GOLF CLUB WITH IMPROVED PERFORMANCE

• US 20120100926A1
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Acushnet Company (FILA Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Golden, Charles E., Harvell, Christopher D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,535,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/307
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/02 Joint structures between the head and the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0408 characterised by specific dimensions, e.g. thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0412 Volume
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0433 with special sole configurations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0441 with visual indicators for aligning the golf club
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/0466 wood-type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/02 Ballast means for adjusting the centre of mass A63B60/24, A63B60/54 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/42 Devices for measuring, verifying, correcting or customising the inherent characteristics of golf clubs, bats, rackets or the like, e.g. measuring the maximum torque a batting shaft can withstand

Abstract

A golf club head with an improved Moment of Inertia (MOI) is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf club head with a releasable hosel mechanism that is leaner and more lightweight, it allows a significant amount of weight to be saved from the hosel portion of the golf club head and used to improve Center of Gravity (CG) location of the golf club head; which contributes to the improvement of the MOI of the golf club head.

Claims

1. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion, defining a striking face plane, positioned at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head; and

a hosel, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, and adapted to connect to a shaft,

wherein a first plane intersects a second plane to define a hosel sub-element,

said first plane parallel to both said hosel bore axis and said striking face plane and is offset 15 mm towards said rear portion of said golf club head from said hosel bore axis in a Z_HBA direction, and

said second plane parallel to said hosel bore axis and perpendicular to said striking face plane and is offset 12 mm towards a toe portion of said golf club head from said hosel bore axis in a X_HBA direction;

wherein said hosel releasably connects said shaft to said golf club head; and

wherein said hosel sub-element has a total mass of less than about 50 grams.

2. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said total mass of said hosel sub-element has a mass of less than about 45 grams.

3. The golf club head of claim 2, wherein said total mass of said hosel sub-element has a mass of less than about 44 grams.

4. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said golf club head has a hosel sub-element mass ratio of less than about 0.25;

wherein said hosel sub element mass ratio is defined as a mass of the hosel sub-element divided by an overall mass of said golf club head.

5. The golf club head of claim 4, wherein said hosel sub-element mass ratio is less than about 0.225.

6. The golf club head of claim 5, wherein said hosel sub-element mass ratio is less than about 0.22.

7. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion, and a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground, together satisfy

CG_Y≦

0.0935*CG_Z+26.

8. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion, and a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground, together satisfy

9. The golf club of claim 1, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion is greater than 35 mm

10. The golf club head of claim 9, wherein said CG depth distance along said Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from said face center of said striking face portion is greater than about 36 mm.

11. The golf club head of claim 10, wherein said CG depth distance along said Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from said face center of said striking face portion is greater than about 37 mm.

12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 30 mm.

13. The golf club head of claim 12, wherein said CG height distance along said Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 29 mm.

14. The golf club head of claim 13, wherein said CG height distance along said Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 28 mm

15. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kg*mm².

16. The golf club head of claim 15, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

17. The golf club head of claim 16, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

18. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion, defining a striking face plane, positioned at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head; and

a hosel, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, and adapted to connect to a shaft,

wherein said hosel releasably connects said shaft to said golf club head, and

wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion, and a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground, together satisfy

CG_Y0.0935*CG_Z+26.

19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion is greater than 35 mm

20. The golf club head of claim 19, wherein said CG depth distance along said Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from said face center of said striking face portion is greater than about 36 mm.

21. The golf club head of claim 20, wherein said CG depth distance along said Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from said face center of said striking face portion is greater than about 37 mm

22. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kg*mm².

23. The golf club head of claim 22, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

24. The golf club head of claim 23, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

25. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion, defining a striking face plane, positioned at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head; and

a hosel, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, and adapted to connect to a shaft,

wherein said hosel releasably connects said shaft to said golf club head, and

wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion, and a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground, together satisfy

26. The golf club of claim 25, wherein a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 30 mm.

27. The golf club head of claim 26, wherein said CG height distance along said Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 29 mm

28. The golf club head of claim 27, wherein said CG height distance along said Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 28 mm.

29. The golf club head of claim 25, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kg*mm².

30. The golf club head of claim 29, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

31. The golf club head of claim 30, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

32. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion, defining a striking face plane, positioned at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head; and

a hosel, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, and adapted to connect to a shaft,

wherein said hosel releasably connects said shaft to said golf club head, and

wherein a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 30 mm.

33. The golf club head of claim 32, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion is greater than 35 mm.

34. The golf club head of claim 33, wherein said CG depth distance along said Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from said face center of said striking face portion is greater than about 36 mm, and wherein said CG height distance along said Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 29 mm

35. The golf club head of claim 34, wherein said CG depth distance along said Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from said face center of said striking face portion is greater than about 37 mm, and wherein said CG height distance along said Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground is less than about 28 mm.

36. The golf club head of claim 35, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kg*mm².

37. The golf club head of claim 36, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

38. The golf club head of claim 37, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

39. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion, defining a striking face plane, positioned at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head; and

a hosel, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, and adapted to connect to a shaft,

wherein said hosel releasably connects said shaft to said golf club head, and

wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kg*mm².

40. The golf club head of claim 39, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

41. The golf club head of claim 40, wherein said Moment of Inertia (MOI) of said golf club head about said Y-axis is greater than about 475 kg*mm².

42. A golf club head comprising:

a striking face portion, defining a striking face plane, positioned at a forward portion of said golf club head;

a body portion, connected to an aft portion of said striking face, positioned at a rearward portion of said golf club head; and

a hosel, defining a hosel bore axis, positioned at a heel portion of said golf club head, and adapted to connect to a shaft,

wherein said hosel releasably connects said shaft to said golf club head, and

wherein a CG of said golf club head moves more than about 0.59 mm along an arc for every degree movement of a face angle of said golf club head, said arc defined as a circle having said hosel bore axis as the center while having a radius defined by the distance between said CG and said hosel axis;

all along a plane that is perpendicular to said hosel bore axis.

43. The golf club head of claim 42, wherein said CG of said golf club head moves more than 0.61 mm along an arc for every degree movement of a face angle of said golf club head.

44. The golf club head of claim 43, wherein said CG of said golf club head moves more than 0.63 mm along an arc for every degree movement of a face angle of said golf club head.

45. The golf club head of claim 42, wherein said golf club head has a Moment of Inertia (MOI) about a Y-axis of greater than about 460 kg*mm².

46. The golf club head of claim 42, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion, and a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground, together satisfy

CG_Y≦

0.0935*CG_Z+26.

47. The golf club head of claim 42, wherein a CG depth distance along a Z-axis, CG_Z, measured from a face center of said striking face portion, and a CG height distance along a Y-axis, CG_Y, measured from a ground, together satisfy