granted Patent: US 8,636,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/350
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/023 Long, oriented fibres, e.g. wound filaments, woven fabrics, mats
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0416 Heads having an impact surface provided by a face insert
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type

Abstract

Wood-type golf club heads have dent resistant crowns with surface areas configured so that at least about 50% of the crown surface area is associated with a crown thickness substantially equivalent to a critical thickness. A critical thickness is generally associated with a higher dent resistance than crowns that are substantially thinner or thicker. Wood-type golf club heads also have crowns with radii and spans that are substantially equivalent to critical crown radii and critical crown spans. Such wood-type golf club heads also exhibit surprisingly superior dent resistance than would be expected for a crown of such thickness.

Claims

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

a striking plate positioned at a front portion of the golf club head; and

an impact resistant crown secured to the striking plate and positioned at an upper portion of the golf club head, wherein at least about 50% of the impact resistant crown has a thickness less than about 0.8 mm and a golf club head center of gravity is located below a plane passing through a golf club head origin positioned at an approximate geometric center of the striking plate and substantially parallel to the ground when the head is at address position.

2. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least about 60% of the impact resistant crown has a thickness of less than about 0.65 mm.

3. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein the golf club head further comprises a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head and a skirt positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the impact resistant crown, wherein the crown, skirt, striking plate, and sole define a club head volume, wherein the golf club head has a total mass between about 190 grams and about 210 grams and the club head volume is between about 350 cm³ and about 460 cm³, wherein the golf club head center of gravity is located between about 2 mm and about 8 mm below the plane passing through the golf club head origin, and wherein a moment of inertia about a club head center of gravity z-axis generally perpendicular to the ground when the club head is at address is greater than about 500 kg·

mm².

4. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 3, wherein at least about 50% of the skirt has a thickness of between about 0.65 mm and about 0.8 mm.

5. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 3, wherein at least about 60% of the sole has a thickness between about 0.85 mm and about 1.1 mm.

6. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 1, wherein at least about 80% of the impact resistant crown has a thickness less than about 0.62 mm.

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

a crown positioned at an upper portion of the golf club head, wherein at least about 50% of the crown has a thickness less than about 0.65 mm and wherein the crown exhibits an average permanent crown deformation having an area less than about 0.7% of a crown surface area in response to a ball drop test.

8. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the crown has a surface area between about 8000 mm² and about 11000 mm².

9. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 8, wherein the crown has a surface area between about 8800 mm² and about 92000 mm².

10. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the average permanent crown deformation area in response to an impact test is less than about 0.5% of the crown surface area.

11. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the average permanent crown deformation area is less than about 0.3% of the crown surface area.

12. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein at least about 50% of the crown has a thickness less than about 0.62 mm.

13. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein a moment of inertia about a club head center of gravity z-axis generally perpendicular to the ground with the club head at an address position is between about 400 kg·

mm² and about 700 kg·

mm².

14. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 13, wherein the moment of inertia about the club head center of gravity z-axis is between about 500 kg·

mm² and about 600 kg·

mm .

15. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the golf club head has a head depth between about 70 mm and about 120 mm.

16. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the golf club head has a head height between about 50 mm and about 80 mm.

17. The wood-type golf club head according to claim 7, wherein the golf club head has a head width between about 80 mm and about 130 mm.

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

a body comprising a striking plate positioned at a front portion of the golf club head, a sole positioned at a bottom portion of the golf club head, a crown positioned at an upper portion of the golf club head and a skirt positioned around a periphery of the golf club head between the sole and the crown, wherein the body defines an interior cavity;

the head has a golf club head origin positioned on the striking plate at an approximate geometric center of the striking plate, the head origin including an x-axis tangential to the striking plate and generally parallel to the ground when the head is at address position, and a y-axis generally perpendicular to the x-axis and generally parallel to the ground when the head is in address position, and a z-axis generally perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis;

about 81% of the crown has a thickness less than about 0.60 mm and about 19% of the crown has a thickness greater than about 0.8 mm;

the crown has an equivalent crown span of about 111 mm, a front-to-back radius of curvature between about 85 mm and about 90 mm, and a heel-to-toe radius of curvature between about 100 mm and about 120 mm;

the skirt has a thickness between about 0.6 mm and about 1.1 mm and the sole has a thickness between about 0.8 mm and about 1.2 mm;

the sole and the skirt of the golf club head are formed as a unitary body from a titanium alloy;

a club head center of gravity is located below a plane defined by the head origin x-axis and the head origin y-axis and a distance delta-l is between about 14.9 mm and about 16.8 mm, and

the club head has a total head mass of about 206 grams, a head volume of about 411 cm³, a moment of inertia about a center of gravity x-axis generally parallel to the origin x-axis between about 219 kg·

mm² and about 255 kg·

mm², a moment of inertia about a center of gravity z-axis generally parallel to the origin z-axis between about 384 kg·

mm² and about 391 kg·

mm², a head depth of about 102 mm, a head height of about 65.5 mm, and a head width of about 116 mm.

19. A golf club head crown, comprising:

a shaped substrate having a thickness and defining a club exterior crown surface area, wherein the shaped substrate defines a front-to-back crown span, a toe-to-heel crown span, a crown front-to-back radius of curvature, and a crown toe-to-heel radius of curvature, wherein the thickness is less than about 0.8 mm and the shaped substrate has a mass less than about 36 grams, wherein the shaped substrate is configured so that an average area of a permanent crown deformation produced in an impact test is less than about 0.7% of the club exterior crown surface area.

20. The golf club head crown according to claim 19, wherein the club exterior crown surface area is between about 8000 mm² and about 11000 mm².

21. The golf club head crown according to claim 19, wherein the shaped substrate is configured so that the average area of the permanent crown deformation produced in the impact test is less than about 0.5% of the club exterior crown surface area.

22. The golf club head crown according to claim 19, wherein the shaped substrate is configured so that the average area of the permanent crown deformation produced in the impact test is less than about 0.3% of the club exterior crown surface area.

23. The golf club head crown according to claim 19, wherein between about 70% and about 90% of the shaped substrate has a thickness less than about 0.62 mm.

24. The golf club head crown according to claim 19, wherein the shaped substrate is formed from a metallic material.

25. The golf club head crown according to claim 19, wherein a modulus of elasticity of the shaped substrate is between about 13 Msi and about 20 Msi.