Metal Wood Club with Improved Moment of Inertia

• US 20090203467A1
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Harvell, Christopher D., Burnett, Michael Scott, Murphy, Stephen S., Meyer, Jeffrey W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,758,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/345
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2053/0491 with added weights, e.g. changeable, replaceable
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• 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 53/0412 Volume
• 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 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence

Abstract

A more efficient triangular shape for metal wood clubs or driver clubs is disclosed. This triangular shape allows the clubs to have higher rotational moments of inertia in both the vertical and horizontal directions, and a lower center of gravity.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a hitting surface;

an aft wall;

a heel wall connecting the hitting surface to the aft wall; and

a toe wall connecting the hitting surface to the aft wall,

wherein the golf club has a volume of greater than about 450 cc, a moment of inertia, I_xx, about a horizontal axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head of about 3410 g·

cm² to about 4400 g·

cm², and a moment of inertia, I_yy, about a vertical axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head of about 4730 g·

cm² to about 5830 g·

cm².

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the club head has an I_xx/I_yy ratio greater than about 0.700.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the I_xx/I_yy ratio is about 0.721 to about 0.754.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the moment of inertia, I_xx, about the horizontal axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head is about 3840 g·

cm² to about 4400 g·

cm² and the moment of inertia, I_yy, about the vertical axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head is about 5210 g·

cm² to about 5830 g·

cm².

5. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the moment of inertia, I_xx, about the horizontal axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head is about 4325 g·

cm² to about 4400 g·

cm² and the moment of inertia, I_yy, about the vertical axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head is about 5830 g·

cm² to about 5920 g·

cm².

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the heel wall and the toe wall each contains a substantially straight portion.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a triangular shaped crown.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a trapezoidal shaped crown.

9. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the widest part of the club head from the heel wall to the toe wall is about 5 inches.

10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the longest part of the club head from the hitting surface to the aft wall is about 5 inches.

11. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the hitting surface has a height of about 2 inches to about 2.8 inches.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the hitting surface has a length from the heel wall to the tow wall of about 4 inches.

13. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the aft wall is spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the hitting surface and wherein the aft wall'"'"'s length is about 12.5% to about 33% of the length of the hitting surface.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the aft wall'"'"'s length is about 25% of the length of the hitting surface.

15. The golf club head of claim 1, further comprising a front hitting cup which contains the hitting face and an aft cup which contains the aft wall, and a midsection connecting the front hitting cup and the aft cup, wherein the density of the midsection is less than the density of front hitting cup or the density of the aft cup.

16. The golf club of claim 15, wherein the density of the midsection is equal to or less than about half as much as the density of front hitting cup or the density of the aft cup.

17. The golf club of claim 16, wherein the density of the midsection is equal to or less than about a third as much as the density of front hitting cup or the density of the aft cup.

18. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the midsection comprises a lightweight material, the light weight material selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber composites, aluminum, magnesium, thermoplastic polymers and thermoset polymers.

19. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein the front hitting cup is connected by at least one bridge to the aft cup.

20. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the golf club has a mass of about 194 to about 200 grams.

21. A golf club head comprising:

a hitting surface;

an aft wall;

a heel wall connecting the hitting surface to the aft wall; and

a toe wall connecting the hitting surface to the aft wall,

wherein the golf club has a volume of greater than about 450 cc, a mass of about 194 to about 200 grams, a moment of inertia, I_xx, about a vertical axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head of about 3410 g·

cm² to about 4400 g·

cm², a moment of inertia, I_yy, about the vertical axis through the center of gravity of the golf club head of about 4730 g·

cm² to about 5830 g cm², and wherein the golf club head has an I_xx/I_yy ratio of greater than about 0.65.