Method of Forming a Golf Club Head with Improved Aerodynamic Characteristics

• US 20110247190A1
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callaway Golf Company (Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Callaway Golf Company (Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.)
• Inventors: GIBBS, EVAN D., CACKETT, MATTHEW T., EVANS, D. CLAYTON, EHLERS, STEVEN M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,646,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/407.01
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0437 with special crown configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0458 with non-uniform 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/006 Surfaces specially adapted for reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49764 with testing or indicating

Abstract

Methods of forming a golf club head having improved aerodynamic characteristics are disclosed herein. A preferred method is the largest tangent circle method, which utilizes a Cartesian coordinate system. The method results in identification of the highest point of the crown surface located within a crown apex zone, and this location aids in the design of improved aerodynamic properties of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A method for designing a driver type golf club head, the method comprising:

placing a club head into a Cartesian Coordinate System (CCS) comprising a X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis, wherein three perpendicular planes exist, the three perpendicular planes being XY, YZ and XZ, and the three perpendicular planes intersecting at an origin point;

the club head comprising a body, a hosel, a crown, a sole and a face;

orienting a hosel axis line of the club head in the YZ plane passing through the origin point;

orienting the hosel axis line of the club head so that it lies at a 60 degree angle measured from the −

Y axis;

pivoting the club head around the hosel axis line a toe point and a heel point have the same distance to the YZ plane;

viewing the club head along the X axis and projecting a crown silhouette curve and a sole silhouette curve onto a measurement plane which is parallel to the YZ plane;

placing a circle on the measurement plane between the projected crown silhouette curve and the projected sole silhouette curve;

enlarging the circle until the circle has a maximum diameter within the projected crown and sole silhouette curves;

creating a tangent line from a tangent point where the circle touches the projected crown silhouette curve to a tangent point where the circle touches the projected sole silhouette;

projecting the tangent line parallel along the X axis;

deriving 2D intersection curves of the club head along the tangent line projection; and

positioning a rectangle approximately 0.030 inch above, in the +Z direction and 0.800 inch to the right, in the +X direction, of a endpoint of intersection of the face and the crown, the rectangle having a preferred height of 0.25 inch and a preferred length of 1.00 inch, the rectangle defining a crown apex zone, wherein the highest point of the crown surface is located within the crown apex zone,

wherein the toe and heel points are located approximately one inch on either side of a face center point.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the driver type golf club head has a volume of more than 400 cubic centimeters.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the body is composed of a stainless steel material.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sole is composed of a metal material and the crown is composed of a non-metal material.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the body is composed of a titanium alloy material.

6. A method for forming a driver type golf club head, the method comprising:

orienting the golf club head in a Cartesian coordinate system using a largest tangent circle method; and

positioning a rectangle approximately 0.030 inch above, in a +Z direction, and 0.800 inch to the right of, in a +X direction, an endpoint of an upper end of an intersection curve of the face,

wherein the rectangle has a preferred height of 0.25 inch and a preferred length of 1.00 inch,

wherein the rectangle defines a crown apex zone, and

wherein the highest point of the crown surface is located within the crown apex zone.