Golf Clubs With Golf Club Heads Having Grooves Formed With Textured Surfaces

• US 20120071269A1
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Rahrig, Donald S., Boyd, Robert, Ritchie, William J.
• Application Number:
  US13/211,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20120071269A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/331
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/04 Heads
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0445 Details of grooves or the like on the impact surface
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/047 iron-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0487 for putters A63B53/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/00 Details or accessories of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A golf club with a golf club head having a plurality of grooves formed using electrical discharge machining is presented. The grooves may be formed in a ball striking surface of the golf club head and may include portions having a texture. In some examples, the roughness of the texture may vary as the groove extends from the ball striking surface along a sidewall of the groove. For instance, texture formed along an edge radius of the groove extending between the ball striking surface and the sidewall may be rougher than texture extending lower along the sidewall. In some examples, portions of the sidewall and/or bottom of the groove may be void of texture.

Claims

1. A golf club head, comprising:

a golf club head body having a front face including a ball striking surface; and

a plurality of grooves formed in the ball striking surface, the plurality of grooves being formed using electrical discharge machining (EDM), at least one groove of the plurality of grooves having a first sidewall and a second sidewall extending downward from the front face of the golf club head body to a bottom of the groove, the at least one groove further including a first edge radius extending between the first sidewall and the front face and a second edge radius extending between the second sidewall and the front face, and the first edge radius and the second edge radius including a first texture.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first sidewall and at least a portion of the second sidewall include a second texture.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein the first texture and the second texture have a different roughness.

4. The golf club head of claim 3, wherein the first texture is rougher than the second texture.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein the first texture and the second texture extend downward along the first sidewall and the second sidewall between 20% and 30% of the overall depth of the groove.

6. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the first texture extends from the first edge radius along at least a portion of the first sidewall and from the second edge radius along at least a portion of the second sidewall.

7. A golf club head, comprising:

a golf club head body having a ball striking surface; and

a plurality of grooves formed in the ball striking surface, at least one groove of the plurality of grooves having a first end arranged proximate the toe and a second end arranged proximate the heel, and the at least one groove of the plurality of grooves having a constant vertical depth along a length of the groove extending from the first end to the second end.

8. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the vertical depth is measured from a top of the at least one groove proximate the front face to a bottom of the at least one groove.

9. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the at least one groove further includes a region extending along a first sidewall and a second sidewall of the at least one groove having a texture.

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein the texture includes:

a first texture region along a first edge radius of the groove extending between the front face and the first sidewall and a second edge radius extending between the front face and the second sidewall, the first texture region having a first roughness;

a second texture region adjacent the first texture region and extending downward from the first texture region along the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the second texture region having a second roughness; and

a third texture region adjacent the second texture region and extending downward from the second texture region along the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the third texture region having a third roughness.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the first sidewall and at least a portion of the second sidewall is void of texture.

12. The golf club head of claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the first sidewall and the at least a portion of the second sidewall void of texture are portions proximate a bottom of the groove.

13. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein the first roughness is greater than the second roughness and the second roughness is greater than the third roughness.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein the texture further includes a fourth texture region adjacent the third texture region and extending downward from the third texture region along the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the fourth texture region having a fourth roughness, the third roughness being greater than the fourth roughness.

15. The golf club head of claim 7, wherein the plurality of grooves are formed using EDM.

16. The golf club head of claim 7, further including a shaft connected to the golf club head to form a golf club.

17. A golf club, comprising:

a golf club shaft;

a golf club head connected to one end of the shaft and having a golf club head body including a toe, a heel, a crown, a sole, a rear and a front face, the front face including a ball striking surface; and

a plurality of grooves formed in the ball striking surface, at least one groove of the plurality of grooves having a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a first end wall, a second end wall, and a bottom, wherein a bottom of the first end wall and a bottom of the second end wall meet the bottom of the groove at a substantially right angle.

18. The golf club of claim 17, wherein the plurality of grooves are forming using EDM.

19. The golf club of claim 17, wherein the at least one groove further includes a first edge radius extending between the first sidewall and the front face and a second edge radius extending between the second sidewall and the front face.

20. The golf club of claim 19, wherein the at least one groove further includes a texture formed along the first edge radius, the second edge radius, at least a portion of the first sidewall, and at least a portion of the second sidewall.

21. The golf club of claim 20, wherein the texture includes:

a first texture region along the first edge radius and the second edge radius, the first texture region having a first roughness;

a second texture region adjacent the first texture region and extending downward from the first texture region along the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the second texture region having a second roughness; and

a third texture region adjacent the second texture region and extending downward from the second texture region along the first sidewall and the second sidewall, the third texture region having a third roughness.

22. The golf club of claim 21, wherein the first roughness is greater than the second roughness and the second roughness is greater than the third roughness.

23. The golf club of claim 20, wherein a least a portion of the first sidewall, at least a portion of the second sidewall, and the bottom of the at least one groove are void of texture.

24. The golf club of claim 23, wherein the at least a portion of the first sidewall and the at least a portion of the second sidewall void of texture are located proximate the bottom of the at least one groove.

25. A method of forming a golf club, comprising:

forming a golf club head having a golf club head body including a toe, a heel, a crown, a sole, a rear and a front face, the front face including a ball striking surface;

forming a plurality of grooves in the ball striking surface of the golf club head body using EDM; and

connecting the golf club head to a shaft.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of forming a plurality of grooves in the ball striking surface of the golf club head body further includes forming a texture along a portion of at least a first groove of the plurality of grooves.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein forming the texture includes forming a plurality of texture regions, each texture region having different texture properties.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the different texture properties include a different roughness.

29. A method of forming a golf club, comprising:

forming a golf club head having a golf club head body including a toe, a heel, a crown, a sole, a rear and a front face, the front face including a ball striking surface;

forming a plurality of grooves in the ball striking surface of the golf club head body using EDM, wherein forming the plurality of grooves using EDM includes;

forming a first texture region using EDM, the first texture region located along an edge radius extending between the front face and a first sidewall of the groove, the first texture region having a first roughness;

forming a second texture region using EDM, the second texture region being adjacent the first texture region and extending downward from the first texture region along the first sidewall of the groove, the second texture region having a second roughness different from the first roughness; and

connecting the golf club head to a shaft.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first roughness is rougher than the second roughness.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein forming the first texture region and the second texture region includes forming texture along 20% to 30% of the overall depth of the groove.

32. An iron-type golf club head, comprising:

an iron-type golf club head body having a ball striking surface; and

a plurality of grooves formed in the ball striking surface, wherein at least a first groove of the plurality of grooves includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall extending inward from the ball striking surface to a bottom of the groove, the first groove further including a first edge radius extending between the first sidewall and the ball striking surface and a second edge radius extending between the second sidewall and the ball striking surface, and wherein the first edge radius includes a first texture.

33. The iron-type golf club head of claim 32, wherein the first edge radius is positioned vertically above the second edge radius.

34. The iron-type golf club head of claim 32, wherein the first texture extends between 20% and 30% of an overall depth of the first groove.

35. The iron-type golf club head of claim 32, wherein a portion of the ball striking surface adjacent the first edge radius includes the first texture.

36. The iron-type golf club head of claim 35, wherein the portion of the ball striking surface including the first texture extends 1% to 10% of a length from the first edge radius of the first groove to an edge radius of a second groove adjacent the first groove.

37. The iron-type golf club head of claim 35, wherein the portion of the ball striking surface including the first texture extends at least 10% of a length from the first edge radius of the first groove to an edge radius of a second groove adjacent the first groove.

38. The iron-type golf club head of claim 32, wherein the first edge radius is positioned vertically below the second edge radius.

39. The iron-type golf club head of claim 32, wherein the first texture includes a plurality of texture regions, at least two texture regions having different roughnesses.

40. The iron-type golf club of claim 32, wherein at least a second groove of the plurality of grooves includes a first sidewall and a second sidewall extending inward from the ball striking surface to a bottom of the second groove, the second groove further including a first edge radius extending between the first sidewall of the second groove and the ball striking surface and a second edge radius extending between the second sidewall of the second groove and the ball striking surface, wherein the first edge radius of the second groove includes the first texture, and wherein the second groove is adjacent the first groove.